12 Ways to Ensure Your Privacy at Home

Privacy is essential for all of us; it is what makes us feel safe and keeps the world’s problems at arm’s length. There is nothing that feels better than entering your home and knowing that everything that is weighing you down, your work, your busy life, and so on, is out there, outside your house. Ever heard of the phrase, “leaving the comfort of your own house”? Well, there is a reason for the word ‘comfort’ in that phrase because privacy means comfort and safety. There is a comfort in knowing that bystanders or nosey neighbors are not secretly peeping into the sanctity of your own house. That comfort stems out of a place where we want our private life to remain private, and the only ones who get to be in on it are the ones who we choose, not our neighbors, who over-hear our conversations, or pedestrians who have their eyes glued to our windows. Below are some options and ideas that you can use to ensure that you have the privacy you need in your home.

• Using Plants Strategically

So, you want to keep the world out, huh? Well, one of the many ways you could do that is by getting a couple of plants put outside and inside your home. Yes, placing the plants strategically will grant you seclusion, and here is how: privacy means that no one gets to see the insides of your house, right? Planting evergreens will guarantee you just that. You can always, of course, seek walls or fences as an option, but planting evergreens is a slightly better option for you, especially if you are a friend of nature. Planting evergreens maintains your isolation and is soft on the eyes as well. Don’t worry, you don’t have to plant these tall trees from scratch, you can always buy and install them. The only thing that you will have to do is watering them according to their needs. Evergreens guarantee you a private life, produce healthy air, better for the environment, and give you a beautiful landscape; it’s like a 4 in 1 kind deal. 

• A Fence for convenience

Like Paramore says, “Build your fences, set restrictions, separate from the world.” Other than the fact that Paramore is an awesome band, they also know what they are talking about. Fences are another option you may consider when wanting to maintain your own space. The good thing about installing fences is that they take less space than plants. The only thing you need to do before building a fence is to take accurate measurements to ensure that there is enough space to put up your new fences. Another great thing about having fences is that you can either build them yourself, which is awesome if you are into woodworking, or you can buy them and then color/design them yourself. With fences, you won’t have to deal with any gaps that people might use to look into your house, and they don’t need a lot of maintenance.

• Sound Isolation for a two-way buffer

Overhearing your neighbor’s conversations is not fun, especially when you realize that they too can listen in on your conversations. If your house has thin walls and you feel like your neighbors know everything about you, maybe it’s time for you to soundproof your house. Don’t worry, soundproofing your house doesn’t mean that you need to rebuild your walls, it only means that you have to add certain things to your walls to keep your own conversations between that walls of your house. One of the many solutions you can seek is to paint your walls with soundproofing paint. All you have to do apply the thick paint onto your walls wait for it to dry and then add another layer. You can also try using green glue; green glue is yet another tool that you can use. If you have any holes in your wall, apply green glue on it. Not only will it seal the holes, but it will also keep the noise at bay from you and your neighbor. 

• A Courtyard has more than one use

Consider installing a courtyard- that is, if you have enough space. Courtyards are the perfect way to keep anyone from peeping into your own house. There are a lot of perks that come with building a courtyard. One being that you will have a very beautiful entrance to your house. Secondly, you will get to fill your courtyard with pretty statues or souvenirs that you have gathered over the years. These narrow walls and all the elements that you will have in your courtyard will be enough to keep bystanders away from the insides of your house. The only thing anyone will be looking at is the courtyard that you designed. Think of it as a decoy; it keeps people distracted and denies them any accidental glimpses into your house. Finally, courtyards give you a gorgeous place that you can sit in or look at from your room. 

• Place your Windows correctly

You might think having windows in your house defeats the whole purpose of maintaining your retreat, but then again you can’t live in a house without windows. Yes, windows are the perfect thing that a creep might use to invade your space; however, strategically placed windows are the perfect middle ground between having windows and maintaining your house’s space. It’s okay if you don’t want to cover all your windows with curtains or shutters because some windows simply don’t need any kind of coverage. Consider talking with an architect and discuss the perfect placement for your windows. That way you get to take advantage of the secretive corners in your house and have a window that brings all the daylight you need while keeping the creeps and weirdos away from your house. If you don’t have strategic places in your house where you can have a window, consider using reflective glass. No one can look into your house with reflective glass, but you will be getting the sunshine in and get to look at the street without anyone looking at you.  

