Curtains!
So, who got rid of curtains?
When were they regarded as no longer necessary?
Has someone from Homes and Gardens decided that they are no longer the IN thing?
Sorry about the rant but I have discovered (in my old age) that I have a real problem with windows that are not dressed appropriately. Now of course the phrase ‘appropriate’ is open to interpretation but for me it means they are OK to look at from the outside. Is that being a snob? After all, what difference should it make to me if the houses I look onto have decided to hang odd strips of material at various angles to cover some parts of their rooms?
I know that students in houses they let tend not to bother about decor. They just want somewhere to lay their heads. I’ve never understood landlords letting some of the things used for shutting out the world to be put up at windows – some posters for instance are quite offensive.
I’m really struggling with it because I’m all for a house being a home and therefore the old ‘Englishman’s castle’ but what about those of us who have to look at it. If we live in a residential area do we have a responsibility ( within reason) as home owners to keep the standard of the ‘street’ as high as we can?
Help me out here! What do you look out onto?
I live in a loft where the windows are near the top of a 20 ft high wall. If we’re on the second floor, we’re looking out at a warehouse, because this is an old warehouse district. The second floor of the warehouse across the street has windows with blinds that have not possibly been replaced for 50 years, so they are in complete disrepair. I tend not to look out the windows much. 😀
We look out on — woods. The bears and opossums and chipmunks don’t seem to care a lot about window coverings. (Happily,, so far as I know, they don’t bother looking in our windows at all.) The Hub cares about window coverings — but only the view from inside, looking out!
I go for translucent fold up shades like Japanese shoji screens. But again — that’s for me, looking out.
I have no drapes, but I also have no close neighbors. The only things that peer in my windows are members of the wildlife community!
Well, personally, I got rid of my curtains (except for bathroom and front door window) when I moved into a new home and could not afford to by all the curtains necessary to fit every window and match the rest of the decor — nor could I afford all the hardware necessary to install them — nor the help that I would have had to pay for, since I couldn’t climb and do all the work myself. I do have Venetian blinds at my windows, but I really like them with absolutely no curtains. I’ll probably never buy curtains again (with the possible exception of a bathroom or front door.)
As far as having the windows totally naked, my feeling is that there is something so natural and pure that they are attractive, but I would not want anyone to be able to see every move I make inside —- nor do I want to watch everyone else’s entire life cycle through their windows. I have some friends whose huge living room windows are totally bare, and I wonder every time I pass their house if they ever feel the least bit self-conscious about running around in their pajamas at night. But then maybe they don’t put on pajamas until they are getting into bed. Anyway, totally naked windows are not for me.
I happy with totally naked. What I can;t cope with is bits of material pulled across ‘pretending’ to be curtains!
I prefer curtains and luckily so do the neighbours 🙂
I meant ‘too’.
I don’t like bare windows either and believe they need something, even Venetian blinds. I like looking into windows to but I actually like a little mystery. 😉
I agree!
😀
I live in a third floor apartment, and I am careful to draw the shades when I am…er…al fresco, shall I say. Actually, I love walking around naked in the summer — but I don’t leave room for anyone to peek.
I don’t mind not seeing curtains at all! 😉
Pull yourself together…
🙂 🙂 🙂
On curtains, you must factor in the extensive airtight double and triple glazing. Curtains were necessary to block the cold air transferred through glass especially at night. With insulated glazing the curtain us only cosmetic value, besides they harbour dust and need cleaning. Thanks for a thoughtful post.
Hope shutters don’t make you shudder too!
Absolutely not!
I have no drapes. But I have no neighbours either!
Best of both worlds! Happy with no drapes but just not tatty ones!