You feel kind of uneasy about it, don’t you?
When you walk past the window, you don’t see anyone snooping in. But, you wonder about it. Maybe, when you’re not looking, someone else is. You try not to think about it too often though because that would drive you insane.
If you want to add some more privacy to a very un-private home, here’s how people living in crowded cities do it.
How To Use Plants
There are many ways to add privacy to your home. And, one of those ways is to creatively use plants in and around the home. Trees are a natural privacy screen. Not only do they give you reprieve from the sun, they will keep your home cool. And, they’ll also keep people from snooping.
And, they look way more attractive than building a wall around the house.
But, trees are only the beginning. You can also plant shrubs and bushes to create cover for your home. And, this can be done to varying degrees. For example, you could build up container gardens or use layered privacy plantings to shield yourself from prying eyes. Window boxes could also be used if you don’t have a lot of land around the house. And, hanging plants can fill in from the top. They’ll take up the sun, and also give you shade while making the house look nice.
How To Use Window Films
Window films aren’t new, but a lot of people still don’t use them. According to expert window film company Applioque, Privacy Window Film is one of the best ways to cut down on damaging UV light entering the home, but it also provides an incredible amount of privacy for homeowners.
Films can also reduce glare and make your home even more comfortable during the summer months. An alternative to a flat film is to use frosted window films or even frosted window coverings. These are either an adhesive or a spray-on treatment that makes the window translucent.
Extend The Roofline
How can roofing make your home more private? By shielding the view from the top. These roofs often extend beyond a normal roofline, and create an obscured view of the side of the house. So, rather than placing something directly in front of the window, you basically extend the roof down and provide cover for the home.
It also gives you shade in the summer and lets the roof take up the UV rays. If you add a reflective covering, then you will keep the whole house cool too.
Add Curtains
This might seem over-the-top obvious, but adding curtains is a simple and effective way to reduce the chance that someone will be peaking in through your windows. They provide instant privacy that’s not permanent and requires very little upkeep.
Unlike trees and plants, curtains don’t get in the way, don’t need to be trimmed or watered, and can be taken down or pushed out of the way when you want a view. This is a great option if you live in a high-rise or an area where you’re restricted as to what you can put outside the home. For example, if your HOA won’t allow you to plant trees outside your windows, then this is a great alternative to that.
Move The Windows
Sounds drastic, right? It is. But, moving your windows might be the only option if your neighbors are right on top of you.
Close off an ill-placed window and open up a frame somewhere else in the home. You’ll be able to control who sees what and what the home looks like from the outside. This could also let you put in a more optimally-sized window for the room.
For example, let’s say you have a small living room, but the previous owner decided to put in a large bay window that takes up a lot of the space. You might want to close that off and put in either a smaller picture window or two double-hung windows that can easily be obscured by curtains.
With the bay or bow window, you don’t have many options for window treatments. But, with picture windows and traditional double-hung windows, you can decorate them any way you want.
Conclusion
The trick to increasing your privacy is to figure out what will compliment your interior design and then do that. Most people overcomplicate the matter. It’s not that hard. Whether it’s trees, window coverings, shades, window films, or something else entirely, the important thing is to not be afraid to change the way the home looks right now. Be brave. You’ll thank yourself later.
Louise Kirby is a Mom with 2 kids of her own and a step-family consisting of 2 tweens and two teenagers, not to mention the menagerie of pets! Family life is messy but she loves it! She often writes about family matters in her articles which appear on parenting/mommy blogs.
