How to Use Interior Design and Landscaping to Increase Your Home’s Privacy

woman opening blinds of her window

There’s a reason people invented things like doors with locks and “Do Not Disturb” signs. That reason is privacy, and it’s something that everyone has a right to. However, other people can sometimes ignore this basic right and attempt to pry into your private affairs. These people might be your nosy next-door neighbor who peers into your backyard or they could be pedestrians who linger just a little too long in front of your windows.

You can protect the privacy of everyone living under your roof from these unsavory elements with a combination of interior design and strategic additions to your lawn.

Enhancing Your Indoor Privacy

What goes on inside your house should be your business and not something a neighbor spreads around. You can thwart attempts at peeking into your private life at home by using interior design to block your windows.

You have to navigate a delicate balance when increasing the privacy of your windows. You want to be able to let natural light in and enjoy any scenic views without anyone easily peeking into your home. Interior design is your ally in this effort because it can offer you ways to achieve privacy without making your home look like a prison.

Your first option is to put up blinds and curtains that you can adjust to suit your needs. Some blinds have motorized controls and others have old-fashioned pulls and ropes.  They come in as many fabrics as there are styles and folds. Your best choices are drapery made of sheer fabrics. These curtains let you see outside but block the sight from outside if your indoor lights aren’t on.

You could cover your windows with frosted film if curtains and similar accouterments aren’t to your liking. Day or night, this window coating will blur all views inside your home. On the other hand, you won’t be able to see the outside.

Plantation shutters offer you a more permanent solution, though they can be more expensive than curtains or window frosting. These attachments can look smart on the right windows, and you can manipulate the slats to completely shut or leave them wide open.

Protecting Your Privacy Outdoors

bamboo fence of a home

Your privacy doesn’t end within the confines of your house. You might want to relax in your backyard, but find it difficult when people are looking. This is where landscaping and gardening can help.

Grow artful stands of bamboo around the perimeter of your yard or a portion of it to create an elegant, natural screen. So long as you choose the species of bamboo carefully and prune new growth, bamboo plants will help shield you from view with ease.

Alternatively, you could grow living fences of evergreens. These plants diffuse street noise and stop neighbors from spying on you, as well as lend a formal and peaceful air to your backyard.

If push comes to shove, build walls made of natural stone or brick in front of particularly nosy neighbors. Metal trellises with climbing vines and other plants soften these impregnable constructions and still give you natural wonders to enjoy in private.

Rudeness takes many forms and eavesdropping is one of them. These methods offer a tactful way to dissuade eavesdroppers from violating your privacy. With your new shutters or hedges, you can live your private life in peace.

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