apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

My worst fear! I hate the thought of someone seeing me in my private moments, and my computer and TV are near windows where it wouldn't take much effort to spy on my viewing habits. But yeah, I can sometimes see inside my neighbors' houses, and have heard them have sex (surprisingly more life affirming than gross to me). I guess we always need to keep in mind that people can see us even when we're not cognizant.

I'm living on the 2nd floor of my building right next to a 2nd floor house apartment. I'm just glad their kitchen is across from my living room windows so there's no awkward staring. And they keep their blinds half way down so I can't see their faces and they can't see into my apartment. I don't think I could ever live on the first floor. I like being up in the trees and not having anyone watch me.

I live in a one-level condo and have wonderful, large living room windows that I don't cover. This time of year, the trees and landscaping outside pretty much prevent anyone from seeing in, but in the winter I suppose they can. But, it's my living room, where I read, listen to music, eat, play with the cat, visit with friends, talk on the phone. If anyone finds those activities thrilling...let em look. On the other hand, I do have blinds and drapes at my bedroom window. Enough is enough, after all...

I'm always surprised by people that don't close their curtains at night time... Makes for funny entertainment sometimes!

I'm amazed by the amount of roommates I've had who never thought to pull the blinds at night. They've definitely given people some free shows.

I'm a privacy freak. I've checked out my windows from all angles to make sure no one can see anything. Ironically, I love looking into other people's windows; I like to see what other homes look like inside.

I agree with Marie-Eve and akay...

if you don't close your blinds, you're asking for someone (like me!) to stare into your window :)

Personally, it's like an instant open house - you get to see how others are decorating their homes (clearly, this is a reason I love this website). I live on the 3rd floor, but we're surrounded by other apartments. They can easily look into our windows as well.

On the other hand, it's a great way to get to know your neighbors :) Say hi once in a while!

I guess I'm slightly concerned with people with bad intentions? They can see when you go to bed (all the lights being closed and all), if you are alone, etc. It's not that I'm paranoid; it's just I've lived in some pretty weird neiborhoods (one of At older posts) and it's just something you do at night, you closed the blinds...In the day time it's not that bad because the light contrast is not that intense and outside people can only see a minimum...

I'm with akay - blinds and/or curtains should be pulled at night or anytime you might be walking around not "decent".

I was just discussing this last night with a neighbor. I own my condo, but the unit directly across from mine is rented. It is an exact mirror image of my place so ALL of our windows line up exactly. The owner of the rental has never installed any drapes and the renters don't seem to want to go to the expense since they don't own it. I don't blame them, because I've spent a small fortune on window coverings because all the windows are huge (5'x7' in most rooms and 2 10' wide in the master bedroom). I just wish the owner would install something, because if they had some time of blinds or drapes it would also increase my privacy and then I might enjoy having mine open more often when theirs are closed.

I'm constantly amazed at how far I can see into people's homes. If their blinds are not drawn, you don't just see the immediate room at night you can see down the hall or into other rooms.
I was made aware of how visible my own house is when the neighbors told me about the laughs they would get watching the previous owner's dance around. I hope they weren't offended when i put up multiple layers of window treatments.

err.. owners dance around. also is there a rule of thumb for the direction of light in the daytime? if it comes from in front of the window is there a better view or from behind the house... I will have to check this out.

It had a seriously embarrassing moment a couple of months ago. A new guy moved in and was talking to another tenant downstairs, right underneath by huge, always open windows. He said he was walking in the courtyard and saw me walking about in just my undies.

I was horrified. I have since kept my blinds completely closed and avoided that guy like the bubonic plague. He's been in the building for 3 months now and I've successfully never said a damn word to him.

My apartment is on the first floor & is half underground. So, I'm eye level with the sidewalk and parking lot. I have no privacy, especially because I like to keep my patio windows open. I just wish that people wouldn't keep staring after they see me sitting on my couch or at my desk or cooking or eating dinner. Glance in, & when you see me, having the common decency to look away, or at least wave!

When I was in college, one spring term my dorm room was ground floor. I had trundled my bed so the upper bunk (upside down) was right under the window ledge. The window was open to the screen for ventilation. It was early evening and I was studying (fully clothed) on the bed when some dude stopped at the window and started to talk to me -- it was creepy! (I always closed the drapes at night, but this made me wonder if that was enough, even in a sceurity building...)

