Alternative to net curtains

[IUseAnyName]

What would/do you use?

We've recently bought a bungalow which has net curtains in the 3 front rooms (lounge, dd bedroom & master bedroom)

I'm looking for alternatives to suit each type of room individually.
Any ideas?

[InstitutionCode]

I spent loads on various solutions before deciding we'd do without and if people wanted to look in they could look in. I now have plants or statement vases/ sculpture on the sills of the biggest windows, to break up the view a bit, but everything else has it's downsides

-horizontal blinds gather dust
-vertical blinds are not nice
-roller blinds, even sheer block your view and light
-frosted glass probably looks nicest but you can't see out.....

I haven't found a good solution and I've tried loads.

[MarchLikeAnAnt]

Do some nice stain glass designs using glass paint.

[meglet]

Isn't there a type of patterned, frosted film you can use over the bottom half of each window?

[silversixpence]

We have sheer roller blinds in our bay window, they don't block the light and look great. They do block the view but as we are midterrace and about 4 foot from the pavement this is an advantage for us.

[northerngoldilocks]

Plantation shutters. But the downside is ££££

[Gozogozo]

Don't plantation shutters gather as much dust as horizontal blinds?

[wowfudge]

Can passersby see in or not? I hate nets, blinds, etc and would perhaps put a more modern voile up in the bedrooms for extra privacy in addition to curtains and leave it at that. Plus I wouldn't then see them myself all the time in the same way as you would in a living room.

I think plantation shutters are awful

[IUseAnyName]

Thanks all!
Still not sure wjat to do, we've pulled them down and have a hedge outside so no one can see in. Might just get something for the bedroom, as visitors have to walk past those wondows to get to the door.
Off to google plantation shutters :)

[Lovepancakes]

Isn't there some reflective glass that you can see out but people can't see in?
We're changing our front room to a bedroom and need a good solution too as I don't want to have to make our bed every day

[Gozogozo]

The 1 way reflective glass is very expensive & would look really weird in a house.
Have no idea if it would even be possible in double glazing.

[Lovepancakes]

Ah, I wonder how expensive that would be - I know a house in London (Kensington- !) that has it as has lots of passers by past their kitchen

[northerngoldilocks]

Each to their own re liking shutters or not. In terms of dust - obviously everything gathers dust but they're easier to clean than blinds as don't flex whilst you're cleaning them!! Also depends which thickness of slats you go for - think there are 3 choices. The very narrow ones are probably a pain. We have tier on tier which I love. Means you can tilt the bottom ones so that daylight comes in but people can't see straight in and then the top ones are folded back. They also keep draughts out and heat in. We used to have pearlfrost on the window but I hated it. Made the room feel smaller and dark - I hated never being able to see out!

[pickledparsnip]

If passers by can't see in I wouldn't bother, just go without. My house is right on the street, very busy in the Summer with tourists walking right past. I have the net curtains that Ikea sell. They look quite nice and in keeping with my old little place.

[pickledparsnip]

Otherwise I would personally have a beautiful lace panel. You can get gorgeous vintage ones on eBay. All personal taste though. I know that blinds would look a bit shit in my place. I tend to have a massive bunch of flowers just in front of the window too, that helps.

[ChocolateBreakfastBalls]

We have vertical blinds, not hard to clean at all with the Hoover dusting attachment thingy.

[JulesJules]

I've got Ikea net panels in the Dds rooms, one's got different coloured butterflies all over it and the other has flowers and bees so they don't look like traditional nets which I hate. Nothing in our room.

Downstairs we've got shrubs and ivy in the front garden which obscure the window a bit, and huge tissue paper pompoms hanging from the curtain pole. Put them up for a birthday last year and never got round to taking them down