Blackout blinds for bedrooms and nurseries: what actually works

The best blackout blinds for bedroom windows are fitted outside the recess with a generous overlap, ideally with lined curtains drawn over them at night. Blackout fabric stops light coming through the blind itself, but most of the light in a “blackout” bedroom gets in around the edges. Sort out the fit and you’ve solved most of the problem.

It matters most if you’ve got a toddler who’s up at 5am in June, or you work shifts and need to sleep in the afternoon. This is what actually makes the difference.

Why does light still get in with a blackout blind?

It comes round the edges, not through the fabric. Blackout fabric or lining blocks the light passing through it, but every blind needs a small gap at the sides so it can move up and down. That gap lets a line of light through.

With a recess blind you’ll usually see light down both sides, and sometimes along the top above the roll or headrail. If the blind stops at the sill, a little can creep under the bottom bar too. In a room that’s otherwise dark, those thin lines are what you notice, especially on a bright summer morning or with a street light outside.

Should blackout blinds for bedroom windows be recess or exact fit?

For the darkest room, choose an exact (outside) fit. The blind is wider than the window and fixed to the wall above it, so the fabric overlaps the opening and blocks most of the light that would come round a recess blind.

A recess blind still has its place. If you’re putting curtains over it that will be drawn at night, the curtains cover the edge gaps and you keep the neat look by day.

Whichever you choose, measure in millimetres and take three measurements for both width and drop. For a recess fit, give us the smallest of each and don’t take anything off the width, because we make recess blinds about 10mm narrower than the recess. For an exact fit, allow at least 100mm of overlap on each side. Our guide on how to measure for blinds covers both step by step.

Roller or roman: which is better for blackout?

Both work. The choice mostly comes down to looks and how the blind suits your window.

A blackout roller blind is slim and simple. The fabric is flat and stiff, so it hangs straight and only needs a wipe with a dry, lint-free cloth, which is handy in a child’s room. Fitted outside the recess with a good overlap, it’s one of the most effective set-ups for a dark room.

A blackout roman blind has a blackout lining behind the face fabric. It feels softer and more furnished, which suits a main bedroom where you want the window to look dressed. When it’s raised, the folds stack at the top of the window, so it takes a bit more daylight.

If you want blackout but prefer a softer fabric feel, have a look at our soft touch blackout blinds.

Should I use blackout blinds and curtains together?

Yes, if you want the room as dark as you can get it. A blackout blind in the recess with lined curtains drawn over it covers the edge gaps from the front. Hang the pole or track well above the window and past the sides and the curtains block light from the top too.

Layering also gives you more control. On summer evenings you can lower just the blind for a dim room, then draw the curtains as well at bedtime. For the curtain side, our pinch pleat curtains guide explains how the main headings hang and stack back.

Does the colour of a blackout blind matter?

Not for blocking light. A pale blackout blind still blocks light through the fabric, because the blackout layer does the work, not the face colour. What colour changes is how the room feels. Cream or white looks lighter and fresher by day. A darker blind feels cosier, but in a small bedroom it can make the room feel shut in when it’s down.

In a bedroom the blind is often down for hours, so pick a colour you’ll be happy looking at.

What should I think about in a nursery?

Darkness and safety, in equal measure.

For darkness, the same rules apply: an exact fit with overlap, or a blind with curtains over it. A dark room helps with daytime naps, and a blind you can lower quietly without waking a sleeping baby is worth thinking about too.

For safety:

• Use the safety fittings supplied. Cords have breakaway clips, and looped chains come with a child-safety P-clip. Fit them exactly as the instructions say.
• Keep cords and chains out of reach. Fix the chain to the wall with the P-clip so it’s held taut, well above where a child can get to.
• Move the cot away from the window. Keep cots, beds, chairs and anything a child could climb on away from blinds and cords.
• Think about a motorised blind. On a wide or awkward window, motorised blinds do away with a hanging cord or chain altogether.

Our nursery blinds include playful prints, so the blind can suit the room as well as darken it.

Which bedrooms need blackout most?

East-facing bedrooms get the early sun, so they gain most from blackout in spring and summer. Rooms facing a street light, a security light or a busy road come next. Loft conversions with tall or sloping windows can be bright early as well, although roof windows need a blind made for that particular window type.

A north-facing bedroom gets less direct sun, so you might prefer a light filtering blind in the main bedroom and keep blackout for the nursery.