When Was the Last Time You Had a Good Night’s Sleep?
Are you one of the lucky ones, or do you struggle with getting a good night of sleep?
Discussion of sleep deprivation is everywhere in the news and in advertising lately. Everyone seems to be talking about the struggle of getting a good night’s sleep. I recently had a good friend say to me that she would rather have a good night of sleep than an extra thousand dollars!
All of this is playing out in advertising, literature and life. Advertisements for pillows, mattresses, oils, scents, and even “white sound” all promise to help give you that perfect night of sleep. There are sleep clinics and businesses making a very good living on this one topic. Did you ever stop to think that one obvious solution to at least part of the problem could be to change your window coverings?
Many bedrooms or other areas where room darkening is required are often overlooked. Windows often let in too much light and disturb your ability to get a full good night of sleep.
The purpose of a window is to let light and fresh air into your home. But have you ever stopped to think about the purpose of your window treatments? In some rooms the purpose may just be to add style to your room for fashion’s sake, but what about those rooms where function is just as important as style? I’m thinking of the bedroom or any other place where you need blackout or room darkening solutions. Thankfully, there are plenty of solutions to help you to achieve room darkening or blackout solutions.
These are my three favorite solutions for this problem:
- Cellular Shades
- Rollers Shades with Side Tracks
- Blackout Drapes.
Cellular Shades (Honeycomb Shades)
Cellular Shades, also known as Honeycomb Shades are a great solution because of the minimal light gaps that they have. Light gaps refer to the light that comes in on the sides of the window. Cellular shades have minimal light gaps on the sides of the windows (about 3/16 “). If that 3/16” gap bothers you there is a solution to that. Side tracks (tracks that go on the inside of the window frame) can be added to completely block out any light, eliminating light coming in on the sides.
Cellular Shades also have the option of top down/bottom up, meaning that you can move the bottom or top up or down, controlling the amount of light you allow into the room at any given time. Cellular Shades also come in many fabric options, allowing two different shade fabrics such as sheer and blackout fabric in one application, for the same window as seen below.
Roller Shades with Side Tracks
A second option for light control or room darkening is Roller Shades with Side Tracks.
Roller Shades are especially popular for those seeking a sleek or contemporary look. They come in many fabric choices and are an excellent way to block light when fabrics are either blackout fabrics or lined with a blackout liner. In the case of layering fabrics with a blackout liner, you are able to use any fabric to achieve the look you are going for, while still achieving your goal of blocking light when you want to. To avoid all light gaps, side tracks are again added in the inside frame of the windows and block out light that could otherwise creep in.
Drapes
Lastly, and probably my favorite option is drapery. Drapes are beautiful and can be totally customized to fit any décor or style. The sky is the limit as to what options are available for this application. You can choose either a fabric that when open, blocks out light, or you can choose any other option that you wish and add a blackout liner. Drapes are beautiful and soften any area, especially in a bedroom where light control is most important.
In this beautiful example, the owners used two window treatments. They used Sheer Roller Shades to soften the view outside during the day, while letting the light come in along with Room Darkening Drapes to block any unwanted light coming in at night. The result is stunning.
I hope that this has inspired you to conquer your bedroom window coverings so that you too, can get the sleep you deserve! Sweet dreams zzzzzzzzzz……!
-Holly
