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How to choose a modern alternative to net curtains

Yvonne kneel product designer holding roman blindAuthor Yvonne KealProduct Management SpecialistWritten 16/12/2022
A bedroom features a bed with white bedding, a window with sheer and striped curtains, a vintage-style desk with a stool, a gold lamp, and a small mirror.

Net curtains were once a popular choice for privacy and diffusing sunlight, but their traditional look isn't for everyone. If you're looking for a more contemporary way to achieve privacy and light control, there are plenty of stylish alternatives available.

In this article, we'll explore modern options that’ll provide privacy and light control while keeping your space stylish.

A bathtub with a faucet is set beneath a window, covered with floral-patterned blinds, surrounded by white tiles and a red plant, conveying a modern bathroom ambiance.

Sheer bathroom bliss

Our sheer Roller blinds are a contemporary way to add daytime privacy to your bathroom without losing the natural light.

In this bathroom, we've chosen a Pippa Ink Roller blind to complement the white tiling for a fresh feel. The delicate flowers are a lovely match for the sheer fabric and contrast beautifully with the dark wall.

If your bathroom is overlooked, you could layer up with a Roman blind to maintain your privacy once the sun goes down and the bright bathroom light comes on.

Serenity power pink voile curtains and voile roman blinds in dining room

Elegant and versatile

For sheer elegance, Voile Roman blinds are a beautiful addition to any home. These stylish blinds are great for providing daytime privacy, and they’ll gently filter the light in your room.

To give this minimal dining area a pop of colour, we’ve chosen Voile Roman blinds and curtains in Serenity Powder Pink, which look particularly lovely at wide windows.

For a more flexible year-round solution, layer Voiles with fully lined curtains. They’ll provide warmth and additional privacy in the chillier, darker months. Consider going for a thermal lining for extra warmth when you need it.

Mint green and white Transition Pleated blinds dressed on the window in dining room with white bistro table and chairs.

Compact solutions

Pleated blinds are a neat and sleek option that take up minimal space at windows when they’re opened. There are delicate sheer fabrics to choose from, as well as flexible ways to fit them.

In this dining room, two fabrics are combined in one to create a Transition blind. Mix and match your favourite colours or fabric types to create your own Transition blind that works for your space. For example, combine a sheer fabric for daytime privacy with a blackout fabric for greater privacy at night.

Flexible privacy and light

Sometimes sheer isn’t enough, and a little more privacy is needed. We’ve three clever blind styles that are designed to offer just that.

Diffused blinds have flowing panels of opaque and sheer fabric that can filter the light, or provide more privacy when needed with a simple twist of a control wand. They’re ideal for adding a luxurious feel to wide doors, like bifolds; the flowing panels can be separated to allow easy access to the garden, they can filter the light on sunny days and they can help stop your home feeling like a goldfish bowl on dark evenings when the lights are on.

A light pastel bedroom with beige Day and Night blinds on a standard window.

Colourful and effective

Day and Night blinds work have a similar opaque and sheer fabric combination. However this design is much simpler, it’s more like a Roller blind, so it’s great for contemporary-styled homes. They’re available in a range of colours and finishes including bold shades and neutral tones for a more subtle look at your window.

In this soft, pastel bedroom, we’ve chosen Sunbeam Calico to match the warm décor. Day and Night blinds are a great choice for bedrooms, the fabric is so versatile, allowing light in while providing daytime privacy, and in the evening the opaque fabric can be aligned to block the outside world.

Subtle style and privacy

For everyday spaces like living rooms and home offices, Triple Shade blinds are a lovely solution, combining functionality with a homely feel for a softer look at windows. They’re similar in style to a Venetian blind but made from a sheer fabric with an opaque vane in the middle to control the light. Tilt the vane to keep the sun’s glare off TV and computer screens and for extra privacy for example if your living room is street-facing.

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