Flat Sheer Window Shades – Advantages & Disadvantages 

Whether it is a public space like an office or a restaurant or the privacy of your home, the need for modern treatments to upgrade the look of the place is essential for quality standard of living. People usually shop for different kinds of furniture, sofas, beds, and often useful items to ensure their homes are worth living in and provide optimum comfort to their liking.

Along with items mentioned above, curtains or drapes are also an essential part of our houses. Whether you are living in a fast-paced city, your apartment sandwiched between two other compact ones on the same floor, or in a palatial bungalow on the outskirts, the need for curtains is vital. Curtains are long and often wide pieces of fabric that are hung over doors and windows. Beyond being a window or door treatment method that have been around for centuries to demarcate between boundaries for privacy, curtains in contemporary times are of a wide variety.

Flat sheer window shades or curtains are the type through which much of outside light passes through and are used by people who like natural light filling their abode. They offer the least privacy and are typically used with drapes if you want protection from heat or sound.

Advantages of Flat Sheer Window Shades

Sheer Window Shades are often the go-to choices for a wide number of people with varied tastes, and there are quite a few reasons why people choose them over other window treatments such as smart blinds and shutters.

1) Privacy

A common misconception for people who go for sheer curtains is that they allow a good look inside for people who are standing outside. While this was true for traditional sheer curtains till about a few years ago, modern technology has ensured that this isn’t the case anymore.

With the help of certain fabrics used in sheer curtains, you can get substantial sunlight inside to cosy up your house. At the same time, outsiders cannot look inside while you can enjoy your view from the comfort of your sofa or bed. But this privacy aspect of sheer curtains is not applicable during night. If you need privacy all the time and want the ideal day night shades for home, you must pair the sheer curtain with a suitable window blind which blocks the inside view completely.

2) UV Protection

A regular feature for most of the curtains today is the resistance they provide from the harmful effects of the sun. Flat Sheer Window Shades have this feature wherein you can have a sufficient and healthy amount of sunlight inside while blocking the ultraviolent radiation. You can also pair them with drapes and put them behind to avoid them from sun damage. With the help of sheers, drapes will last long without fading.

3) Economical

Sheer curtains are made from lighter fabrics like cotton, linen or synthetic. Sometimes a blend of two or more light fabrics is used to design them. Hence, they are reasonably priced compared to heavier fabrics like silk and velvet.

4) Easy Maintenance

This requires reference to the previous point. Lighter fabrics means ease of handling, which means sheer curtains are often easily washable in machines or by hand. They can be dry cleaned too, but if you do not wish to incur extra costs, hand washing them is a reliable option.

5) Elegance

Having sheer curtains in any area of the house lends the room vitality and vigour and speaks volumes about your fine taste. These curtains are versatile enough to go with any kind of room. With solid colors, they provide a sense of sobriety and peace apart from being aesthetically pleasing. With much flamboyant and splashes of varied prints and designs in a room, they offer a fine contrast which lends necessary balance to the look of your home. Neutral fabrics used on sheer curtains give an easy and light appearance and can fit easily into any space. Subtle, graceful and an absolute delight, they are must-have choices.

6) Versatility

With their subtle design and light-absorbing and light filtering qualities, sheer curtains can be used solely or in combination with light blocking blinds, shutters, shades or opaque curtains. This makes them versatile enough to be used in offices and homes alike. Their fascinating and delicate look also makes them ideal for restaurant windows and hotel rooms, where having an outside view adds to the experience.

7) Style Options

There is no limit to the ways your windows can be dressed with sheer curtains. They can be paired with faux wood blinds, opaque curtains, solar films, or designed with flowers and decorative pieces of material like butterflies, graphic prints etc. These custom options provide the home with much-needed exuberance and give it a colorful touch, making you love it more.

8) Easy to Install

Being versatile and easy to install, they can be an easy fit for any window. All you need to do is simply check the dimensions of the window and shop for them accordingly. The more complicated and elaborate ones have pleats, but that can be easily mounted and adjusted on a window. Even if you might face difficulties in finding the exact size, they can easily be customized by a slight trimming, which can be more difficult in other types of curtains. They can be altered to your tastes and window designs.

Disadvantages of Using Flat Sheer Window Shades

Even as we have discussed the multiple benefits associated with owning sheer curtains, they also come with their own set of disadvantages. Following demerits or limitations must be considered before you go out shopping for them:

1) Poor Insulators

Anyone going for a sheer curtain knows this fact that they are not good absorbers of reflectors of heat and cold. If you have them installed by your windows, your home might get extremely hot during summers and chillingly cold during winters. This is because they are made of light fabrics which are not strong enough to protect the home against extreme temperatures.

2) No Protection Against Light

With a see through or translucent fabric, sheer fabrics are poor options to go for if you are the type of person who needs absolute peace and calm inside your room. While they are go-to choices for those who prefer natural sunlight in their room, they can be irritants to light sleepers who are easily disturbed by the glare of the sun.

3) No Protection Against Sound

Sheer curtains can prove to be a nightmare for houses where traffic noises and hollering children on the staircases are an everyday, mundane thing. This may result in extreme discomfort for people who work in night shifts and come back in the mornings to enjoy the much-needed sleep. In such cases, sheer curtains must be used together with opaque fabrics or linings or blinds with noise-filtering and light-filtering qualities for privacy.

4) No Energy Efficiency

Unlike opaque and blackout curtains which are made of high-quality and heavy materials and which are the most energy efficient of all curtains, sheer curtains have no such advantage. The latter need to be paired with one of these blackout curtains to save on energy and electricity costs inside the home.

With sombre and attractive designs, flat sheer window shades are an obvious choice for people who like to add a classy touch to their homes. They do not require much maintenance and can fit easily to any type of window in any place. However, before you go to your nearest store or pick the best possible one on the internet, it is important to consider any detrimental effects they might have. Weigh the pros and cons carefully before investing in them.