Blackout drapery in Los Angeles, for real darkness.
Lined, interlined and carefully fitted drapery that makes a bedroom, nursery or home theater properly dark, without looking like a hotel room.
Blackout is a matter of fit as much as fabric.
A blackout lining stops light from passing through the cloth. It does nothing about the light that passes around it, and that is where most blackout curtains disappoint. Daylight escapes at the top of the rod, at the sides where the panel stands away from the wall and at the center where the two panels meet.
Custom blackout drapery is made to close those gaps. The panels return to the wall at each side. They overlap generously at the center. The heading is carried to the ceiling or covered by a cornice or pelmet, and the hem is set close to the floor. The result is a room that is dark at noon.
Any fabric can be made blackout.
It is a common misunderstanding that blackout drapery must be heavy or plain. The darkness comes from the lining, so the face fabric may be a linen, a silk, a velvet or a print, exactly as it would be for any other custom drapery. An interlining between the two adds body and helps to muffle sound, which is welcome in a bedroom that faces a street. We describe the layers in lining, interlining and fullness.
Bedrooms, nurseries and home theaters.
For a principal bedroom we often combine a blackout shade within the window recess and drapery in front of it, which gives the most complete darkness of all. For a nursery, cordless or motorized operation is the sensible choice. In a home theater or media room, wall to wall drapery controls reflections and improves the sound as well as the darkness.
Many clients place bedroom drapery on a motorized track with a schedule, so that the room darkens at night and opens to the morning without anyone leaving the bed.
From selection to installation.
Consultation
We begin with the room itself: how it is used, where the light falls through the day and what you would like the windows to do.
Selection
Fabrics, materials, finishes and hardware are chosen together, so the treatment suits both the architecture and the furnishings.
Measure and Make
Every opening is measured precisely and each treatment is made to that measure, never adapted from a stock size.
Installation
Our installers fit and adjust every treatment, so it hangs true, operates smoothly and is finished properly.
Blackout Drapery: common questions.
What is the difference between blackout and room darkening drapery?
Room darkening drapery dims a room considerably but admits some light through or around the fabric. Blackout drapery uses an opaque lining and is fitted to close the gaps at the top, sides and center, so the room becomes properly dark.
Can blackout drapery be made in a light color?
Yes. The lining provides the darkness, so the face fabric can be white, ivory or any pale color. A well made blackout lining does not show through or change the color of the cloth in front of it.
Is a blackout shade or blackout drapery better?
Each has its strengths, and the two together are best. A shade sits close to the glass, and drapery covers the edges where light escapes around the shade, while adding softness and quiet to the room.
Blackout Drapery: further reading.
Performance Drapery Fabrics: How the Synthetics Stand Up to the Sun
Performance drapery fabrics for Los Angeles homes: how polyester, acrylic, olefin, nylon, viscose and acetate stand up to sun, sea air and wear.
Wool, Linen, Cotton and Silk: Natural Fiber Drapery in Los Angeles
A guide to natural fiber drapery for Beverly Hills and Los Angeles homes: how wool, linen, cotton and silk hang, age and stand up to the California sun.
Protecting Art, Floors and Furniture From the California Sun
The light that makes Los Angeles so beautiful is also hard on everything it touches. How window treatments protect what you have collected.
Transform your space with custom solutions
Tell us about your windows and the way you live with them. We will guide you from selection to installation.
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