There’s nothing better than letting the sun stream into your home on a nice sunny day, especially when you first open the curtains in the morning. Natural light is, by its nature, uncontrollable at the source. You can’t use a switch to just turn the sun off and on. 

But you can control the way natural light enters your home by using made-to-measure curtains and roman blinds. These have a unique effect on the sunlight that comes into your house, allowing you to adjust natural light as you see fit.

The Benefits of Natural Light

The first question is, why bother with natural light at all? Why not just close the blinds and only turn on the artificial lights in your home?

Interestingly, plenty of natural light and access to it are widely considered a selling point for homes and offices alike. People prefer to exist in natural light. It looks amazing, especially in photos, and can make your house feel more special and comfortable.

A lot of our draw to natural light could also be attributed to the health benefits it provides, much like how people enjoy environments with lots of plants. It can be good for both our physical and mental health.

Natural light is the best source of vitamin D, which is a critical nutrient our body needs. Vitamin D is good for your bones, and it can improve your cardiovascular health and even reduce the risk of certain cancers. You can also get vitamin D from the sunlight, even if you’re sitting inside near a window.

Another good thing about natural sunlight is that it helps with seasonal affective disorders (SAD), such as seasonal depression. Around 20% of people report negative mood changes in the winter, with 3% of people being officially diagnosed with SAD, and getting as much sunlight as you can helps to reduce this. You can also use a sunlamp inside if you still can’t get enough sunlight in the winter.

Natural light is also a vital part of our natural sleep routine. Getting natural sunlight in the morning can help you feel more alert, and because your body is more aware of the time of day, you can even sleep better if you expose yourself to natural light during the day.

Blocking Light While You’re Sleeping

Speaking of light and sleep, while natural light is great for your sleep cycle a lot of the time, it can be more problematic in the summer. In the UK, we experience long daylight hours in summer and shorter days in winter, which is part of the reason why SAD can be more problematic for people who live here.

In the summer, this means that the sun might go down long before we want to go to sleep, and rise very early in the morning. This can cause some disruption as the natural light wakes you up or prevents you from sleeping properly. While it’s nice to wake up naturally, it’s not as great if you’re waking up at 4 am after struggling to get to sleep because it’s still light at 10 pm. 

Blackout blinds and curtains can be incredibly helpful in these situations because they keep your room nice and dark, as well as keep it cooler in the summer. This way, you can choose when you sleep and wake up.

Made-to-Measure Curtains

Made-to-measure curtains can be a brilliant way to control natural light in your home in some beautiful ways. Curtains are designed to block out the sun, and if you get them made to measure your windows perfectly, they will be especially effective as blackout curtains. Because they’re a perfect fit, they will also insulate your home really well, both in the summer to keep your room cool and in the winter to keep the warmth in.

Other benefits of made-to-measure curtains are that you can choose the material, colour, and thickness of your curtains. So, what if you don’t want blackout curtains, but you want to limit the light in your home?

In this case, thinner curtains with lighter colours can diffuse the natural light that comes into your house. Rather than a harsh beam of light, you get a softer, hazier light through the curtains. Different thicknesses will change the impact of this.

Made-to-Measure Roman Blinds

Another great way to control natural light in your home is with Roman blinds. Just like with the curtains, you can pick and choose your preferred fabric and colours. Stripes are very popular because they add a really nice decorative effect to the windows, especially with the sun behind them.

Roman blinds can be thick enough to block out the sun completely, or they can be slightly thinner for a nice diffusing effect. You can always get both blinds and curtains at the same window, so you can decide how drastic you want the light-blocking effect to be.

These blinds also allow you to block some of the light out, as you might half-close them, but keep more light streaming in. It’s the next best thing to having a light switch for the sun.

Professional Design and Fitting Services

One of the best things about made-to-measure curtains and blinds is the level of service you get. You can be in control every step of the way, picking the type of curtain or blind you get, the fabric you get, the colour, and even the size (although it’s much better to get curtains and blinds that fit your windows perfectly). 

If you need any advice about how to achieve your desired effect, you can just ask the team at Sewing House for their recommendations. The curtain or blind is then tailor-made to your specifications and needs and then installed in your home.