How to Choose Blackout Shades for Bedrooms in the Hamptons

Finding the right blackout shades for bedrooms in the Hamptons isn’t just about making a room dark. It’s about a specific kind of light stewardship. Out here, whether you are tucked into a quiet lane in Water Mill or perched on a dune in Montauk, the morning sun is aggressive. It bleeds through standard fabrics, mocks thin linings, and ruins a Saturday morning sleep-in faster than a leaf blower at 8:00 AM.

We see it constantly: homeowners invest in beautiful, high-thread-count bedding and custom furniture, but settle for mediocre "blackout" solutions that leave glowing halos around the window frame. That won't cut it.

Light-blocking shades are a technical piece of equipment. To get a bedroom truly dark—dead dark—requires more than just a heavy fabric. It requires an understanding of light gaps, stack-back, and the architecture of the window itself.

The Fallacy of the Single Layer

If you think a single roller shade labeled "blackout" is going to turn your Bridgehampton primary suite into a cave, you’re going to be disappointed. Light is fluid. It bounces off the sill, leaks through the top, and pours out the sides. We call this the "halo effect."

For a true blackout experience, we always advocate for a layered approach. A blackout roller shade or Roman shade should be your primary defense, but it rarely works alone. To achieve 100% light blockage, you need to address the perimeter.

Drapery is the answer. By layering heavy custom drapery over a blackout shade, you physically seal the light gaps at the edges. This isn't just a design choice; it's a functional necessity for anybody who is sensitive to the 5:00 AM July sunrise.

Understanding Lining Options and Denier

Not all blackout materials are created equal. In our studio, we talk about "three-pass" blackout linings. This refers to the layers of foam or acrylic applied to the back of the face fabric. One layer provides some dimming; three layers provide total opacity.

When we design custom Roman shades for a Sag Harbor cottage, we aren't just looking at the face fabric's pattern. We’re looking at the denier—the thickness and density of the fibers. A high-denier fabric paired with a premium blackout lining creates a shade that feels substantial and performs impeccably. It also provides a secondary benefit: thermal insulation. Thicker shades keep the Atlantic chill out in the winter and the humidity out in August.

A Recent Install Scenario: Amagansett Beach House

Last month, we worked on a modern build in Amagansett with massive floor-to-ceiling windows in the master wing. The client wanted the minimalist look of a roller shade but needed total darkness for midday naps. We installed side channels—metal tracks that the shade travels inside—to physically block the light gaps on the left and right. We then paired this with a motorized header to close the gap at the top. The result was a room that felt like a cinema even at high noon.

Inside Mount vs. Outside Mount

This is where many people get it wrong. In most Hamptons homes, particularly the shingle-style builds with deep window casings, an inside mount is the aesthetic preference. It looks clean. It shows off the millwork.

However, from a light-blocking perspective, an outside mount is superior. By mounting the shade 2-4 inches outside the window frame, you allow the fabric to overlap the wall. This effectively eliminates the side light gap. If you insist on an inside mount—as most do—you must accept the light gap or use side channels. We are very firm on this point during our consultations: you cannot have a flush inside mount without a sliver of light unless we intervene with specific hardware.

Motorization: The Ultimate Bedroom Luxury

In a large East Hampton estate, walking around to manually lower five or six shades every night is a chore. Motorized window treatments are the gold standard for Hamptons bedrooms for a simple reason: consistency. You can program your shades to drop at sunset and rise at 8:00 AM (or whenever you actually want to wake up).

We often integrate these systems with home automation. Imagine pressing "Goodnight" on your bedside remote, and the blackout shades silently descend, the lights dim, and the HVAC adjusts. That is how a bedroom in the Hamptons should function.

We prefer battery-powered motors for most retrofits to avoid tearing up the plaster, but for new builds in Southampton, we always recommend hardwiring. It’s cleaner, quieter, and you never have to worry about a charging wand.

Beyond the Windows: Pillows and Upholstery

A bedroom isn't finished once the windows are covered. To truly soften the space and help with acoustics (which also affects sleep quality), we look at the whole room. Custom headboards, upholstered benches at the foot of the bed, and plush custom pillows all contribute to a "quiet" room. A room with too many hard surfaces echoes, and light seems to bounce more aggressively. Fabric absorbs both sound and stray light.

Why Bespoke Beats "Ready-Made"

You can buy "blackout" curtains at a big-box store, but they won't fit your windows. In the Hamptons, windows are rarely standard sizes. Whether it's a peaked window in a Montauk loft or an oversized Georgian colonial window in Water Mill, "close enough" isn't good enough for blackout shades.

We measure to the eighth of an inch. We account for the "stack-back"—the amount of space the fabric takes up when it’s fully open—to ensure you don't lose your view of the ocean or the garden during the day. A bespoke shade is designed to disappear when you want the light and perform flawlessly when you don't.

We have a strong opinion on this: if you can see a pinprick of light through your blackout shades, they aren't doing their job. We don't do pinpricks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make my existing shades blackout?

Generally, no. You can’t simply "add" a blackout backing to an existing roller shade without it bulkily interfering with the roll diameter. However, for drapery, we can often add a blackout lining if the original construction allows for it. Usually, it's more cost-effective and functionally superior to start fresh with a dedicated blackout product.

What color should blackout shades be?

The color of the face fabric doesn't actually matter for light blocking. Because we use a three-pass lining, you can have a white shade or a pale cream linen that blocks just as much light as a navy blue or charcoal grey fabric. The lining does all the heavy lifting; the face fabric is purely for your aesthetic pleasure.

What is a "light gap"?

The light gap is the space between the edge of the shade material and the window jamb. In a standard inside-mount roller shade, this is usually about 3/4 of an inch on each side to account for the brackets. While it sounds small, it’s enough to illuminate an entire room at dawn. We solve this with side channels or overlapping drapery.

Choosing the right blackout shades for your Hamptons bedroom is a balance of technical specs and high-end design. We’ve spent over 20 years perfecting this balance across the East End. If you’re tired of the sun dictates your wake-up time, let’s fix it. Jesse and our team will come to your home, assess your window orientation—especially those tricky Atlantic-facing exposures—and design a system that actually works. Call us at 631-771-2374 to schedule your in-home consultation and finally get the sleep you moved out here for.