Yeah, solar shades worked pretty well for us too, but nighttime privacy was a pain. We ended up adding blackout curtains—bit heavier, but they really help with insulation in winter. Not the sleekest look, but practical enough.
Yeah, blackout curtains are solid for insulation, no doubt. Had a client once with massive floor-to-ceiling windows—beautiful view, nightmare to cover. We ended up layering sheer curtains behind heavier drapes. Sheers gave daytime privacy without losing the natural light, and the thicker drapes handled insulation and nighttime privacy. Bit more work upfront, but she was happy with the flexibility. Might be worth considering if you're still tweaking things...
Good call on layering curtains, but another option could be cellular shades. I've used them before—pretty sleek, great insulation, and they stack up tight when open. Might be easier if you're not into heavy drapes...
"Might be easier if you're not into heavy drapes..."
Cellular shades are decent, but I've had clients complain they're tricky to clean over time. Installed solar shades recently for a homeowner with huge south-facing windows—cut glare nicely and still kept the view. Have you considered those?
Solar shades are cool, but honestly I've found they don't do much for privacy at night—you can kinda see right through them with lights on inside. I went with bamboo roman shades instead...easy install, decent privacy, and cleaning's just a quick dust-off every now and then.
"Solar shades are cool, but honestly I've found they don't do much for privacy at night—you can kinda see right through them with lights on inside."
Yeah, learned that the hard way myself... neighbors got a free show for a couple nights 😂. Ended up layering sheer curtains over mine—looks nice and gives just enough privacy without blocking the view completely.
Layering sheer curtains over solar shades is a good workaround, but honestly, if privacy is your main concern, you might want to consider cellular shades (sometimes called honeycomb shades). They come in different opacities, so you can choose how much light filtering or blackout you prefer. They're great for insulation too—keeping heat out in summer and warmth in during winter.
I've installed them for quite a few clients with large windows, and they usually end up pretty happy with the balance between privacy and aesthetics. If you're worried about losing your view during the day, you could always go for a top-down/bottom-up option. That way, you can lower them just enough to block sightlines at night, while still having plenty of natural light and views during the day. Just something else to consider before committing to layering curtains...
We just moved into our first place with huge windows, and I went with cellular shades after a few failed experiments (let's just say neighbors got a little more acquainted than I'd planned...).
"They're great for insulation too—keeping heat out in summer and warmth in during winter."
Totally agree with this, our living room feels way cozier now. The top-down/bottom-up thing is genius too, wish I'd thought of that earlier.
Cellular shades are definitely a solid choice, especially for insulation. I put some in my bedroom last winter—honestly surprised how much warmer it felt overnight. Wish I'd known sooner, could've saved on heating bills...
"Cellular shades are definitely a solid choice, especially for insulation."
They're great for insulation, true, but I found them tricky with really large windows. We have huge floor-to-ceiling windows in our living room, and cellular shades were either too heavy or awkward to operate smoothly. Ended up going with thermal-lined curtains instead—easier to manage and still pretty effective at keeping the cold out. Just something else to consider if your windows are extra wide or tall...