Exploring Smart Window Solutions for Apartment Living

Stand outside any apartment block and look up.

In many newer developments, windows are closer than people expect, sometimes facing another building just metres away.

From certain angles, it can be surprisingly easy to see into the apartment opposite.

That’s a common part of apartment living, especially in higher-density areas. Instead of looking onto a backyard or a wide street, many apartments face other apartments or shared spaces.

In these settings, window coverings do more than finish a room. They control privacy, manage light and help limit heat inside the space.

Here’s how to get curtains and blinds right in high-density apartments.

Privacy changes when neighbours are close

In high-density apartments, privacy is not just a night-time issue. If the apartment opposite has a clear view of the living room, heavy curtains closed all day will block too much natural light.

Instead, sheer curtains can be installed on those windows. During the day, they make it harder for people outside to see clearly into the room while still letting in daylight. The room stays bright, but nearby apartments cannot easily see inside.

For bedrooms or any space that needs full darkness, blockout curtains can be layered behind the sheers. This allows light during the day and complete coverage at night. The combination gives flexibility without losing brightness or privacy.

Light reflects off surrounding buildings

Walk past an apartment building on a hot afternoon, and the glare off the glass and concrete is obvious. That light doesn’t just stay outside. It reflects off nearby buildings and comes straight through the windows.

A west-facing room can get hit twice. There’s the direct sun, then the light bouncing off the building next door. This is why some apartments heat up faster than expected, even when blinds are lowered.

Blockout curtains help in these cases because the thicker backing stops more of that light from coming through.

▲ Blockout curtains bring several advantages to high-density apartment living.

In places with large windows, this can make the room feel noticeably cooler on hot days and reduce how often the air conditioner needs to run.

Noise feels louder in apartment living

In apartment buildings, there’s usually some level of background noise. Even with double glazing, sound can still travel through glass and window frames.

Curtains will not make a room silent, but heavier fabrics like full-length blockout curtains can take the edge off what comes through the glass.

They help absorb some of the sound that would otherwise bounce around hard floors and bare walls.

Choose window coverings that suit unit living

Apartments behave differently from houses. Rooms are often tighter, windows can be wider and buildings sit closer together. Privacy, light and heat usually need to be managed together rather than as separate decisions.

Seeing options in person makes the decision easier.

Some spaces suit layered curtains, especially where privacy and light need to shift throughout the day. Other apartments benefit from blinds that sit closer to the glass and take up less room.

It often comes down to how the window is positioned and how much space surrounds it.

Spotlight, Australia’s go-to store for curtains and blinds, offers a wide range of window coverings suited to apartment living, making it easier to find something that works with how these buildings are actually designed.

The Urban Developer is proud to partner with Spotlight to deliver this article to you. In doing so, we can continue to publish our daily news, information, insights and opinion to you, our valued readers.