The best blinds for bedrooms (for sleep and privacy)

The best blinds for a bedroom are blockout roller blinds, ideally face fitted so they cover more of the window. For a darker room, step up to a full blockout cassette, and for flexible mornings choose a double roller blind that pairs a soft daytime fabric with a blockout layer. Any of these lets you darken the room for sleep, keep your privacy after dark and still enjoy daylight when you want it.

Why blockout is the starting point for bedroom blinds

A bedroom is the room where light control has the biggest effect on your day, from an early sunrise to the street light outside. Blockout fabric stops light passing through the cloth, and it gives more reliable privacy once the lights are on inside. Light Filter fabric diffuses daylight, and Screen fabric cuts glare and keeps the view, but both are better suited to daytime.

We make nine blockout ranges, from the matte Shade to the textured Lakeside. The range matters for the backing. Shade is the same colour on both sides, Serene II and Lakeside have a colour-coordinated backing, and Serene, Ultra, Array, Allure, Elegance and Opulence have a white backing. With a standard roll, the backing shows at the top of the roll, so choose a coordinated backing if you dislike seeing white there.

The best blinds for a bedroom, compared

How to cut the light gaps around a bedroom blind

Light reaches a bedroom blind in four places: the sides of a recess-fit blind, the top where the roll sits, the bottom edge and the frame itself. You can close the gaps in stages.

1. Choose face fit over recess fit. Face fit covers more of the window and cuts the light gaps. Some sites call it outside mount, and recess fit inside mount.
2. Choose a standard (under) roll. The fabric drops from the back of the tube, closer to the glass, and blocks more light than a front (over) roll.
3. Add a full cassette. It encloses the headbox, side channels and bottom channel.
4. Put curtains over the blind. A curtain hung wider than the window, with a box pelmet above it, catches the light that escapes the edges.

A decorative fascia hides the tube and brackets, but it is not a cassette and does not remove every light gap. There is more in how to reduce light gaps around roller blinds.

Full blockout cassette: what to know before you order

A cassette roller blind is a three-part enclosure of headbox, side channels and bottom channel that wraps a matched blockout blind. It comes in a full four-sided version or a three-sided version.

• It is ordered together with a compatible under-roll blockout blind, matched by dimensions and window name.
• It cannot be retrofitted to an existing blind, and a front roll is not possible.
• In a recess it needs 50 mm of clear depth.
• Measure with our cassette roller blinds measuring guide.
• A little light can still show around a cassette, so it is not a guarantee of total darkness.

The cassette is worth it for shift workers, light sleepers and rooms with an early sunrise. For a bedroom that only needs to be dark enough, a face-fit blockout blind may be all you need.

Double roller blinds for flexible mornings

A double roller blind hangs two independent fabrics on one set of dual brackets: a daylight layer (Screen or Light Filter) and a blockout layer. Lower the daytime layer to soften the sun, or lower the blockout for sleep. It suits a bedroom where you want privacy in the morning but do not want the room shut.

Slimline dual brackets need 90 mm of recess depth with both blinds rolled over, or 70 mm with both rolled under. Controls can be chain, cordless or motorised, depending on the dimensions, and a two-channel remote suits a motorised double roller. If your window is too shallow, two single blinds are an alternative: one recess fit and one face fit with an under roll.

Choose a control you can reach from bed

• Chain (SunBoss). The chain can hang on the left or right. Choose the side by where the bed and bedside table will be, and use the chain safety device supplied, which stops the chain forming a loop over 220 mm. Keep the chain out of the reach of children, and keep beds and cots away from window controls.
• Cordless (ZeroGravity). ZeroGravity cordless roller blinds have no chain. You lift by the base rail, and the blind holds at any height. They suit blinds up to 3 m wide and 3 m drop.
• Motorised. Motorised roller blinds use a rechargeable battery motor, a hardwired motor that needs a licensed electrician, or a C-Bus connection. A remote lets you close the blind from the bed. A compatible smart hub adds an app, scenes, timers and sunrise or sunset triggers.

Colours and fabrics for a bedroom

Pale colours such as Shade Ice, Ultra Cool White and Allure Snow keep a bedroom airy. Greys such as Ultra Ash Grey, Array Moon Grey and Platinum feel calm, and darker options such as Array Jet, Elegance Obsidian and Serene II Charcoal suit a moody room. For warmth, look at Shade Biscuiti, Ultra Cream and Allure Griege.

Order free samples and compare them in the bedroom in the morning and again at night, against the walls, floor and window frame. A fabric that looks neutral in a shop can look yellow under a bedside lamp.

Blinds or curtains for the bedroom?

A roller blind gives precise light and privacy control and leaves the walls clear. Curtains add softness, texture and colour. Many bedrooms use both: a blockout roller blind under S Fold sheers or blockout curtains. Bedroom curtain ideas covers headings, tracks and colours, and why a darker bedroom can help you sleep gives a practical darkening checklist. See also blockout vs blackout blinds for the spelling question.

Measuring a bedroom window

Face fit is the most useful setup for a bedroom, and the guide covers both architrave and no-architrave windows. Measure with our roller blind measuring guide, or the double roller blinds measuring guide if you choose two layers. Check for obstructions such as window handles, winders or a wardrobe that will sit close to the blind.

Once you have chosen, price your window on our bedroom blinds page.

Questions

What is the best blind for a bedroom?

A blockout roller blind, ideally face fitted with a standard (under) roll, is the best starting point. Step up to a full blockout cassette for the darkest result, or a double roller blind if you want a soft daytime layer as well.

Are blockout blinds completely dark?

No. Blockout stops light passing through the fabric, but light can still enter around the edges of a conventional roller blind. A face fit, a standard roll and a full cassette each reduce the gaps.

Is a cassette worth it for a bedroom?

It is worth it if edge light is your main problem, because the headbox, side channels and bottom channel close the gaps around a matched blockout blind. It must be ordered with a compatible under-roll blind and cannot be added later.

Which fabric gives privacy in a bedroom at night?

Blockout. With the lights on and darkness outside, a Light Filter or Screen fabric is better suited to daytime use, so choose blockout for the window that needs night privacy.

Are cordless blinds a good idea in a bedroom?

They can be. ZeroGravity cordless has no chain, so there is nothing to catch on a bedside table or hang near a bed, and you lift it by the base rail. It suits blinds up to 3 metres wide and 3 metres drop.