Blackout Curtains

What are blackout curtains?

Blackout curtains utilise densely woven fabric and linings to significantly reduce light from passing through the curtains and help to darken your room. A typical Dunelm blackout curtain can help reduce light by 85-95%, or you can look to our ultra blackout eyelet curtains range which can reduce light by 99%.

It is worth noting that no curtain alone can completely eliminate light from entering your room, as there will be light bleeding in from the edges of the curtains depending on how you have the curtain pole positioned. For maximum darkness, we recommend combining our ultra blackout curtains with our room darkening curtain poles to eliminate light coming in from the sides, or a pelmet to limit light along the top of the curtains.

What are the benefits of blackout curtains?

The most obvious benefit of blackout curtains is the room darkening element which can eliminate light and offer a greater sense of privacy when the curtains are closed. But a blackout lining also has the same benefit as thermal curtains, offering improved control of room temperature. With this lining type, you don’t have to choose between light control and thermal performance, helping to maintain a cooler home in the summer and warmer home in the colder months. Another often overlooked benefit is that blackout curtains can also offer a limited sound dampening, with the thicker fabric helping to absorb some noise from outside.

Where to use blackout curtains

Blackout curtains can be used for any room in the home, but some rooms benefit more from the room darkening effect than others. Bedrooms are the most sensible place to use blackout curtains as they can help maintain low light conditions for a better night’s sleep and for kids’ bedrooms, blackout curtains or roller blinds are a smart investment, especially to help with sleep regressions or when the clocks change and there are brighter mornings and evenings. Another room that can benefit from the darkening effect is the living room where the curtains can help reduce the level of glare on the TV. But ultimately you can use them anywhere you feel you will benefit from the room darkening effects.

How to measure for curtains

We offer ready made curtains in a wide range of sizes to fit the majority of windows, but we know choosing the perfect size can be tricky. Finding the right size for blackout curtains is even more important as if you choose a smaller size, you risk letting light bleed in from the sides of the window. That’s why we have created an expert how to measure curtains guide that walks you through the process and helps you pick the right size for your window.

If you already have regular lined curtains and wish to make the most of a blackout effect without having to invest in a new pair of curtains, curtain linings are available separately for both eyelet and pencil pleat curtains. They simply attach to the back of your curtains to bring the blackout effect to your room.

If a room darkening effect isn’t what you are looking for but you want to help insulate your home all year round, our thermal curtains offer a sensible alternative to blackout. Perfect for older and draughty homes, thermal curtains can help regulate temperature and block out a little more light than a regular lining.

For more detail on choosing and caring for blackout curtains, our blackout guide covers everything you need including top tips on how to care for blackout curtains.

Why choose Dunelm curtains?

Dunelm has over four decades of experience and an extensive network of suppliers, mostly based here in the UK, who we work with to bring you the best value, customer favourites and a constantly evolving range of styles.

We have over 70,000 reviews on curtains alone from our customers with an average rating of 4.6 stars. Bazaarvoice hosts and independently moderates all of our product reviews and we are proud to display the BV Authentic Reviews Trustmark. We will never pay for reviews, have no ability to manipulate or edit reviews, and all reviews on Dunelm.com are 100% genuine feedback left by our customers.