Blinded by the Light

When we had our house in the States, Peter often made noises about getting net curtains. Our window treatments may have been a little lacking (mostly blinds with a valance at the top) but I strongly opposed the net curtains.

In Peter’s parents’ house, every window has a net curtain. When you look out the window, it’s like looking through a fairy’s wings. You can see everything, but it’s muted and gauzy. The outside world is just that little bit further away. The light that comes in is diluted, emasculated, broken down into a thin layer of light instead of a bursting ray.

Yeah, I am not a fan of the net curtains. Then a funny thing happened – the net curtains went away this week for their cleaning holiday. Suddenly, every window seems like it is gaping wide open. The world is right up in our faces, peeking into our bedroom. I feel like everyone can see me all the time. We’ve lost our privacy, our boundaries, our homey hiding places.

So, what’s the moral of the story? That I’ve had a conversion and seen the light on the net curtains front?

Not quite. I’ve learned that a little bit of covering on your windows is a good thing. The question is how much. Do you want the net curtains, which obscure and filter everything? Or do you want the blinds, which give you measured, reliable openings that let the light in and allow you to see everything without a filter?

After thinking about this, I have to say I am still all about the blinds. I like being able to open and close them, to control how things look. I like the idea that they can be entirely pulled up or shut tight to block out everything. Blinds give you the greatest number of possibilities. Net curtains are just there, all the time.

So, while I am surprised that I am looking forward to the return of the net curtains, I still want blinds when we get our own house.