Hotel blackout curtains with a beautiful front and back

‘Curtain choice helps determine how premium a room feels to the guest’

A hotel room can be so well designed; one detail that is not right is immediately noticeable. Curtains are among the first things guests see, especially during the day when light streams past the fabric. Interior designers and decorators therefore carefully choose a front fabric that fits the concept. In practice, then comes the familiar frustration: as soon as the curtain moves, or when the room is visible from outside, a white, coated backing appears.

Functional, but it looks technical and clashes with a carefully chosen interior image. Moreover, a coating layer in hotels gets a lot of wear and tear through daily use and cleaning. The subject often comes up in construction team consultations: the choice of curtain touches on comfort, aesthetics and budget, and helps determine how premium a room ultimately feels to guests.

The latest generation of 100% blackout, fire-retardant curtain fabrics tackles this differently. Makers no longer apply the blackout effect as a layer on the back, but incorporate it into the fabric itself. As a result, the fabric looks like real fabric on both sides and the image remains consistent, even when the curtain is hanging half-open or moving. You no longer see a hard backing and the fabric feels softer and richer. For the hotel architect, this means more design freedom in colour, structure and detailing. For the decorator, it makes styling easier, because the fabric always looks ‘finished’. For the management, the most important thing is that the interior remains well cared for longer, without extra maintenance or replacement at short notice.

Beautiful and prepared for the future

Besides appearance and performance, sustainability weighs increasingly heavily in hospitality projects. This is why double-sided blackout fabrics are now available without PFAS in the blackout interlayer. This matches the focus on health and the environment and helps hotels look ahead. The industry expects lawmakers to ban PFAS in textiles in the coming years. In France, this development has already started this year with new legislation. By opting for a PFAS-free solution now, hotels can anticipate sustainable developments without compromising on comfort, safety or aesthetics. It shows that luxury and responsibility can go hand in hand.

Luxury is not in what you add, but in what you don't have to hide

At Independent Hotel Show (22-23 April at RAI Amsterdam), Artimo textiles, specialist in fire-retardant curtains for projects, will introduce a ‘new generation of blackout fabrics’ called ARIANE, SUZE and LARA. These are double-sided 100% blackouts with a luxurious textile structure and a calm, natural look. The blackout effect is integrated into the fabric, so the fabric remains beautiful on both sides, with no visible coating. These fabrics are all PFAS-free and available in contemporary colours, from soft naturals to deep shades. These 3 curtain fabrics are aimed at hospitality projects where texture, comfort and a sophisticated, natural look come together.