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Make the most of the sunshine

Summer is the time for blinds and curtains, so you can enjoy the sunshine on your own terms. Here are some useful tips to look out for!
Control the light
The most important thing to start with when picking out blinds or curtains is to be clear about their purpose. If you simply want to keep the glaring sunshine out, curtains or roman blinds in a light coloured fabric with a dense weave or roller blinds in a screen fabric would do the trick. With a 5% openness factor screen fabric, you can still enjoy the desired view. Venetian blinds have the added benefit that you can have them fully open, fully closed or the slats can be tilted to control the light and privacy.  Be aware though, they can get dusty so require more maintenance than curtains or roman blinds. Now if you want to keep out the sun so you can sleep in complete darkness, black out roller blinds are for you. No rays of sunshine tickling your nose at five in the morning!
Keep the heat out
If you want to keep the heat out, use the light coloured screen fabric with high opacity. Available for roller blinds, these fabrics have a 1% openness factor and a light colour which greatly reduce the heat gain. Often these are preferred in rooms with large expanses of glazing, such as contemporary extensions or ‘glass boxes’.
Sunshine damage
A final issue that all interior designers would consider: sunshine will fade fabrics. To avoid fading furniture, blinds and curtains can help control their exposure to sunlight. However, the curtains themselves will often fade – what to do then? In this case make sure you have curtain linings. These will extend the life of the curtains by helping to protect the back of the fabric from sunlight.