A few whiles back my brother moved to a new apartment. His apartment was on the 2nd floor of the building. Most of the windows in his apartment had blinds already installed on them. Just like everyone he was also thinking which side should the blinds be closed for better privacy. Below is the answer.
When blinds are closed downwards, light from below does not get a straight path to pass from the blinds thus blocking all the view of the inside of the widow. This provides privacy to the 2nd floor from the people walking downwards, trying to peek inside.
Where to point blinds for privacy from another floor at the same height?
It is not only the stalkers on the road or path below the 2nd below that one needs to have privacy from but also from other apartments at same height that privacy needs to be maintained.
The best thing to do would be to close the blinds facing downwards as it will provide good privacy from both stalkers below the 2nd floor as well as from the other apartments at the same height.
For the sake of maintaining privacy from only the other apartments at the same height it really does not matter which direction the blinds are closed because in this situation, the blinds can be closed either upside or downwards. Both sides provide similar privacy from the stalkers at other apartments at the same height.
An apartment at the same height can be either left or right to one’s apartment. Having blinds closed facing downwards or upwards prevents peeking from every horizontal direction.
Where to point blinds for light control & privacy?
The answer is towards downwards partially closed.
The most amount of light that can enter from blinds is when the blinds are in a neutral position i.e not facing any direction but rather are just in a horizontal line.
However, getting privacy is not possible in open blinds. To get both natural light and privacy the blinds should be partially closed facing downwards.
The sun is always at a position higher than the window. This means that the light from the sun can enter directly into the room from the top side of window. In such a window when the blinds are faced downwards, it allows light rays to pass through the blinds and enter the room.
On the contrary, when the blinds are closed facing upwards the light from sun gets blocked by the upward pointing blinds and thus restricting the light rays to enter the room.
Where to point blinds if there is a curtain behind them?
Point blinds horizontally straight.
The curtains provides additional privacy and light control when used along with blinds. The best position for blinds when there is a curtain also present for the window is horizontally straight.
The reason for keeping the blinds open is to provide entry to light into the room. If blinds are closed and the curtains are also closed, the room gets deprived of natural light.
On the other hand when blinds are open and curtains are closed, still some light can pass through the curtains into the room providing smooth ambient lighting.
As far as privacy is concerned having blinds open with curtains closed provides good privacy from almost every direction outside of the 2nd floor.
For the purpose of privacy and light control, thick curtains are not required. A normal linen curtain in white color is an excellent choice to go with blinds.
Moreover, curtains of very bright color should also be avoided near blinds as when light passes through them the room gets illuminated with a light of strong tint which may not match with the ambiance of room.
Are vertical blinds effective for privacy on 2nd floor?
Vertical blinds are less effective compared to horizontal blinds.
When fully closed, vertical blinds are also effective to prevent outsiders from peeking inside. However, when partially closed it is possible to get some of the inside view.
Hence vertical blinds should only be used when privacy from other apartments at the same height is required as well as natural light is also required inside.
To block the view of outsiders to the 2nd floor, one needs to fully close the vertical blinds. As a result, no light passes into the room and the room becomes dark. On the other hand, using horizontal blinds allows the passage of light as well as blocks the view of outsiders also.