• Always consider having Shutters

Another way to ensure your retreat is to purchase shutters. A lot of people have the misconception that shutters are inconvenient, as well as traditional; but now the shutter industry is as advanced as ever. According to the people at Shuttercraft, shutters have never been more diverse; in fact, there are more than 13 types of shutters that you can choose from. Also, get this, you can pick whichever design you like best and choose the color you want too. Besides, with shutters, you can open and close them whenever you want, and you can still get some daylight in even when your shutters are closed. There are also shutters that come with remote control, which means that you don’t have to get up to open or close them. You can also set a timer for your shutters, meaning you don’t even need to use the remote every day, you only need to adjust them according to your own preference. 

• Build a Wall

You can also seek out building walls as an option; building walls is more permanent than having fences or trees. You don’t need to tend to them and once they’re built nothing will take them down – unless of course, something tragic like natural disasters happens. Having walls will keep people at bay and will make you feel safe within your own space. A lot of people hate building walls because they are worried that their neighbors might feel unwelcomed, if you feel like you relate to that, then all you have to do is be friendly with your neighbors and if someone happens to ask, just tell them that these walls are for your security and personal space, nothing more.

• Pergolas can provide an extra touch

Pergolas are also another great solution you can resort to. Not only will they act as a block between the outside and inside of your house, but they also offer you a comfortable place you can relax in. There are a lot of things that you can add to your personal pergola to make it look pretty; adding more furniture or decorative items in it will also act as distractions. So, whoever is going to try and take a peek at your house, all they will see is a pretty pergola. 

• Wood Panels and Ornamental Ironwork

If you are not a fan of building evergreens, fences, or walls, then consider installing something as soft as wood panels or elegant like ornamental ironwork around your house. They are not as harsh as walls and not as weak as fences. Wood panels will keep pedestrians away from you and your house, while still letting some light in and will overall look like a pretty addition to your house. Same thing with decorative ironwork, except that walls made out of iron will maintain the safety of your own house as well. Iron walls are not as fragile as wood and will keep outsiders off of your property. 

• Fountains to create obstruction

How about fountains? They will be a very elegant addition to your house and will protect your personal space. First of all, it will produce relaxing water sounds that will make you feel at ease and mask the noise that may be coming from the surrounding area. Second of all, fountains are big enough to block anyone’s view, with fountains no one will be able to look inside your property. You don’t need to think about the fountain’s placement too much; you can either have a fountain in your garden or courtyard. Having a fountain in front of your house is one of the best things that you can do because it’s like hitting two birds with one stone. No one will be able to overhear what goes on in your house and at the same time, you will be completely isolated from all the noise that is coming from the outside. 

• Curtains to shut it all out

If you really want to keep everyone’s eyes away from your house, then a more obvious solution is to just have a curtain. But, of course not just any curtain. If you are dead serious about your house’s seclusion then think about purchasing a blackout curtain. This curtain is thick enough that not even daylight can enter your house. Don’t buy sheer or semi-sheer curtains because you won’t be too happy with the results. Sheer curtains won’t protect you from the outside and people can very easily take a peek at what is going on in your house. Buying a blackout curtain is a smart decision, but make sure you open it from now and then. Staying in the dark all the time is not healthy for you and you are not Batman, so just let the sun in every now and then. 

• A proper Lock System

Installing a lock system is another great way to keep your house’s complete isolation from the world. You can have locks over your windows, doors, and gates. You can have lock systems that are run by a device in your house, or you can manually add locks to your windows and doors. It doesn’t matter whatever type of lock you choose because either will everyone off your property. At the end of the day, it all comes down to your preferences and which type is easier for you to use. Not only do these locks keep people away from your home, but they also ensure your own safety. 

A Private Life, A Happy Life

In a world where nothing is private and every piece of information is accessible, thanks to social media, privacy became essential and hard to come by, but not impossible. With the right kind of materials installed in your own house, privacy finally becomes a possibility. There are only a few things that you need to think about. For instance, courtyards are the perfect element to have to maintain your secrecy, but you might not have space or money to do that. So, when purchasing items to maintain the distance between you and the outside world, don’t forget to make sure that you have enough space, a matching interior design, enough money, as well as enough patience to maintain them. In the long run, not only are you salvaging your privacy, but you’re also taking care of the security of your home by ensuring that no one has easy access to it.

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