Blockout curtains are essential in many Perth homes — for bedrooms where darkness aids sleep, for media rooms and nurseries, or simply where you want privacy and complete control over light and heat. Done well, they also add significant insulation, helping keep rooms cooler in summer and warmer in winter.
At Hay Interiors our blockout curtains are custom made in our on-site workroom using quality blockout fabrics and interlinings chosen for both performance and drape. We avoid cheap, shiny blockout that looks flat from the street — we select fabrics that look beautiful from outside as well as inside while delivering the practical benefits you need.
There is more than one way to build a blockout curtain, and the difference shows up in both the price and the result.
Coated blockout fabric – A single layer of fabric with a blockout coating applied to the back. It is the budget approach, and it does block light — but the choice of colours and textures is narrow, and coated fabrics rarely hang as well as a lined curtain, because the coating stiffens the cloth and works against the drape.
It also has one specific flaw worth knowing about before you buy. Where two widths of fabric are joined, the seam is sewn — and every stitch puts a needle through the coating. Those perforations become pinholes, and against a bright window they read as a line of little stars down the join. Nothing can be done about it afterwards; it is inherent to sewing a coated fabric. In a bedroom you are trying to keep dark, it is the sort of detail that becomes hard to stop noticing.
Blockout lining sewn to your chosen fabric – The approach we use most. You choose the face fabric you actually want from the full curtain fabrics range, and a separate blockout lining is made up behind it. The lining does the light blocking; the face fabric does the looking. Because the seams in the face fabric and the seams in the lining are separate layers, there is no pinhole problem — and the curtain hangs like a proper lined curtain, because that is what it is.
Blockout behind sheers – The most popular arrangement in Perth homes. A blockout layer sits behind, and sheer curtains face the room — soft filtered light and privacy by day, full darkness at night. It needs a track system that carries both layers and lets each operate independently, which is worth specifying properly at the start rather than adding later.
Choosing blockout isn’t only about blocking light. Annie considers how the fabric hangs, how it works with your heading style, whether you need motorised curtains for large or high windows, and how the treatment looks open as well as closed. She often recommends interlining for a fuller, more luxurious appearance and better thermal and acoustic performance, and many clients layer elegant sheer curtains in front for daytime flexibility.
Because Annie both consults and oversees the making, the decisions made at consultation — fabric weight, fullness, lining type, heading style, how the curtains stack back when open — are carried through precisely into the finished result. There’s no translation loss between what was agreed and what arrives.
Blockout and blackout are the same thing. The two words are used interchangeably in the trade and they describe the same product. You will find claims online that one blocks 80% of light and the other 100%; that is a distinction without a difference, and it is not how the fabrics are actually specified.
What genuinely determines whether a room goes dark is not which word appears on the label. It is the quality of the fabric, the way the curtain is made, and how the edges and top are handled. A well-made curtain in a good blockout lining will darken a room properly. A poorly made one will not, whatever it is called — a single pinhole at a seam or a gap at the return will undo the whole exercise when you are trying to sleep.
Dim-out is a different product. Dim-out fabric blocks roughly ninety per cent of light rather than all of it, leaving a soft glow rather than complete darkness. Some people prefer that, particularly in living areas where full blackout feels oppressive during the day.
Dim-out has one practical advantage that matters more than the aesthetics: it can be washed. Blockout lining has a silicone coating and must be dry cleaned. That single difference is why dim-out is often the right specification for hospitality venues, schools, and any humid room where mould is a risk — anywhere the curtains will need regular cleaning. It is a common choice in our commercial work for exactly that reason.
Dim-out also comes in a range of prints and textures, and is frequently used as a lining behind another fabric rather than as the face fabric itself.
Because everything is made in our Nedlands workroom, we ensure the blockout is properly aligned, headings are neatly finished and the curtains run smoothly on quality tracks. We attend to side returns, floor clearance and how the curtains stack back when open — small details that make a significant difference to the finished look and daily use.
A well-made blockout curtain should hang beautifully even when closed — not bulge, sag or let light bleed at the edges. Achieving that consistently requires experience with fabric behaviour, careful cutting and precise finishing. It’s what we’ve been doing in Perth for more than fifty-five years.
The fabric is rarely the problem. In a curtain that is not performing, the light is almost always coming in around the edges rather than through the cloth — over the top of the heading, down the sides, or under the hem.
The top is the usual culprit. Light passes over the curtain heading and washes down the wall, and because it enters above eye level it is easy to miss until you are lying in bed looking at it. A padded pelmet closes that gap completely. If you want a genuinely dark room, a pelmet is usually what makes the difference between nearly and properly.
The sides are handled with returns — the curtain wrapping back to the wall at each end — and with adequate overlap where the two curtains meet in the middle. Both are decisions made at measuring stage, and both cost nothing extra if they are specified from the start and cannot easily be fixed once the curtains are made.
The same applies to the alternatives. A blockout roller blind has excellent fabric but light escapes down both sides unless side channels are fitted. Cellular honeycomb blinds sit closer to the reveal and leak less, and can be specified to run sheer by day and blockout by night. Roman blinds can carry a blockout lining behind a decorative face fabric.
Perth’s intense summer sun and long daylight hours make well-made blockout curtains a practical investment. They protect furnishings from fading, improve sleeping conditions, and contribute to energy efficiency by reducing heat gain and loss. For west-facing rooms especially — where afternoon sun can make spaces uncomfortably hot — a properly lined blockout curtain makes a measurable difference to comfort.
For rooms where you want both darkness and sound reduction, Annie can also advise on acoustic curtains — available through our exclusive Western Australian acoustic fabric partnership.
The best way to begin is to visit our showroom in Nedlands. You can explore hundreds of fabric samples, see finished examples, and often watch work happening in the attached workroom. Annie or a member of the team is always happy to talk through possibilities and answer questions.
Alternatively, we can arrange an in-home consultation at a time that suits you. This has the advantage of enabling us to consider your actual windows and provide advice on the best window dressings for your space.
Either way, you will receive honest, expert guidance focused entirely on what is right for your windows and your home.
We look forward to helping you create window furnishings you will love for many years to come.
Yes. Properly lined, well-fitted blockout curtains are one of the most effective thermal upgrades a room can have, reducing heat transfer through the glass and helping lower heating and cooling costs — particularly valuable in Perth’s hot summers.
The fabric itself blocks light fully, but a little can enter around the edges and top of any curtain. For near-total darkness we add appropriate returns, overlaps and sometimes a pelmet to close those gaps.
Absolutely — layering sheer curtains in front of blockout is one of the most popular and practical combinations, giving soft light by day and full darkness and privacy at night. Annie will advise on the right track system to make both layers operate smoothly.
Nothing — they are two words for the same product, used interchangeably. Claims that one blocks 80% and the other 100% are marketing rather than specification. What actually determines whether a room goes dark is the quality of the fabric and the making: a pinhole at a seam or a gap at the return will let light in regardless of what the fabric is called.
Dim-out blocks around ninety per cent of light rather than all of it, giving a soft glow instead of full darkness. Its practical advantage is that it can be washed, where blockout lining is silicone-coated and must be dry cleaned — which makes dim-out the sensible choice for hospitality, schools and humid rooms.
