Add Privacy to the Front Door.

What are you to do if your front door has glass inserts that don’t provide privacy? 

Blinds

The old stand-by. However, there are a few things to consider here, so think ahead. If the door is metal you will be making holes in a metal door (which aren’t easy to fill in if you ever need to), and you will need a certain level of expertise to drill into the metal. Also, consider how deep blinds are  –from the front of the headrail to the door surface is the depth. Is there enough room for the blinds beside or behind the door handle?  Can the blinds be locked in place in the down position so they do not move when the door is opened? And finally, what about the cords — can you get a cordless option? Expect to pay about 4.00 per square foot for low-end metal off-the-shelf Venetians and up to $65.00 per square foot or more for custom. These pictured are Pela windows, the blinds are between two panes of glass. The biggest plus to Venetians: you can tilt the vanes and allow light to come in and still have privacy.

Roman Shade on Magnets.

A magnetic headrail attaches easily to the metal door and causes no damage. Get your drapery maker ( like me)  to make one for you — these things need quite a few heavy-duty magnets that aren’t available in the local hardware store. Cost: about $20.00 per square foot plus fabric. Downside: the window is either exposed or covered. Get the instructions to make one here.

Wallpaper for Windows.

This is a cling-film product that, obviously, clings to the window. You cut to the exact size. There are some that are stunningly beautiful and actually look like stained or etched glass, but they don’t give 100% privacy at night. Cost: about $40.00 for a 24-by-36-inch piece. Downside: if you accidentally cut into the seal of the window as you trim the excess off you will void the window’s warranty and have a leaky window.  Here is a quick video of how easy it is to install this type of product; the one used in the video is available online or at the big box home improvement store.

This is the easiest, quickest way to get privacy.  Just remember that if you can’t see out does NOT mean the outside can’t see in. If it’s brighter inside than outside, ANY window covering which is not totally opaque will allow view-through. 

New designs for this amazing product through Window Film World.

Paint the Glass.

Yup, paint the stuff. We used to do this before Wallpaper for Windows came along. You can get fancy-dancy and replicate stained glass, or simply sponge layers of white craft paint on the window to the layer of opacity you need. If you hate it, it comes off easily and nothing is damaged. This is the easiest and least expensive option for you, you can use glass paint if you want for added durability, but $1.25/bottle craft paint will work too. Downside: getting over the aversion to painting glass. ( Click on the doors above to get to their sites, instructions included for the blue door.)

Frost it

Rust-oleum Frosted Glass spray paint. Apply it in thin layers to get the level of privacy you want. Available in some big-box stores — watch a video about this stuff here. Downside: a bit more difficult to remove than craft paint.

Plastic Acrylic sheets.

Get a plastic seller to cut you pieces of adhesive-backed, 1/8-inch -thick white  “Sign lighting 40%” cast acrylic. So simple to stick into the window and remove when you need to. Downside: you might have to order online, and expect to pay about $10.00/square foot.  Check this out on this Youtube video.

Curtains

There are magnetic curtain rods available now that take a rod-pocket type of curtain and with black-out lining they provide total privacy. Almost any home-sewer can whip one of these up. Downside: this option tends to fit traditional or country styles of decor better than modern or contemporary.

Half curtains on cafe rods. Brilliant

Try cafe curtains, such a simple idea, and really home-fashion forward. I think it’s unique enough to get its own header! From birds and baking

Here’s a new old trick.

The lace stays on the windows, it isn’t used as a pattern. While this style is suggested with a traditional styled home in mind, why not use a striped lace, for a modern home, or a scenic lace to match a particular home style.

( Remember that black gives a better view-through than white. No kidding. Read about that here in the column on solar shades.)

Here’s the post I found explaining how to do this.

Here are some alternatives to typical lace: