In our increasingly connected world, personal privacy is an underrated commodity. You can be an open person, happy to welcome others into your life, but still want to keep your personal business to yourself. Our houses are supposed to be our sanctuaries from the wider world. The most significant privacy concern for many people is keeping other people from seeing what goes on in their homes. Here are a few ideas for how to maintain privacy in your home.

Keep Peeping Eyes Out

It is scary to think that people are looking into your home to see what you are doing. Even if they are just innocent people walking by the street, it can be uncomfortable for all involved if strangers can see you during vulnerable times. Think about these options for the inside of your home that would increase your privacy:

Blinds and Curtains

The easiest way to keep people from looking into your home is to block the windows. You could simply board them up or place bookshelves in front of them, but there are much better ways to keep prying eyes out and let light in.

The most practical way to achieve this is to hang blinds on your windows. You may be familiar with the standard aluminum blinds that leave many people struggling to raise and lower the pull cord. These days there are much more stylish alternatives that glide effortlessly up and down the window. Varieties in vinyl, linen, wood, and other materials add a sleek finish to any room in your house.

In addition to these blinds, you can install curtains that are both practical and beautiful. AS the name suggests, blackout curtains keep natural light from getting in and offer a lot of privacy from passersby on the street. Alternatively, sheer curtains allow in a lot of light but offer very little in terms of privacy. You may want to choose different styles for different rooms. A light sleeper may want blackout curtains in the bedroom so that natural light does not disturb their sleep, while sheer curtains adorn windows that look onto a patio from the kitchen.

Windows

Moving one step further, you may even want to consider replacing your windows entirely. Traditional windows rely on those treatments like external blinds or curtains that could fall or get blown away. You can find options to change your windows that make your home even more private.

You could install windows with blinds inside the glass. There are also smart windows that completely tint or frost over with the press of a button. Windows with these types of treatments take up less space in your home since you would not also need the room for the mechanism to operate traditional blinds or curtains.

Backyard

A nice backyard can be an oasis from the hubbub of everyday life. The last thing you want in this relaxing area is for random onlookers to invade your space. Luckily, there are many ways to make your backyard a perfectly private place.

Grow Privacy Plants

Some people are lucky enough to find a home surrounded by trees that protect them from the outside world. Others have more open lots that anyone can look into. Plants can be an effective way to block sightlines from outside of your lot. You could plant hedges like privet or leylandii, trees like arborvitae, or even thickets of bamboo on the edges of your property to give you and your family some more solitude.

As with many other things in life, these plants need to be maintained. In the beginning, you will need to water your plants to ensure proper growth, and then, over time, you will also need to trim and manicure the branches. Additionally, make sure that your neighbor or city does not regulate what types of plants you can grow or how high they can grow.

Fences

A fence is the most effective way to get privacy from the outside world. A traditional picket fence around your yard is often enough to keep out eyes and bodies that you do not want getting into your space.

There are various fencing options you can choose from, but you will likely want to opt for closely placed wood or bamboo slats for the most privacy. Chain link and wrought iron fences are effective at marking the barriers of your lot but do little to keep people from seeing what goes on inside.

Some areas require special permits to install fences. While replacing an existing fence can be a simple fix, you may need to obtain special permission from your city or neighbor association to build an entirely new structure. Check your local zoning codes before you begin so that you know what you can do.

Try a Living Wall

You could also combine the ideas of privacy plants and fences by installing a living wall in your backyard. You can hang flower boxes and planters along a vertical lattice and grow plants for a visually pleasing privacy system. Combine high-growing plants like laurels with hanging plants like ivy to create a lush and secure environment. You will need to maintain the up for both the plants and the fence with a living wall, but this is perhaps the most stylish way to improve your backyard security.

You do not need to run away from society to get a little peace and quiet in the world. By thinking about options to make your home a more private place from outsiders, and you can enjoy solitude in your vulnerable moment and let people in on your own terms.

About the Author

Jennifer Bell is a freelance writer, blogger, dog-enthusiast, and avid beachgoer operating out of Southern New Jersey.