Do Voile Curtains Keep Out the Sun?

Partly, but not in the way most people hope. Voile curtains diffuse sunlight rather than block it, which means they soften harsh light and reduce glare without making the room dark. If you are looking to actually black out a room, a voile is the wrong product.

The shorter the answer is, the more the next question matters: what are you actually trying to achieve?

What voiles do with sunlight

Voile is a sheer, lightweight fabric. Light passes through it freely, but the weave scatters and softens it. Direct sunlight that would otherwise hit a sofa or a TV screen at full strength becomes a gentle, even glow across the room. Hot spots and harsh shadows disappear. The room still feels bright and naturally lit, just without the glare.

This is genuinely useful in three situations. Rooms with strong morning or afternoon sun where direct light is uncomfortable for sitting or watching TV. Rooms with delicate furniture or artwork where UV exposure would cause fading over time (voiles offer some UV reduction, though not as much as a lined curtain). Rooms overlooked by neighbours where you want privacy during the day without losing the daylight.

Voiles are also a recommended option for screens and monitors. The diffused light reduces glare on televisions and computer screens without plunging the room into the kind of darkness that makes daytime viewing feel like a cinema.

When voiles are not the right answer

If the goal is to keep a bedroom dark for sleeping in, voiles will not do it. You need blackout curtains or blackout blinds for that. Voiles can be paired with blackout curtains (the voile sits behind, the blackout curtain in front) so you get the soft daytime look and the dark night-time effect, but the voile is not doing the blocking on its own.

If the goal is to reduce solar heat gain in a south-facing room in summer, voiles help a small amount but not enough on their own. A combination of voiles plus an external shutter or awning, or voiles plus thermal-lined curtains, will do far more than voiles alone.

If the goal is full daytime privacy when the room inside is brightly lit and the outside is dark (which happens in winter afternoons or when interior lights come on), voiles are not enough. People can see in. For full privacy at all times you need a heavier curtain, a blind, or a frosted window film.

Pairing voiles with main curtains

The most common setup in UK homes, hotels and holiday lets is voiles plus main curtains on a double pole or two separate tracks. The voile stays closed all day, diffusing light and giving daytime privacy. The main curtain stays open during the day and gets pulled across at night for darkness, warmth and acoustic softness.

This works because voiles and main curtains do completely different jobs and stop competing with each other. Trying to make voiles do the work of full curtains is what leads to disappointment.

The Homefords range

Homefords supplies voile curtains across four collections, Sheer, Crushed, Feather and Fractal, in standard UK widths and drops to fit alongside the main curtain range. They are the right product for daytime privacy and softened light, sold alongside blackout curtains and thermal curtains for buyers who need both.

Browse the full range of wholesale voile curtains at Homefords. Four collections, slot top and eyelet headings, no minimum order.