Blackout draperies let you sleep in peace
DEAR GAIL: When we moved into our home we had beautiful sheer shades put in. We loved how they were soft, airy and let us still see into our backyard but at the same time gave us some privacy. Since then I’ve changed jobs and am now working at night and sleeping during the day, sort of. I’ve tried sleeping masks, pillows over my face and hung a sheet, — boy, that was pretty. Help, I need my sleep. What can I do on these windows? — Annie H.
DEAR ANNIE: Sleep deprivation is not good and recent studies have shown that it is the cause of many accidents as well as a list of health problems. So, let’s get you some options and some sleep.
The easiest thing to do will be to put up blackout drapery panels. To make sure you get the full benefit of them, you should mount them from floor to ceiling and at least 12 inches out from each side of the window. This will keep light from coming in from all sides. If you are able to go wall-to-wall, that’s even better.
Something you also need to consider is how much wall space your draperies will need to clear your window when you want to let light in. This is called stack back, the open wall space or width that the panels will take up when fully opened. There are a couple of things that affect the stack back, including how heavy and thick your panels are and how full you make them when they are fully closed. The fuller and heavier the fabric, the more wall space they will need when opened.
I’m bringing this up since you mentioned how you like to look into your backyard. I’m sure you’ll want to have as much of your window visible when you’re off and want to let the light in.
Without getting complicated with calculations, take one drapery panel that you’re considering and gather it together. This will give you a good estimate on how much wall space it is going to take up when opened. Let’s say a 54-inch-wide panel gathers down to 25 inches. To have it completely stack off your window, you would want to place the drapery rod 25 inches from the edge of the window.
If you don’t want all that fabric on your windows, you can use blackout Roman shades. You’ll want to mount them the same distance around the window. The difference is that you’ll be able to pull them up off the window.
Again, you need to consider stack back, but in this case it would be the amount of wall space they will take up when opened or pulled up. If you have a lot of room above your window, you’ll probably have no problem clearing your window. The problem will be if you have a tall window and little space above it. Then they will most likely hang into your window when pulled up.
Something I did for one of my clients was to replace their soft shades with blackout shades and shutters. They wanted a minimal amount of fabric because of their cats. So we mounted the shades inside the windows and the shutters outside. When they were off and wanted light, they pulled up the shades. You didn’t see the shades through the shutters because their stack was only a couple of inches when pulled up. We also made them cordless so there wouldn’t be any cords hanging down. It was an expensive layered option, but it worked for them.
You also can use blackout shades on the inside and stationary drapery panels on each side of the window. The side panels will block out any light that might seep through the sides.
A more expensive option, but one that will completely block out any light, is rolling shutters. I have them in my home and I can tell you I have no idea what time of day it is when I wake up. This is good and bad because you can oversleep.
I hope one of these will work for you and sleep well.
Gail Mayhugh, owner of GMJ Interiors, is a professional interior designer and author of a book on the subject. Questions may be sent by e-mail to: gail@gmjinteriors.com. Or, mail to: 7380 S. Eastern Ave., No. 124-272, Las Vegas, NV 89123. Her Web address is: www.GMJinteriors.com.