A lighter, roomier feel in your space can start at your window.
November 27th, 2025
Many of us want our rooms to feel brighter and more spacious, but aren’t sure where to begin. You might have a room that functions perfectly well, but still feels a bit closed in or darker than you’d prefer. This doesn’t mean you need to renovate or replace your furniture.
One of the most effective places to start is by checking the wide range of curtains and blinds available. The right choice can help you shape the light in your room and even make the space feel larger than it is. Let’s look at some simple ways to make this work in your home.
If your room feels a bit boxed in, take a look at how your curtains are hanging. A simple change is to mount the curtain rod closer to the ceiling rather than just above the window frame. This tricks the eye into seeing taller walls and a more open space.
The right colour can also make all the difference. Look for window treatments in soft neutrals like light grey or cream. These shades bounce light around the room instead of soaking it up, making everything feel brighter and more airy.

Light doesn’t stay the same all day, and that’s why relying on a single window covering can affect how bright or dim a room feels. Pairing window blinds with curtains helps you manage those changes more smoothly, especially in spaces that move between strong sunlight and softer afternoon light.
For a brighter setup, you can use sheer blinds to soften direct light, then add curtains that pull back cleanly without covering any part of the window. This keeps the space open and prevents the window area from feeling cluttered.
A room flooded with direct sunlight can be too bright for relaxing or focusing. Instead of closing yourself off from the light, you can soften it to create a comfortable, gentle glow that makes the space more usable throughout the day.
Sheer curtains are perfect for this. They spread the light evenly to cut down on glare. For the best effect, go for a light-coloured sheer and hang the rod wider than the window itself. That way, you can sweep the curtains right back to enjoy your full view and let in all the available light.
When you need more privacy, hang a set of blockout curtains behind sheers on a double rod. This setup gives you complete control, letting you switch from a soft filter to full privacy in seconds.

Getting the right feel for a room often comes down to thoughtful details. By focusing on your window treatments, you can create a home that feels both more spacious and beautifully lit.
You can check out different curtain and blind styles at many Australian retailers, including Spotlight, where you can compare different options. Finding the right match for your windows helps create that brighter, more open atmosphere you’re looking for.
INDESIGN is on instagram
Follow @indesignlive
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
The Geelong College’s Sport and Wellbeing Centre ‘Belerren’ designed by Wardle is designed around bringing in natural light. But Shade Factor’s job was to help modulate and precisely control it for the most important competitive moments.
Blending versatile cooking with smart performance, Bosch AccentLine appliances bring a quieter sense of order and simplicity to the modern kitchen.
The newest brand to emerge from Cosentino’s creative crucible is Ēclos, a next-generation mineral surface that embodies the organic beauty and tactility of marble in a precision-mineral surface or material.
In the second instalment of our performance seating three-parter, we turn to DKO’s Michael Drescher and Jacob Olsen to peek behind Sayl’s confident architectural form and explore the ideas of inclusivity, adaptability and freedom to move as hallmarks of what sitting your best actually means.
For Mutual Trust’s Adelaide workplace, Woods Bagot drew on the idea of a stately family home to create an interior shaped by legacy and ease.
FK hosted a standout Melbourne Design Week event with a panel on adaptive reuse and renewable real estate at 500 Bourke, featuring previous contributor Nicky Drobis and our editor as moderator.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
Curator, writer and educator Kate Goodwin was in town for Melbourne Design Week. Here, she reflects on how light-touch organising and designer-led spaces created some of the most impactful, distinctive exhibitions.
Scheduled to open later this year on the banks of the Parramatta River, the 30,000-square-metre Powerhouse museum — designed by Moreau Kusunoki in collaboration with Genton — represents a major shift in the geography of Sydney’s cultural infrastructure.