How the system works
One track, two layers, four moods
Morning
Sheer drawn, lined layer stacked back. The room fills with soft light; the glare stays outside; the street sees fabric, not you.
Afternoon
West sun landing hard? Draw the lined layer against it and the room stays cool and calm. Open both and the whole window is yours.
Evening
Lamps on is when a sheer alone turns transparent to the street. The lined layer closes, privacy is total, and the room feels finished.
Night
Blockout lining, measured overlap, returns at the ends: real darkness for sleeping, and a layer of quiet and warmth on top of it.
Why we spec it so often
Built for how this city lives
The double track earns its place in three Newcastle situations more than anywhere else:
- Terrace fronts in Cooks Hill, Islington and Hamilton, where daytime privacy from the footpath matters as much as evening privacy, and the daylight is too good to give up.
- West-facing living rooms in the newer estates around Fletcher and Cameron Park, where the afternoon sun needs stopping in summer but the winter version of the same light is welcome.
- View apartments in Newcastle East and on The Hill, where the harbour is the artwork by day and the bedroom needs to be dark by night.
One mechanism per window, both curtains made to the same measure, and the hardware disappears behind the fabric or a pelmet.
Worth knowing
Questions we get about double tracks
Does a double track need more ceiling or wall space?
A little. The two runners sit one in front of the other, so the bracket projects further than a single track. It still tucks behind a pelmet or into a window recess in most rooms, and we confirm the clearances at the measure before anything is ordered.
Can the two layers use different headings?
Yes, and they usually do: an S-fold sheer for the soft wave against the glass with a pinch or pencil pleat lined curtain in front is the classic pairing. The planner lets you try the combinations on a window.
Is it double the price of one curtain?
It is two made-to-measure curtains and a double mechanism, so it costs more than one layer, but less than dressing the window twice separately. The honest answer comes from the measure: fabric choice moves the number more than the track does. The written quote is free and itemised, so you can see exactly where each dollar sits before you decide.
Sheer inside or outside?
Sheer goes closest to the glass, lined layer inside the room. That way the sheer can stay drawn while the lined curtain operates, and the heavier fabric protects the voile from handling.
Not sure it is the right system? Try it on your rooms in the planner first.