Sewn's Lining Options for Curtains & Roman Shades

The unsung hero of the world of window treatments - the lining behind your drapes and shades - is seldom seen, rarely acknowledged - but its impact? Unmistakable! Linings are the quiet force that elevate your window treatments from simply stylish to high-performing. From how the fabric holds shape to how long it lasts, there’s plenty that curtains and roman shades owe to their quietly hardworking counterpart. 

Want to learn more? Come along, as we break down everything you need to know about linings - starting with what they do and why most windows are incomplete without one:

EXTENDS LIFESPAN: Window treatments, especially those sewn from natural fabrics like cotton, linen and silk, are vulnerable to sun damage and constant exposure to strong heat. Over a long period, this can significantly weaken the fibres and reduce a fabric’s longevity. A high-quality lining provides a protective barrier against UV rays, helping to preserve not just your shades and curtains, but also your flooring and other soft furnishings in the room.

PRESERVES COLOR: Lining plays a key role in maintaining the vibrancy of your fabric’s colors. By shielding the front face fabric from direct exposure to the sun, lining prevents premature fading and preserves the depth and richness of the face fabric’s colors. So, both subtle prints and bold hues can shine years later like they were just freshly dyed.

ENRICHES TONAL INTENSITY: The colors on lightweight fabrics get  optically distorted with strong sunlight shining behind. White may ‘appear’ cream, yellow a deep orange, and a subtle pinstripe may totally lose its pattern definition, and come across as plain. But not so, if you back your curtains and shades with lining! Lining adds a layer behind the face fabric, making the window treatments more opaque and allowing for the true fabric colors to show and shine, without seeming washed out from sun-glare. This also enables patterns to show their distinct shapes and contrasts.

ENHANCES INSULATION, SAVES ENERGY: Lining makes your curtains and roman shades more insulating. Blackout linings, in particular, add a thermal layer that protects the home’s interiors from excessive heat during summer and keeps warm air locked indoors during winter. Hence, you can expect significant savings in your energy consumption when heating/cooling the house. 

IMPROVES PRIVACY: A lined window treatment creates a more substantial visual barrier than an unlined one. In rooms where privacy is non-negotiable—like bedrooms and nurseries— blackout lining can blur the silhouettes or hide them flawlessly, even at night when the lights are on. 

BOOSTS SUMPTUOUSNESS: Lining adds structure and weight to your window treatments, giving them a more tailored and luxurious look. It helps the fabric to drape more gracefully, creating a fuller, more refined silhouette—be it the lush pleats of curtains or the crisp folds of roman shades. This is especially helpful for lightweight fabrics that may sometimes fail to hold shape. 

ABSORBS SOUND: Lining helps dampen sound and enhances acoustic privacy. Blackout linings make a noticeable difference as they are designed to refract sound. They help to muffle piercing noises and almost nullify softer ambient sounds—exactly what you need in bedrooms, nurseries, and media rooms.

Lining, Inside Out: A Closer Look at Your Options

Not all linings are created equal. From soft dimming to full blackout, each lining brings its own strengths to the table. So, the choice of lining should ideally factor in your light control requirements for each window and room. Let’s walk you through the options available at Sewn, so you can find the perfect match for your drapes and roman shades.

Privacy Lining: A Gentle Shield Against Light

At Sewn, our privacy lining follows trusted industry standards: a white drapery-weight polyester that delivers on both form and function. This lining cuts off harsh glare and protects the face fabric from direct exposure—all while adding body and fullness for a more tailored high-end finish.  Your drapes will thank you for their lush, well-defined pleats, and your roman shades will find a place to tuck away their slats discreetly. But, if you want all this and then some more, if you’re looking for rigorous light control and acoustics—the kind that creates a quiet, moody ambience—gear up with our blackout lining.

Blackout Lining: The Ace Light Blocker

Our blackout lining is designed for ‘more’. It’s the heavy-lifter of the lining world - the game-changer you need for an elevated performance where it counts the most. And here’s the real win: you can convert any non-blackout curtain and roman shade into a blackout treatment instantly by specifying blackout lining behind it. No need to limit yourself to our blackout fabrics collection only! 

