To think that people who keep their curtains closed all day must be ill, or hiding something?

[Bluedeblue]

The first thing that I do, when I get up in the morning, is to open the curtains. Possibly a window as well, to let a breeze in. There are a few houses nearby, who never open any curtains. Bedroom and lounge curtains are always firmly closed, even on lovely summer days. The gardens are unkempt and scruffy, all the paintwork is peeling. But someone definitely living there, as in one case, a brand new car on the drive and I've seen pizza delivery to the other. Does anyone else find this really odd, and think that there must be something amiss with these people? It must be so dark inside. I find it almost a bit creepy.

People I know make a big deal about my curtains being closed 80% of the time. I don't understand why as they've all been in my home and seen the fairly constant stream of foot traffic directly outside my windows, both front and back. There's a footpath all the way around my property, a ground floor flat, that is close enough to the building that people are right outside. Also a communal front and back garden where kids and teens often are playing /hanging out. Both myself and DP wfh and just find it awkward, like living in fish bowl.

Moving soon to a detached property and looking forward to having my curtains open for first time in my adult life! I know someone who gets regular headaches which can turn into migraines so keeps curtains closed. Another reason is people sleeping who do shift work. There are lots of genuine reasons!

Privacy (short front garden on street - can't stand people walking past and peering in), to prevent migraines and it's cooler.

If you keep the curtains closed all day it must be like a cave.

Ours are nearly always shut, the kids are too lazy to open theirs and it's not my job, then the way our house faces if we leave them open in the summer we all cook

@OccasionallyFlagging

My garden is 'unkempt and scruffy' with waist-high plants, because I like it looking cottagey and overgrown rather than smart and manicured, and because I have deliberately planted extra wild flowers to help the bees this year.

My fence is also broken because a lorry backed into it, and the 'paintwork is peeling' on my house because workers are hard to get - it's taken me four months just to get my windows replaced, and the earliest I could get a house-painter after that is another month's time. As for a fencing contractor - despite trying since January, I've yet to find one who will return my calls!

More importantly - I couldn't give the tiniest toss what passers-by think of my house. I have no doubt that anyone who would comment would be the sort of person whose taste and opinions I would despise anyway.

I have wildflowers to and get loads of bumblebees and butterflies etc... yet every year someone complains the 'weeds' need sorting but it seems like a them problem to me.

I have Thistles, Dandilions, Poppies, Fireweed, Daffodils, Ivy and a bush full of a random large red waxy flower that I cant seem to identify (the one bit people seem to love even though it planted itself and is spreading fast whatever it is so pretty invasive) - I think its whimsical though and it my bloody house lol.

I rented a new-ish build on a small estate last year for a short period of time. Many people kept their curtains closed because of privacy, I assume because even I started doing it, it was like living in a gold fish bowl.

my blinds are always shut.
micky flanagan did that thing when the peeper becomes the peepee. it was very funny and i don't want people being all judge judy if they can see in my front room. (i'm not catering to the excessively tall though as the bedroom curtains are open all day. woo hoo)

I keep the blinds shut in one room downstairs at the front as it was used by my dh as an office and is an absolute tip, despite me pleading with him to tidy it.
I'd be if anyone saw in.
Luckily we have a driveway but still !
He uses another room ( spare bedroom ) as an office now. It's upstairs and no one can see in so the curtains are left open.

People who don't open curtains because your house opens directly onto a street...do you not have nets to stop people looking in??

Have you ever watched The Burbs with Tom Hanks? Sounds like you could be in a similar situation.

@MirandaMarple

I rented a new-ish build on a small estate last year for a short period of time. Many people kept their curtains closed because of privacy, I assume because even I started doing it, it was like living in a gold fish bowl.

It was the also the lack of window opening that baffled me too. For the whole six months my next door neighbour never opened a curtain or a window, and she had a catering business from her kitchen. There was a black bin bag up at the side bathroom window too.

Torn on this one - I keep my curtains closed on very hot days during the hot part of the day and open the windows and pull the curtains open when it gets cooler. So people may feel I am a bit weird. But all the time - I would wonder if they had MH problems.

What can’t people just comment and not swear? What’s with the bad language?

@Gilly12345

What can’t people just comment and not swear? What’s with the bad language?

We fucking like shitting swearing.

Our house is about 60% window at the front on all floors, probably 80% of the back of the house.
DD and DH never want the livingroom curtains open cos they can't see screens with the sun. Even through the nets.
Front curtains, pretty much stay closed all the time.
If I open the curtains it gives the dog more reason to bark. It drives me mad cos I think it looks trampy but the dog would drive the eighbours mad
One window I never open the curtains of because it's the office. The office is full of power tools in our area it would just leax to being burgled. So yes, in that instance I do have something to hide I guess!

If it's a really hot day my shutters aren't opened , it keeps the rooms cooler.

@Fangsalot89

Just an idea but they might have their curtains shut to avoid nosey judgmental neighbours.

Exactly.

The curtain-twitchers have nothing to twitch at.

Ruins their day.

@trappedsincesundaymorn

My mother always kept the curtains closed in her lounge because she was worried that the sunlight would fade the furniture. The only time they were ever opened was if she was having non-family visitors or Christmas Day.

Yes! An aunt and uncle if mine did this. Important visitors were ushered in with great reverence and the curtains would be opened. The whole room was decorated like a mausoleum and it only needed an open casket complete with corpse to finish it off. As soon as the Visitors went, everyone was thrown out and the curtains were whipped shut. Good forbid any UV should asked the ghastly shade of pink of their carpet! 😆😆

God forbid.
UV should alter.

I had a neighbour ask if I was away because they noticed that the curtains had been closed, the layout of my house is upside down so the room at the front is the spare bedroom which isn't used that often so I don't open the curtains there everyday.

I like to have some privacy so I have blinds that let light through on certain windows.

I also don't open my windows very wide because I have an indoor cat that would jump out if I did. If the neighbours judge me for my window coverings I think it says more about them than it does about me.

I don't live in the UK, but people here often keep their curtains closed in winter to keep out the cold, or in summer to keep out the heat. I open them in winter, but often keep them closed in summer. Keeping them closed all the time however seems a bit odd - do people really think that the rest of the world is so interested in them that they are looking in?

Those of you who do keep the curtains closed to avoid people looking in - have you never heard of nets?

I keep the bedroom curtains closed to stop the sun over heating the rooms.

If I don't go into the living room then I forget to open those curtains.

Privacy.
My front window is right next to a path that lots of people use all day, every day.

@Mandalay246

Those of you who do keep the curtains closed to avoid people looking in - have you never heard of nets?

Nets are considered terribly lower middle.