Sliding shutters and curtains: all you need to know

Shutters and curtains with sliding systems are generally chosen for their modern look and the convenience of the mechanisms. Let us take a look at the main characteristics and of this smart home decoration item.

Nowadays technology and interior design are truly inseparable: home decoration has to be both about style and functionality. Curtains are now able to make your life easier and more comfortable, while adding elegance to your home décor, with simple mechanisms and systems.  Characterized by a generally essential look, the curtains with sliding shutters work with a device that is both practical and cool looking. These types of curtains and shutters can be installed directly on the wall or ceiling, easily adaptable for windows of different sizes, as well as large patio doors, as long as a few centimeters are left to make the panels slide. They are practical to install and require low maintenance, and it is so easy to adjust the light in the different rooms thanks to their mechanisms. Suitable both for those who love minimalism and classic style, sliding curtains can feature plane fabrics or detailed materials with any kind of decoration; the desired grade of opaqueness can be regulated with the different number of layers. Varied types of fabrics are combined together, the mechanisms are usually made with aluminum: a material that is very resistant and time-lasting, but also extremely light. 

Do you like the tents in this room? Look at more curtains by Laylight here.

The support part is usually secured to the ceiling, especially when the rooms available are very high. The curtain panels have a variable width (the standard version measures from 50 to 90 cm circa); in their lower part, they end with a metal profile that is useful  to keep the curtain nicely stretched and straight. Even if there are systems with panels attached to each other, they can generally slide in both directions, each independently: they are therefore very versatile for different environments of the house. However, it should be kept in mind that, even if they are all gathered on the same side, the sliding curtains never leave the window completely free and, when closed, the sheets overlap, slightly limiting the passage of light. As far as the choice of the fabric goes, from an aesthetic and stylistic point of view, the curtains should always maintain a composite appearance, which can be emphasized with technical materials or attenuated with textured or colored fabrics. Visually, if the curtain is composed by many narrow sheets tend to split the wall space; on the contrary, a wide tent with a larger surface, gives a sense of continuity and harmony. In most cases, the sliding panels look rather firm and rigid, but they acquire softness when made of   transparent and bright fabrics and light counterweights. 

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Curtains complete the style of the interior in a discreet and elegant way and, from a more practical point of view, a functional curtain will allow you to exploit the space below the windows and to make the whole room look bigger. The curtains are assembled by a system of tracks with several parallel mechanisms (there are also single ones, which works differently), available in different shapes and details, where the door-cloths is finished with Velcro fasteners slide. Usually, the panels start from the top of the ceiling, just above the window, and hang down until a couple centimeters from the floor: this way, the whole length of the window will be covered. They can be provided with a manual control system, that allows you to regulate and adjust the tent with a small rope or a thin stick (usually made of metal or Plexiglas plastic), that also prevent you from damaging the mechanisms of the panels. It is also possible to apply motorized systems, that are operated with an electric engine that moves the mechanism of the sliding panels on the tracks.

Find out more about traditional and sliding curtains by Creation Bauman here.

What fabric is better to choose for our sliding curtains and tents? Excluding the very fragile and precious ones, which are not very suitable for the type of mechanism used, the possibilities for your curtains materials are endless. Fabrics such as linen, or high quality cotton, or a resistant type of viscose or polyester will work excellently, but also mixed fibers, which by combining opaque and bright surface together, create a rough effect that will look very modern and appealing. Also technical fabrics are highly indicated, if you are decorating a room in which you want complete darkness. In general, always remember to focus on functionality. What should be considered is the type of maintenance the material required, because it is often good to prefer fabrics that can be washed by hand, without a professional aid. Many fabrics do not even have to be ironed, thanks to the metal stick, that will make your life a lot easier in this respect.

Take a look at more automatic curtains mechanisms by Marinello Tende here.