Our blackout lining comes in a range of versatile colors—gray for cool-toned fabrics, beige for warm ones, white for the light and bright, and any color of your preference if you give us a heads-up at the time of order. 

With this level of customizability, achieving your desired look becomes not just possible, but effortless. We love that our clients don’t have to choose between their blackout goals and aesthetic vision. Our blackout lining offers everything a privacy lining does, and more. It—

• Blocks light like a ninja, instantly turning any drapery and window shade into a room-darkening treatment. 

• Muffles sound, so when it’s time for naps, rest, and serious business, you can take a break from that creaking wood floor, those ‘pawsome’ rumbles, and the late-night buzz of a trendy neighborhood. 

• Prevents heat transfer through windows, so your HVAC can work less to keep you warm and cozy in winter and comfortably cool in summer, saving at least 25-30% on your energy bills.

Blackout without the Blind Spots: How to Get the Most Out of Blackout Lining

Blackout lining offers top-notch insulation and room-darkening but making it work to its fullest potential takes a few other considerations. 

While blackout lining is capable of blocking light to a high degree by itself, it works in tandem with the face fabric. Therefore, the degree of its effectiveness can vary slightly based on the colour and composition of the front fabric. For example, you may find that the blackout lining ‘seems’ to block light more efficiently when placed behind a darker face fabric, than when sewn behind a lighter-hued fabric. Similarly, fabrics with denser weaves such as velvets and heavier cottons work better at blocking light with blackout lining than, say, a loose-woven linen, since thick fabrics provide ‘additional support’ to the lining. So, if a thicker fabric falls in line with your aesthetic, know that it is a plus point, as your blackout lining will do a better job with its assistance.

Also, pay attention to the mounting style and coverage levels of your curtains/shades. For the best blackout effect, mount your window dressings outside the window and extend their coverage well past the window trim on all sides. This extra height and width help seal off the edges and curb light leaks. 

For more tips to enhance the performance of your blackout drapes, read our blog on How to Plug Light Leaks from Curtain Edges.

Lining Logic: Factors to Consider When Choosing the Lining

Now that you have a hold on the lining lowdown for curtains and roman shades, it’s time to make the all-important decision—which lining is right for your curtains and/or shades? Well, the answer depends on a few key factors. Here are some quick notes to make your decision roll out smoothly. 

Blackout lining comes in handy to create a quiet and dark atmosphere—the kind that facilitates restful sleep, focused work, or an immersive home theatre experience. So, it is a natural fit for bedrooms, nurseries, media rooms, libraries, and office rooms. The privacy lining, on the other hand,  helps to enhance privacy without blocking out light completely. So, it suits the purpose of living rooms, dining areas, kitchens, bathrooms, and laundry rooms.

Furthermore, as noted before, the choice of main face fabric should play a role in the choice of lining. For example, we especially recommend blackout lining behind pure silks even where room darkening is not a goal. This is because delicate and expensive silks deserve that extra bit of protection that blackout lining offers to prevent fading and sun damage.  

On the other hand, while sheer and semi-sheer fabrics can be lined to achieve certain benefits, lining - privacy or blackout - does take away from their translucence, airiness and breezy feel. Therefore, we advise clients to consider their personal preferences and priorities before specifying lining behind semi-sheer/ sheer curtains.  

The Final Thread in the Lining Story

‘To line or not to line?’ can’t be a question anymore. Nor can the question ‘Privacy or blackout?’ leave you in a fog. We hope that at the end of this blog, you find yourself more than equipped to make the call. So, you can shop at Sewn with confidence, knowing there’s a lining that has your (and your windows’) back covered. However, just in case, you find yourself in doubt, our designers are just an email away, ready to settle your queries and get you sailing through your shopping smoothly. And if you’re only on the start line yet, stroll through our fabric aisle where you can assuredly find the perfect custom curtain and roman shade to bring the style and block the light, with the right lining, of course!