Controlling Light and Privacy With Roll-Up Blinds and Shades!

Roll-up blinds are an easy way to control light and privacy. They feature a cylinder at the top of the window that rolls up when you pull on the cords. They come in a wide variety of fabrics to match your existing home decor. Some shade styles have a room-darkening liner that can be sewn directly to the fabric or added independently.

If you have a shade with routed holes in the slats that let light in and allow people to see into your home, you can replace them with wide cloth tapes (above left). They give a more stately look, completely cover the hardware and eliminate the slits in the slats.

There are several types of shades that provide perfect balance of daytime views and privacy at night. Woven wood shades, also known as matchstick blinds, made of jute, bamboo or reed, can be lowered to obscure the view while letting in natural light. They can be layered with sheer fabric to create an effective blackout.

Sheer and zebra shades are another ideal choice for privacy at night. These shades, available in both light filtering and blackout fabrics, have patterns to block the outside view and prevent prying eyes from peering inside.

Shades are much more customizable than blinds and can be upgraded with many options, including upgrade fabric collections, fabric wrap valances to conceal hardware, and lift systems like top down bottom up and motorization. They can even be fitted with liners to increase energy efficiency and provide an extra layer of insulation.