10 Tips For Increasing Privacy in Your Home or Business

We’ve all been there – you take the dog out early in the morning, wearing pajamas and hair unwashed. You assume the time of day means you can safely slip out for a few minutes without being observed.

But a few minutes later, you notice your neighbor sipping their coffee, and pushing the blinds aside, peering outside to see what you’re up to.

Small privacy breaches like that feel unsettling and can make us anxious and unproductive. As humans, we have a fundamental need to maintain some privacy away from the prying eyes of others.

That’s why, here at Sun Stoppers, we advocate for small changes in homes and businesses to increase the personal privacy of yourself, your family, your customers, and your employees.

Keep reading for our top 10 ways to increase privacy at your home or business!

1. Understand Why Privacy Matters

Do you remember the feeling of writing in your diary as a child and hiding it away where no one would read it? Or talking on the phone to a friend and being paranoid about a parent or sibling overhearing the conversation?

Even at a young age, we understand the concept of privacy and why it matters.

A lack of privacy makes us feel judged, micromanaged, manipulated, and sometimes unsafe. Although privacy needs vary from person to person and culture to culture, it’s considered by many to be a fundamental human right.

Your family needs a place to unwind and express their emotions without the neighbors watching. Your employees need to concentrate on work without constantly being distracted by co-workers in their personal space. Depending on your industry, your customers may also wish for added privacy.

By understanding this fundamental need, you can take steps to increase privacy.

2. Add Privacy with Landscaping

Landscaping is a gorgeous way to add privacy to your home or business.

When planning your landscaping, consider what sight lines you’d like to block. If you’re near a road or have a close neighbor, you may want to obscure the view with trees, hedges, or bamboo.

Remember: deciduous trees lose many of their privacy benefits in the winter when their leaves fall, so for the most privacy, choose evergreens!

If your property line is ambiguous or you wish to discourage people from walking on your land, you can use simple flower beds or hedges as a boundary marker.

3. Add Privacy with Fences or Structures

Landscaping can take a lot of work to maintain, and many people would just as soon use fences or structures to do the same thing!

A fence creates a distinct boundary line, and for added privacy, you can choose a tall privacy fence with boards set close together to block sight lines completely.

Sometimes, a fence may be more than you need and look a little uninviting. If that’s the case, you may be better off building a structure that blocks sightlines and creates privacy, such as:

Privacy screens
Arbors
Gazebos or pavilions
Outbuildings

4. Add Privacy with Window Tint

One simple way to increase privacy at your home or business is to tint the windows.

Window tint makes it harder for people outside to peer into your windows, especially during the daytime. If you have large windows that face public areas, window tint is a must for privacy!

When buying window tint, you have several options to choose from based on how much privacy you need. Thankfully, we’ve written a few detailed blogs to give you all the information you need to select the right tint!

Remember: the benefits of window tint go far beyond privacy. Window tint blocks harmful UV rays, reduces sun glare, and keeps your building cooler, which reduces energy costs!

5. Add Privacy with Window Blinds

Although window tint is great for adding privacy, window blinds are the way to go if you want complete window privacy, even during the evening hours.

Many office spaces have interior as well as exterior windows. These interior windows are in offices and conference rooms, looking out over common areas. Although these interior windows can make the office feel open, inviting, and full of light, sometimes your employees need more privacy on specific projects. Other times, you may want to minimize distractions.

For these reasons, it’s best to ensure you have adequate blinds on the interior and exterior windows in your office.

(Alternatively, you could use frosted glass to add privacy while still allowing light to penetrate!).

6. Re-Think the Open Floor Plan

Open floor plans have grown increasingly popular in the last few decades. Large open areas have replaced defined, separate rooms in both homes and businesses.

While this creates a feeling of spaciousness and may foster collaboration at work, it also comes with many privacy downsides.

For instance, an open floor plan at home means all your guests can see the dirty dishes piled on the kitchen counter. At work, employees may feel like they’re constantly being watched or grow tired of hearing their co-workers talking, chewing, or coughing around them.

If remodeling is on the table, re-consider the open floor plan and instead focus on creating a thoughtful layout with plenty of private space for those who need it.

7. Use Furniture to Create Private Space

Even if you don’t have the means to renovate your home or business to create private space, you can still maximize privacy with the layout of your furniture.

For example, in your home, you can use the angle of your couch, the placement of bookshelves, or even large screens to create “zones” and block sightlines.

At work, one of the best ways to create privacy is with cubicles that have high, sound-dampening walls. Also, the desk layout is crucial⁠. For the most privacy, desks should face away from others as much as possible, so employees aren’t constantly making eye contact with people walking by or sitting in facing desks.

8. Find Soundproofing Solutions

Privacy is about more than just what you can see. When the couple in the apartment above you start yelling at each other, you feel like you’re intruding on their privacy even if you can’t see them; hearing them is enough.

Soundproofing is difficult, but it can be done. Here are some things that can help with the problem:

Seal cracks and holes
Install soundproof doors and windows
Add thick curtains that absorb sound
Add carpets or rugs to the floor
Add acoustic panels or tiles to walls, ceilings, or cubicles

Fixing the sound problem will go a long way toward making your space feel more private!

Conclusion

If you’re interested in applying flat glass window tint to your home or office, call your nearest Sun Stoppers! We offer fast, hassle-free, professional installation, and we’d love to help you.

Besides flat glass window tint for homes and businesses, we also offer:

We look forward to hearing from you.