When designing a Tiny House, a lot of thought is given to the heating of the house. It is sometimes forgotten how the house can be kept cool. This is at least as important. Especially now that our planet is warming up. The prediction is that we will have a dry and hot summer again this year. Good sun protection is an essential part of the measures you can take to keep your house cool in the summer. Window decoration can help with this.
Window decoration is available in all kinds, sizes, colors and designs. You can enhance the atmosphere and appearance of your house by matching your curtains to your interior. In addition to purely cosmetic factors, there are of course also practical reasons for taking window decoration. Curtains give you privacy, they keep the light out when you want to sleep and they play an important role in the climate control of your Tiny House. They can even add a bit of insulation so that the heat stays in the house better during the cold months and less heat comes in in the summer.
Types of sun protection
But how do you choose the sun blinds that suit you and your well-thought-out Tiny House? In addition to your taste, there are a few other factors to consider. Fortunately, you have a lot of options!
In addition to the old-fashioned curtain with or without net curtains, many more choices are available. Your choice largely depends on your taste and budget. I would advise you not to cut back on window decoration if you can; it is an important element that increases the comfort in your home. And: cheap is usually expensive when it comes to curtains. You can choose blinds, roller blinds, roman blinds, pleated blinds and shutters. Although the latter may be less practical in a Tiny House due to the limited space;)
Sun protection indoors or outdoors, or both
First of all, you have a choice whether you want to add sun protection to the outside of your house in addition to your window decoration. Is there a covered porch attached to your house? If the roof does not let in (much) sunlight, it will already cast a shadow on your house, so that you can do with less sun protection indoors. There are many Tiny House residents who keep out the sun in the sunny months of the year with one or more tarps or tarpaulins that are attached to the facade. This quickly saves a few degrees in the house. You can also work with one or more beach umbrellas on a limited scale. The goal is to protect the facade of your Tiny House on the sunny side. If the sun cannot shine directly on it, it is much cooler in the house. You don’t necessarily need heavy curtains or blinds indoors. You can also think of old-fashioned shutters on the outside, with which you can completely cover the windows. No more light and heat will enter through the windows, but your facade will still be warm.
Sleep well in a dark house
Are you a light sleeper like me? As soon as the light hits my eyes I am awake. Really awake. Do you know what I mean? It is therefore important to me that it is really dark in the house when I want to sleep. I therefore opted for blackout curtains. It is now June and it does not get dark until half past ten and the sun comes up again very early in the morning. At these times those blackout curtains are a godsend! Something to include in your considerations. There are blackout blinds and blackout pleated blinds on the market.
Extra insulation
You can use your window decoration to add more insulation to your home. Even if you opted for double glazing, which I sincerely hope you did, the windows are the weak points in your house with regard to insulation. Well, insulating window decoration makes a big difference. Thick fabric drapery is an option, but may be a less obvious option in a Tiny House due to space. There are also pleated blinds that have an insulating effect due to the structure. If you look at it from side-on you will see something like little “rooms” with air between them that keep your house cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. They are also good for soundproofing. I have opted for pleated curtains in my Tiny House and I like it very much.
Photo: Alef Starreveld
More privacy through window decoration
Sometimes you want to let the world in, sometimes you need to “cocoon”. Just as there are windows in your house that allow you to look outside unobstructed and enjoy the beautiful view, and windows that allow you to look outside but for which you prefer not to let passers-by look inside. In those cases, it is worth considering choosing window decoration that gives you the option of concealing part of your window, or having window decoration that is semi-transparent. Vitrage is very vintage. But hey, if you like it than go for it! For those who are horrified by the idea of net curtains and immediately imagine begonias, petunias or geraniums with them, there are also modern options. Semi-transparent roman blinds are available and duo roller blinds are suitable for this purpose. Pleated blinds allow you to leave part of your window free and cover only the center of the window.
With blinds you can determine how much view you have outside and vice versa and how much light you want to let in. Photo: Veneta.com.
As you can see, there are more than enough choices available for Tiny Houses. They are after all fully-fledged homes, but on a small scale. Remember that you have to take that scale into account in your colour and material choice. A few last tips: light colours make a room seem bigger. A small house quickly becomes dusty, so install window decoration that you can easily wash or wipe. Have fun making your choice!
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