Curtains and blinds can make the perfect addition to the decor of any room. Not only can they add a sense of personal style, but are also purposeful and practical, providing you with privacy and temperature control.
These shading solutions are constructed with a variety of fabric types that contribute to functionality and applicability. When assessing what will be best suited to a particular room of your home, it’s important to consider the particular qualities of each fabric type. This will affect how they hang and drape, as well as the texture, coverage, and the overall level of protection they provide.
Here at Rolletna we’re committed to meeting our customers’ needs. We’ve seen what works and what doesn’t, and what the best approach is for getting a particular effect and lighting in a room.
We’ve put together this blog, to help our customers better understand each fabric type, and their particular qualities to help you decide which are best suited for your home.
Sheers
Sheer fabrics are airy and versatile, offering a very soft finish to a window. They are made with a very thin fabric, quite open weave, and a very fine yarn, allowing them to be seen through quite clearly.
The biggest benefit of this type of fabric is that it allows some light to still shine through the fabric providing soft diffused natural light to your home, while allowing a view to be retained. Sheer fabric is also available in a great range of colours and styles.
However since it’s possible to see through this fabric, it only offers limited privacy. It also only offers limited solar or heat protection and therefore cannot be used to help control the temperature in your home.
Sheer fabrics are used on roller blinds, roman blinds, panel glides and curtains.
Screens
Screen fabrics are woven from a yarn made of an inner glass fibre core with a poly vinyl covering. They come in a number of different colours and weaves and can be designed to provide greater visibility, and effectively control glare and heat.
The main benefits of screen fabrics is that they offer the unique capability of providing see-through visibility, heat control and day time privacy. However it’s important to note that at night time, with screen fabrics, it can be relatively easy to look inside from the outside.
Screen fabrics can be used in roller blinds, panel glides, roman blinds.
Translucents
Translucent fabrics are typically made from polyester yarn and have a tight weave with no backing. They will let light through, but unlike sheer, screen or transparent fabrics where you can see objects, translucent fabrics do not allow objects to be seen through them.
Unlike screens which only provide effective day time privacy, translucents provide privacy both during the day and at night. The secret to the success of these blinds lies in the tightly woven fabric weave, which ensures outsiders cannot see into your windows.
However depending on where the lights are positioned, it may be possible to see shadows.
Translucent fabrics work best in living areas or as an alternative to a dual roller or curtain system where cost is an issue. It’s recommended they be installed over street-facing windows in your lounge, living or dining areas.
Transparents
Transparent fabrics are fabrics that you can see through. Sheers and screens are examples of transparent fabrics, but there are also polyester fabrics that are categorised as transparent.
Polyester fabrics are a synthetic material essentially made from plastic, but it can resemble silk, cotton, or even velvet, depending on how it is made. It also possesses flame-resistant and UV-resistant qualities, which make it an extra-safe choice for your home.
The biggest benefit of this type of fabric is the ability to see through it and provide day time privacy. But remember this level of privacy is not maintained at night time.
Transparent fabrics can be used on roller blinds, panel glides, roman blinds, curtains and dual roller blinds.
Blockouts
Blockout fabrics are mainly made from polyester or nylon. They are manufactured by coating fabric with multiple layers of black foam, creating the blackout effect.
Blockout fabrics are not see-through, meaning that no one can see in or out. They
provide excellent light control, privacy and outside noise minimisation, allowing you to achieve greater control over your environment.
Since they provide a total blockout of light, it’s important to consider which type of room this might be applicable.They are generally best suited in bedrooms both for privacy as well as reducing the amount of visible light that enters a room.
Blockouts are suitable for roller blinds, roman blinds, panel glides, full block roller blinds and some curtains.
Curtains and blinds offer a variety of visual and practical benefits that make them a wise investment in your home. However before you embark on your design and selection journey, in order to get the best match for your home, it’s important to first understand the characteristics and benefits that each fabric type provides.
If your after soft diffused natural light with a retention of your view, sheers will provide the visual effects you’re after. For greater glare control and day time privacy, screens will be a more appropriate option. If you have a room where greater control of your environment is required, then translucents and blockouts will give you greater levels of privacy and temperature control.
Doing your research will enable you to select the right type of fabric, in the right room, giving you the functionality you need to achieve your desired level of privacy and protection from the elements.
We hope this blog has given you more information to select the right type of fabric for the shading solution to be used in your home.
If you have any further questions don’t hesitate to contact us here at Rolletna. We have years of experience behind us, and offer a customised solution where we’ll work with you to understand your home’s unique needs, and then come up with fabric solutions that best fit for your home.
For any of your curtain / blind needs, why not contact us today.
