How to Cool a Sun Facing Room with Custom Made Drapes

If you have a room that faces the sun, you know what a challenge it can be to keep it cool. Sure, natural light is cool, but in the warmer months a room with the sun streaming through its windows without custom made drapes can become unbearably hot. This will cause your cooling bills to increase.

There are some things you can do to cool a room, even one that faces the sun. There are many window treatments on the market that can block sunlight or provide shade and can help keep the room cooler. Try some of these ideas and find one that helps you keep your cool.

Curtains and Drapes

Curtains and Custom made drapes are an easy, stylish way to keep a room cool. Choose blackout varieties that have UV blocking thermal backing. Blackout curtains and drapes come in a wide variety of colors and patterns so finding something that fits the décorof the room should not be a problem. You can also open curtains or drapes when the weather is cooler.

When handing curtains or drapes that are intended to block sunlight, make sure that they completely cover the entire window. You want to check the top, bottom, and both sides to make sure that they fully cover the window. You should also check to make sure that it is mounted so that the fabric hangs close to the wall, letting in very little light.

Blinds and Shades

Install light blocking blinds or custom roman shades on your windows and keep them closed during the hottest part of the day, when the sun is shining directly through the windows. This can help keep the heat from the sun from heating up your room.

If choosing blinds, select ones that can block out the sun as thoroughly as possible. This means either very closely fitted slats or connected slats. Shades should be opaque and ideally should have a thermal backing that is designed to block the UV rays.

The blinds or shades should fit snugly inside the window frame so that very little or no light can filter in around the edges.

Shutters

The best shutters for room darkening are interior plantation shutters. They block most light on sun facing rooms and provide very good light blockage. They also give you excellent light control. You can swing the entire shutters open or closes or you can rotate the slats to open or close depending on how much light you want to let in.

Shutters can be customized, allowing you to choose color, material, and even slat size. When closed, the slats will lie flat so that very little light can filter through. For maximum light blockage, hand light blocking drapes or curtains over the window in addition to the shutters (you can also do this over blinds or shades).

Awnings

Awnings offer an exterior solution to minimizing sunlight. While trees and bushes may also offer shade, they can introduce several issues such as damage to the exterior paint on the home, harborage for insects that can find their way inside the home, and the danger of broken branches or downed trees.

Awnings are much easier and safer to install and maintain. They can be customized to match the home color. They do not offer full light blockage, but when paired with blackout drapes or curtains, light blocking shades or blinds, or even shutters, they can block all light.

Do you have a light facing room that you need to cool? Valley Drapery & Upholstery has the light blocking solutions that you are looking for. Call today and schedule an appointment with one of our designers and let us help you cool down that room in style.