What Curtain When You Have No Shutters
With no shutters, it is the curtain that takes over. A dense, lined curtain fills the shutter's jobs: it limits heat loss in winter, slows the heat in summer and blocks the light at night. Choose a thick curtain with a blackout lining, dropped to the floor, with an overhang on each side to cut light and air leaks along the edges.
With no works and no drilling of the facade, the right curtain does a shutter's job. Kurtens makes curtains custom to the exact centimetre, dense and lined, to insulate and block out light at a window without shutters.
With no shutters, the curtain takes over
A shutter does three things: keep the heat in winter, slow the heat in summer, make it dark at night. A dense, lined curtain takes on these three roles from the inside. The layer of air between the fabric and the glass limits heat exchange, and an opaque fabric cuts the light. It is the simplest solution when the facade has no shutters, in a rental as in a flat you own, with no works at all.
Choose a dense, lined curtain
It all comes down to thickness and lining. A thin curtain lets cold, heat and light through: it will never replace a shutter. Aim for a heavy, lined fabric with a blackout layer that blocks the light and boosts the insulation. The denser and better hung the curtain, the closer it gets to a closed shutter. A curtain that combines blackout and insulation covers all three needs at once.
The hanging that limits leaks
A good curtain badly hung lets light and air leak along the edges. To get as close as possible to a shutter: drop the curtain to the floor, allow a wide overhang on each side, and set the rod high enough to cover the top of the window. A reduced projection from the wall keeps the fabric near the glass and limits air flow. For the hanging measurements, see what height to hang a curtain rod.
Which curtain for which need
The need drives the choice. Against the cold and to keep the heat, a lined thermal curtain forms a barrier at the window, the weak point of insulation. To make it dark and protect sleep, a blackout curtain cuts the light from the street and the streetlights. A curtain that combines both covers winter, summer and night. See the thermal curtains and the blackout curtains.
Mistakes to avoid
Do not count on a sheer or a light curtain to replace a shutter: it cuts neither the light nor the cold. Do not under-size the width: too narrow a curtain lets the light leak along the sides. Do not stop the fabric above the floor, the loss happens at the bottom. And do not fix the rod flush with the frame, with no overhang or height, or it leaks all around.
The curtain that replaces the shutter: custom
To really do a shutter's job, a curtain must cover the whole window and its edges, at the right height and the right width. Kurtens makes curtains custom to the exact centimetre, dense and lined, in a range of colors and fabrics, delivered ready to hang. You give your measurements, the curtain arrives sized to cover the window without leaks. To take your measurements, see the measuring guide, then the Kurtens custom curtains.
Frequently asked questions
What curtain when you have no shutters?
A dense, lined curtain with a blackout layer, dropped to the floor with an overhang on each side. It takes over the shutter's jobs: insulate against cold and heat, and make it dark at night, with no works.
Can a curtain replace a shutter?
For insulation and blackout, yes, provided it is thick, lined and well hung. It does not replace the security or mechanical protection of a shutter, but it takes over the thermal comfort and the darkness.
Which curtain to insulate a window with no shutter in winter?
A lined thermal curtain, dropped to the floor and overhanging the sides. The layer of air between the fabric and the glass limits heat loss at the window, the weak point of a room's insulation.
How do you make it dark with no shutter?
With a blackout curtain: an opaque fabric that blocks the light from the street and the streetlights. Hang it wide and high, to the floor, to cut light leaks along the edges and protect sleep.
Is a sheer enough without a shutter?
No. A sheer filters but cuts neither the light nor the cold. To replace a shutter you need a thick, lined curtain. The sheer can be added on top, on a double rod, for the daytime.
With no shutters, a dense, lined curtain does the job, provided it covers the whole window. Have it made to the right size as a Kurtens custom curtain, delivered ready to hang.
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