As we’re moving into summer here in Australia, light control tends to become a primary design concern. This is mostly because average daily hours of sunlight during the peak of the season can easily be upwards of 15 hours. With that level of sunshine, it can be difficult to have a really luxurious sleep-in, to say the very least.
That’s why it’s essential to know how to layer sheer and blackout curtains for Aussie homeowners. When you’re able to install some Australian sheer curtains alongside a good panel of effective blackout curtains, you can be rest assured that you can enjoy the best of both worlds, savouring the warm summer sun during the daytime, and darkness with a cool A/C breeze on those otherwise sweaty summer nights.
Here are just a few ways that you can layer sheer and blackout curtains in your home in time for summer. 👇
Install your sheer curtains on the inner layer
The best way to layer your sheer and blackout curtains is to install your sheer curtains on the inside of your window frame, with your blackout curtains layered on top and installed on the outside of the frame. By using this method for layering your sheer and blackout curtains, you can be sure that your sheer curtains provide privacy during the day alongside effortless light filtration when your blackout curtain panels have been pulled apart.
As sheer curtains are naturally always more delicate than a sturdy set of blackout curtains, you’ll want to ensure that your sheer curtains are shorter and smaller than your blackout curtain panels. With this in mind, layering your sheer curtains beneath your blackout curtains can also help keep your Australian sheer curtains well-protected in your home, as keeping your blackout curtains drawn will limit the exposure of your sheer curtains to young children and pets during evening hours. Simply put, installing your sheer curtains layered beneath your blackout curtains is a highly practical approach to covering up your windows across all the different interior spaces in your home.
Use a double curtain rod to layer sheer and blackout curtains
Of course, measuring up the inside and outside of your window frame in order to secure two differently sized curtain panels can feel like a bit of an exhausting endeavour for some DIY home designers, and that’s okay! If putting together two different curtain measurements for layering your sheer and blackout curtains feels a bit unnecessary for you, then you can absolutely use one shared measurement for both of the curtain panels.
But how will you layer your curtains if they’re exactly the same size? Well, this is where a double curtain rod will likely become your new favourite window accessory, that is if you had an old favourite before this.
Double curtain rods essentially provide two parallel rods attached to one shared curtain rod bracket. With two rods available one after the other, you can hang two curtains up on the same rod without having to worry about installing one rod higher or lower than the other. Your curtains can just be level and installed one on top of the other for effortless layering of sheers and blackouts, amongst other curtain styles. Double curtain rods can be found in a wide range of different decor styles, so chances are high that you’ll be able to find a double curtain rod that perfectly fits your home’s existing design scheme, whether you live in a maximalist or minimalist, industrialist or rustic, country-inspired interior design scheme.
Install curtain tiebacks for ease of use
The worst thing about layering sheer curtains with blackout curtains is trying to make sure your blackout curtains don’t drown out the presence of your more delicate sheers. Because of their light-blocking functionality as well as the nature of their construction, blackout curtains have a heavier hang than sheers. Because of this, it can be all too easy for blackout curtains to take up a disproportionate amount of your available window space in comparison to your sheer curtains. If your blackout curtains are too strong against your sheer curtains, you could be losing some of the natural light control functionalities that accompany layering these curtain styles.
For this reason, installing curtain tiebacks is really a quintessential component of layering sheer curtains with blackout curtains. By installing curtain tiebacks to hold your blackout curtains in place when pulled apart, you can ensure that your sheer curtains can be put on full display, bringing more external light into your interior spaces and even going as far as making your windows look larger as well.
Use a motorised curtain rod for smart light control
With more smart home technologies being available on the market with every passing day in the digital age, designing your home with convenience in its functionality alongside style is becoming a common practice. So why not take the same approach when learning how to layer your sheer and blackout curtains?
By installing your layered curtains on a motorised curtain rod, you can basically take all the manual manoeuvring out of drawing your curtains. With just the tap of your phone screen, you can push or pull your curtains with ease, allowing for totally streamlined light control over virtually every space in your home.
Your motorised curtain rod can also be used to help establish daily routines that your smart home can initiate at set times or in response to set stimuli. For instance, if you have to wake up early in the morning, you can program your smart curtain rod to pull your blackout curtains apart at a set time, allowing you to wake up with the sun.
Depending on what kind of motorised curtain rod you’re using, you may even be able to enjoy incremental control over how open or closed you’d like your curtains to be. With optimal functionality and the ability to fully personalise the operationality of your curtains, installing your own motorised curtain rods could be the best method for layering sheer and blackout curtains for your household.
Top benefits of layering your sheer and blackout curtains
Layering your sheer and blackout curtains provides a whole lot of advantages for Aussie homeowners, including but not limited to superior light control capabilities, additional protection for delicate sheer curtains which may help to prolong their usable life, and timelessly elegant window stylings.
Knowing how to layer sheer and blackout curtains can help Aussie homeowners stay more comfortable in their homes not only during the summer months but perhaps even year-round, as you can enjoy both superior light control as well as total light availability without having to sacrifice on your household’s right to privacy.
With all this in mind and all the methods of layering your sheer and blackout curtains that we’ve outlined above, there’s really nothing stopping you from taking full advantage of curtain layering and all its many benefits in your own home.
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