Whats the big deal about having your curtains open/shut?

Kayalana99

I'm just generally asking.

My sister had her curtains shut mid day and her MIL mentioned it to her son like it was a crime! (Although this was a while ago)

& also my MIL (to be ) brought it up a couple times but we used to live on a main road where people would look in constantly (even with net curtains) so I hated having then open and always used that excuse. One thing she said when we moved is 'You will be able to open your curtains now'

Now we've moved and I tend to open them but only because I *feel* like thats what I am supposed to do. We have a back garden patio door in front room so enough light comes in that I don't need the front curtains open for light reasons.

I just don't see what the big deal is though?

JimmyTheWig

Curtains shut during the day implies you are having sex.

Daisy70

I always have mine open except at night, the house is too dark otherwise. People can look in if they like, if they have nothing better to do. My house is quite far back from the road so they can't really see much. It's only embarrassing when I'm doing my workout in the living room and people walk by and see me sprinting about the room:D

HurdyGurdy

My grandmother used to go ballistic if we had the curtains shut during the day. She said that people only close their curtains during the day if they have had a bereavement, so closing your curtains was announcing that someone had died.

I personally need to keep my front curtains shut quite a lot during the summer months (summer? sun? what's that again?) as we get a "direct hit" through the window and end up blinded! lol

elsien

HurdyGurdy wrote: »

My grandmother used to go ballistic if we had the curtains shut during the day. She said that people only close their curtains during the day if they have had a bereavement, so closing your curtains was announcing that someone had died.

I had my landlady ask me to keep my curtains open more during the day for this reason a few years back. It was upsetting one of the elderly neighbours who associated drawn curtains with bereavement - it was a room I never really used so I hadn't given it a lot of thought.

TBH I don't get why people would want to keeptheir curtains closed during the day and sit in the gloom. Makes me feel depressed, I'd rather have as much light as possible. Plus I'm nosy and like to see what's going on in the street.

Tropez

The windows at the back garden let a lot of light into the house. Sometimes during the summer there's far too much glare for me to watch TV, use a computer etc. so I close the curtains. Admittedly, nobody can see that I've done that because it's only at the back but I couldn't really care less.

flutterby_lil

I hate curtains shut during the day! Very depressing in my opinion, natural light is the way forward.

poet123

We never shut ours, we aren't over looked as we are very high up, but I feel a bit claustrophobic if they are shut as I love to have light and space in rooms.

Torry_Quine

I like to open my curtains to let in what little sunsine there is and it seems strange to me to leave them closed without a good reason.

mumonashoestring

I prefer to have the curtains open to let in as much light as possible. The husbeast shuts the curtains the second we have to turn on an indoor light in the evening in case someone sees in - like there's a queue of people outside waiting to have a good gawp

That said, the sitting room window is right on the street and the one time we took the nets down in the evening (while decorating) we ended up with a crazy, wild-eyed Eastern European guy banging on the window, pointing at the bearded dragon tank and yelling 'I LIKE YOUR BLIZZARDS'...

elsien

Plus people assume you're still in bed. Which if you're still in bed at noon makes you !!!!less/unemployed/a lazy sod. Or so I've been told by some of my nearest and dearest when still lounging in bed at lunchtime on my days off. It's the Hyacinth Bouquet thing - what will the neighbours think.