Explore how fabric affects light, privacy, softness, and feel. Covers how different fabric types filter light, how lining works, and why weight and texture matter in shaping the mood of a room.
Choosing the right curtain fabric isn’t just a matter of colour or style. Fabric determines how your curtains hang, how much light they let in, how they look from inside and outside – and how the room feels throughout the day.
In this part of the guide, we focus on curtain fabrics only (we’ll cover blinds in the next part). We’ll explore the three main fabric categories — sheer, dimout, and blackout — and how their transparency, weight, and texture affect light, privacy, and atmosphere. We’ll also touch on linings, and why fabric choice is as much about performance as it is about aesthetics.
How Curtain Fabrics Interact with Light
Light control is one of the most important roles a curtain plays. Depending on the fabric, curtains can diffuse light, soften glare, block views, or create total darkness.
There are three primary types of curtain fabric when it comes to light filtration:
Sheer Fabrics
Sheers are lightweight, translucent fabrics that allow daylight to filter through while softening glare and offering daytime privacy.
- Light behaviour: Allows light through while diffusing it; brightens the room without harshness.
- Privacy: Moderate during the day; limited at night when lights are on.
- Best for: Living rooms, dining areas, and spaces where natural light is welcome.
- Pairing: Often layered with blackout curtains for a flexible day/night setup.
Sheers create an elegant, floating quality that softens hard edges. They’re mostly chosen to retain privacy, while letting in natural light.
Dimout Fabrics
Dimout curtains block a significant portion of light — but not all. They’re ideal when you want privacy and glare control, but don’t need complete darkness.
- Light behaviour: Blocks 70–90% of light depending on colour and weave.
- Privacy: Strong; effective day and night.
- Best for: Bedrooms, studies, and shared spaces where light control is needed without full blackout.
- Colour impact: Lighter dimouts let in a soft glow; darker ones absorb more light and create a moodier effect.
Dimout fabrics are often used on their own, or paired with sheers for layered control. They provide comfort without cutting the room off from ambient light.
Blackout Fabrics
Blackout fabrics are designed to block light completely. They’re typically used in bedrooms or media rooms where darkness is a priority.
- Light behaviour: 100% light blocking when installed with proper coverage.
- Privacy: Complete, day and night.
- Best for: Bedrooms, nurseries, home theatres.
- Considerations: For true blackout, the entire system must prevent side light leaks.
Some blackout fabrics have a blackout coating or backing; others use a three-layer woven structure. They come in a wide range of colours and textures — blackout doesn’t have to look heavy or flat.
How Fabric Weight Affects Drape and Mood
Fabric isn’t just about transparency, but also about weight, which affects how the curtain moves and feels.
- Lighter fabrics tend to fall in softer, looser folds. Sheers and light dimouts often have a more casual, floating quality.
- Medium-weight fabrics offer a balance of structure and softness, suited to most living spaces.
- Heavier fabrics fall in deeper, more structured folds and feel more luxurious. They’re commonly used in bedrooms, formal rooms, or wherever visual weight is needed.
The choice of weight also affects acoustics, insulation, and how much space the curtain stack takes when open.
Texture, Weave, and Colour
The way a fabric is woven influences how it looks and interacts with light. A tight weave will appear more solid and structured; a looser weave allows more softness and airiness.
- Matte vs sheen: Matte fabrics feel natural and understated; fabrics with a slight sheen catch the light and create more contrast and movement.
- Smooth vs textured: Smooth fabrics create clean lines and calm surfaces; textured ones add depth and visual interest, even in neutral tones.
- Colour choice: Lighter colours reflect more light and keep the room bright. Darker fabrics absorb light and add contrast or warmth, depending on the palette.
Texture and colour often have more impact on a room’s feel than the fabric type itself.
What About Linings?
Lining adds a layer behind your main curtain fabric to enhance its performance. Not all curtains are lined — but many benefit from it.
Why line a curtain?
- Improve blackout performance (if the base fabric is dimout or translucent)
- Add weight and structure for better drape
- Protect delicate fabrics from sun damage
- Improve insulation and sound dampening
Lining is especially important when using decorative fabrics (e.g. prints, natural fibres) that may not block light on their own.
Choosing the Right Curtain Fabric
Start with function:
- Do you need complete darkness, or just glare control?
- Is daytime privacy important?
- Do you want the room to feel light and airy, or enclosed and calm?
Then consider the feel:
- Are you aiming for softness and movement?
- Do you want the curtains to visually recede or stand out?
- What kind of texture and colour will sit best with your walls, floors, and furniture?
Don’t worry about naming every factor – but know that fabric choice does far more than affect how your curtains look. It shapes how they behave, and how the room feels.
Next: Tracks, Mounting & Pelmets — Designing the Hardware That Shapes the Look
With your curtain system and fabric decided, it’s time to look at how it all comes together. In Part 4, we’ll explore how mounting style, pleat choice, track design, and pelmet placement define the final visual — and how small installation decisions make a big difference.
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