Conservatory Curtains: Managing Sun and Heat

Why a conservatory overheats

A conservatory is largely glazed: walls and often the roof. The sun passes through the glass, heats the interior, and the heat stays trapped, that is the greenhouse effect. The midday rays, high in the sky in summer, mostly strike the roof. The result: a room that quickly becomes stifling in summer, and conversely cold in winter when the glass lets the heat escape.

Protecting the glazed roof

A glazed roof exposed to the sun can contribute strongly to overheating and deserves suitable protection. On the roof, specific blinds (roof blinds, pleated blinds, slatted blinds) do the job, because a Kurtens curtain, hung from the top only and with no fixing at the bottom, is not designed for a sloping surface: contact customer service before ordering. The vertical walls, on the other hand, are very well suited to curtains.

Curtains or blinds: which solution for which wall

The two are complementary. An external blind, especially on the roof, blocks part of the radiation before it passes through the glass. The curtain, on the vertical walls, creates a thermal barrier on the inside and dresses the space. For the large windows of a conservatory, the principle is the same as for blocking the heat of a patio door in summer.

Which curtain for conservatory walls

On the walls, aim for an anti-heat thermal curtain, dense and covering. It slows the heat in summer and limits heat loss in winter. Since conservatory walls are tall, the made-to-measure extra-long curtain is often the right answer: it covers the full height, from rail to floor. A fabric that also protects against UV preserves your furniture as well, as we explain for the anti-UV curtain.

Summer and winter: the same barrier

A good thermal curtain works all year round. In summer, it slows the heat coming in. In winter, it keeps the heat inside a room that would otherwise cool down fast. Together with roof protection and ventilation, it adds to the comfort of the conservatory for more of the year. For the cold, see the anti-cold thermal curtain range.

Hanging and dimensions

In a conservatory, curtains are most often hung on a ceiling rail or at the top of the walls, to cover extra-long heights. The unusual dimensions (angles, cut corners, significant height) make made-to-measure almost essential: a curtain made to your dimensions covers the wall better. Remember to ventilate too, early in the morning or in the evening, to clear the built-up hot air.

What are the best curtains for a conservatory or sunroom?

For the vertical walls, choose according to your priority. Against heat: the Kurtens 3-in-1, a thermal blackout curtain in three layers, 620 g/m², up to 7 °C, measured in the laboratory. To keep the daylight: the linen-look light-filtering curtain, with no stated thermal performance. For a glazed roof or a sloping wall, contact customer service before ordering.

The three Kurtens fabrics do not do the same job:

• 3-in-1 thermal acoustic blackout (the same fabric is sold in the Acoustic range): 100 % blackout, three layers. It is the only one of the three with a thermal performance.
• Single-layer blackout: 100 % blackout and 100 % anti-UV, lighter (315 g/m²), to protect furniture from direct light. It is neither thermal nor acoustic.
• Linen-look light-filtering: it filters around 70 % of the light and keeps daytime privacy, with no stated thermal performance.

Draw the 3-in-1 thermal curtain during the hours of full sun on the exposed walls, then open it to let the light back in.

Which thermal curtains that are not fully blackout should you choose for a conservatory?

At Kurtens, no curtain combines a stated thermal performance with low blackout: the 3-in-1, the same fabric as the Acoustic range, is 100 % blackout. To keep the light, draw it only during the hot hours on the exposed walls. The linen-look light-filtering curtain lets daylight through, with no stated thermal performance.

The blackout membrane is one of the three layers of the 3-in-1, which form a single panel: you cannot keep the thermal effect while removing the darkness. The light-filtering curtain filters around 70 % of the light, but does not replace the 3-in-1 against heat.

If you want both, hang them on two rods or a double track, which you supply: the linen-look light-filtering curtain drawn during the day for light, the 3-in-1 drawn in front of it when the sun beats down. The 620 g/m² 3-in-1 is not suited to telescopic rods on large windows: choose a wall-mounted fixing.

What size curtain should you order for a conservatory?

Where the wall allows, plan a rod that extends 15 cm beyond the window or patio door on each side, and order 2 to 2.5 times its width, 2.5 to 3 times for the light-filtering curtain. The height depends on the heading. In a corner or between two posts, contact customer service before ordering.

Measure each wall separately. For two equal panels, divide the total width by two and enter the flat width of each panel. For the height, the size guide shows where to measure for each heading. The configurator accepts a width of up to 1,000 cm for a height of up to 270 cm, or a height of up to 600 cm for a width of up to 270 cm. It charges the smallest size in the grid that covers your measurement, and the workshop receives the exact measurement. Outside these limits, customer service reviews the request.

The curtain hangs from the top only (eyelets, pencil pleat tape with hooks supplied, rod pocket or multi-function heading) on a rod or track of your choice: Kurtens sells neither rods nor tracks and does not install. It has no fixing at the bottom. For a sloping wall or a glazed roof, contact customer service before ordering. The size guide details the measurements.

Frequently asked questions

To dress the large walls of a conservatory, explore Kurtens made-to-measure extra-long curtains, made to your dimensions in several fabrics.

To cool the other rooms of your home without air conditioning, read our complete guide on how to cool a room without air conditioning.