Lining Types & Blackout Effects

We’re all about style at Rivae and we think curtains should make your room look great, first and foremost! But, this piece of decorative fabric hanging from your window serves two other very important functions: providing privacy from people outside, and controlling the amount of light that comes into your room. In this post we focus on the latter and explain the difference between blackout and other curtains in terms of how much light will enter your room when drawn.

Bespoke light control

When you buy ready-made curtains you will often see a category called “blackout curtains” designed to block outside light, great for bedrooms and people who are lighter sleepers. But you’re not able to adjust.

When you buy bespoke from Rivae you also have full control over the degree of light blockage that you want to achieve. We do this by combining the curtain fabric with a lining that comes in different shades to block varying degrees of outside light. 

In fact, there are three different effects you can achieve by pairing different types of fabric with certain linings:

1) Light Filtering

Achieve this effect by using our Linen range, and hanging it unlined.

The Light Filtering effect is the opposite of a blackout curtain. Natural light filters through these curtains when drawn on a sunny day giving a cozy warm glow. They remain fully private meaning nobody will be able to see inside, but an extra benefit of these curtains is that your neighbors will also see the full glory of your chosen fabric from the outside (since there’s no lining). 

Works best in living rooms, dining rooms, hallways. Not recommended in a bedroom for light sleepers.

2) Room Darkening

Achieve this effect by adding a beige or other soft coloured lining to our Linen range, or choosing a dark heavyweight fabric like a Velvet in Deep Blue and hanging it unlined. 

Room Darkening curtains will prevent most light (but not all) from entering the room even during the day. The result is a very soft glow in direct sunlight when drawn, darkening the room by 70-80%. This is the most versatile curtain combination and generally perfect for all rooms, including bedrooms (unless you’re a very light sleeper). 

Get the effect you want by choosing a fabric and lining combo depending on how much light you want to block. The rule of thumb is darker and heavier fabrics block more light, and the same goes for lining color. Match dark fabric with dark lining for the most intense Room Darkening effect. See our product description pages for more advice on each fabric. 

3) Blackout

Achieve this effect by adding a dark coloured lining such as charcoal to any of our fabrics. 

The heaviest and darkest of our fabrics will provide the most blackout effects.Achieve >95% blackout effect by pairing a dark Velvet fabric with a dark lining. 

Best for bedrooms and very light sleepers or night owls. Our made-to-measure curtains let you minimize those gaps around your curtains where light can creep in for the best blackout effect. These curtains will also provide a super luxury, weighty draped feel for that 5-star hotel aesthetic.

Blackout or not? How to choose the right curtains for you

Ask yourself which of the above three effects you want to achieve with your curtains: Light Filtering, Room Darkening, or Blackout. To help you decide, consider these factors:

• What room is the curtain for? If it’s a bedroom you may want at least a Room Darkening effect. If its not a bedroom, you probably won’t need this.
• Are you a light sleeper? If you have unwanted light coming into your room, e.g. from street lamps, or if you live in a city apartment, then you might benefit from maximizing the blackout effect from your curtains.
• What style do you want to achieve? Blackout curtains, especially in dark heavyweight fabrics, will look very different from unlined Linen curtains that are light and airy.
• How often will you draw the curtains? An important final question people often fail to consider: if your curtains are rarely closed, for example a rear-facing dining room window, then maybe there is no need for a heavy lining adding weight to your pole. In this case choose your favorite fabric and leave it unlined for people to see from the inside and out!