Another time in grad school, I had a studio apartment that was the front parlor of an old Victorian house. My front "wall" was essentially a picture window on the front porch, in a sort of seamy student neighborhood, with a convenience store (selling alcohol) back-to-back with my building, connected by parking... Also kind of creepy, although there were no incidents.

Now I have a lovely house, but one problem. While my bedroom is fully draped, there is a tall window overlooking other homes in the stairwell. If I forget to turn off the stairway lights, it easy to forget I'm in full view when I cross the landing to hit the switch! It pays to be mindful!! (Not that anyone would get a kick from the view, sadly!)

Right now I'm in a 2nd-story apartment and the balcony is slatted rail- I cannot WAIT to move into our new place in a couple of weeks where we'll be on the 3rd floor and the balcony is solid so no one can peek in!!!!

Currently we face the street and since they decided to change their mines about the rules of having privacy "plants" or even screens, it's been utter hell not being able to have things open.

Oh happy day, 3 weeks and 2 days left!

i used to live in a groundfloor flat with the livingroom and bedroom windows looking out on the street and the sidewalk. my computer was right in front of a window, and i was working there. people just look - i think it is a natural thing to do. i had a group of people standing in front my windows looking in when we were on the couch, talking. i waved at them and they recoiled as if they hadn't realised that we could see them, too :-D

i closed the blinds at night, but only when i made ready to go to bed. i had no problem with people looking in - and whenever i wanted my privacy, i could have it.

I'm on the third floor...one side shared with another apartment, two sides facing the trees, and one side facing the parking lot. So I only have one window that is viewable... which is particularly nice because I do like to walk around "scantily clad". My desktop computer is near that window, but I have the screen pointing away. I keep the lights off or put on a tshirt if I go into that room at night...but I'm not really worried about it anyway. I'm not trying to put on a display, but you can't be offended if you are purposefully peaking in my windows!

i'm with jooly.

Some blinds don't provide much privacy even when closed. You should always check the view from the outside (especially at night when your home is illuminated and it's dark outside) to avoid a big shock.

An old boyfriend of mine had matchstick blinds over the bedroom windows, which faced a very busy pedestrian street on the ground level. After about a month, I was horrified to discover that people walking by had a perfectly clear, bed-level view, whereas we couldn't see out at all. We had an, er, passionate relationship, on display for the entire neighborhood, and had no clue.

I, too, have neighbors with nearly matching living-room windows. I live in a great climate that's temperate most of the year and I often go about sky-clad, as the Neo-Pagans say. I used to worry about it, peeking around corners to check to see if I'd left the curtains open. I know they see my living room clearly because some years ago the wife complimented me after I'd made some decorating changes to the living room. After some years, I've stopped worrying so much. I figured if they had a problem with it, they'd have told me by now. C'est la vie! I can see the husband's laptop when he sits in his favorite chair of an evening, and he doesn't surf porn, so I comfort myself with the suppostion that he's not one to look much.

It goes both ways. My living room and bedroom windows are at sidewalk level and I have overheard a couple breaking up outside my window. I also overhear a lot of phone conversations (embarrassing ones) a lot.

In Chicago, I would ride the Red line home from work later in the evening. I would regularly see people in various stages of undress in there well lit apartments. At first, I was shocked, then it just became "normal".
I am neurotic about keeping my blinds closed because of this!

hooboy...after living in our house for a few YEARS i realized i'd been giving the neighbours a show on an almost daily basis. then a new house was built behind ours, so i was more careful about keeping the blinds down...until my husband casually informed me that the matchstick blinds were completely see-through at night. gah!

happily, we've just moved, so now i have a whole new neighbourhood to offend.

eh, I'm pretty sure my neighbors have seen me naked (or at least have had the opportunity). I doubt they thought a thing about it a day later. or maybe I became 'the naked girl across the street'-- who knows (though I try to live my life not assuming that I'm so interesting to everyone else-- most people just don't care what you do). if I'm the first naked woman they've seen, then i've taught them some anatomy, and if I'm not then it's nothing new. I certainly don't try to let them see me, but I don't obsess about pulling down the blackout shades to quickly change my shirt. that said, we do keep out intimate activities in the dark.