*Sponsored post in Collaboration with The Window Company

I really love my sitting room, it's cosy in winter and light and bright in the summer thanks to two huge sets of windows...... When we moved in we ditched the faux silk curtains and fitted venetian blinds to the windows. At some point we are hoping to add shutters on both runs of windows in here, however with the window sizes being 270cm x 150cm and 310cm x 110cm, we're looking at a tidy sum and there are so many other things left to do in the house that they won't be seen at these windows for a while. The long run of side windows consists of five window panels and is opposite the TV..... We took the venetian blinds down from this window after a while as the TV picture permanently had stripes on it, which the kids unsurprisingly didn't seem to notice, but which drove me mad!

And herein lies the problem we have with this run of windows, it has been bare now for over 2 years..... It looks over to the original house next door and is south facing so in the summer the glare from the light is an issue. Our home was originally a garage built in 1912 for the Manor House next door, hence the close proximity. Luckily our window is high which means overlooking is not a huge factor, however, at night especially with the lights on, we can see into the neighbours kitchen and therefore they can obviously see into our sitting room..... Though not when we're slouching on the sofa thank goodness, due to the height of our window..... I might add here that the neighbours have chosen not to close the Roman blinds they have on their kitchen windows for the four years we have lived here!

So, I didn't want to cover the window up with Roman blinds (or curtains which I hate) as I love the light it brings in and as it is situated high up it's only the bottom part that needs covering to stop the TV glare and add some privacy. This means that blinds would have to remain down all the time to counteract this, which kind of takes away the point of having a window there in the first place I think..... I was therefore resigned to the fact that until we could afford solid shutters along the bottom of the window we'd have to live with the glare and the view of the windows next door. That was until I was introduced to The Window Film Company ....... I had never even thought about applying a window film..... But let me tell you it's been the perfect solution! 

Dedicated to finding the best solution for their customers, The Window Film Company have been prominent in the industry since being established in 1998.  They supply a wealth of window film products and unlike many companies who only supply them commercially they also supply to the residential sector. The films are printed on site at their head office in Buckinghamshire. Their window films are cost effective, much cheaper than replacing glass, and a great solution to issues such as privacy, glare, glass safety and UV fading. Aside from all of those things there are prints and designs available to suit all styles of home and of course they can be used solely for decorative purposes too..... The collection consists of Frostbite Designs, White Printed Designs, Solar Control films and designs specifically for privacy and glass safety..... The popular Frostbite Design gives your window the appearance of etched glass and in addition there is also a designer range available including lines from designers such as Mini Moderns, Kate Farley, JoJo Coco Design, Charlene Mullen, Hannah Nunn, Layla Faye, Jane Foster and MissPrint.

All of the window films from The Window Film Company can be fitted on a DIY basis so Mr H was called into action! We simply measured the windows, chose the design, ordered online and a day later our made to measure window film arrived and was ready to fit.

I chose a Window Film Company exclusive design by Lindsay Lang called 'Radiate' .... I love the pattern, a white print on frost, which is contemporary but also reminded me of the etched windows or floor tiles you might find in a home of our age and style.

So I bet you're wondering how easy it was to fit and how long it took? Well, it was incredibly easy and took less than an hour to do our five windows...... In fact, I would go so far to say that my DIY husband may not even have been required and I could have done it myself! 

Starring Mr H, I'll show you the steps we went through to fit the window film..... The first thing is to make sure your windows are cleaned thoroughly before fitting the film as any dirt or bits on the glass will show up through your film or cause bumps in it.

Step 1.     Lay the film on a clean flat surface and with the backing sheet facing upwards carefully peel it off. The film is sticky so be careful not to let it fold over on itself.

Step 2.     After removing the backing sheet, fill the spray bottle with water and a few drops of washing up liquid, spray the film to cover the entire surface with the soapy water solution.     

Step 3.     Cover the entire surface of the window with the soapy water solution, this allows you to slide the film into the correct position so is a really important step and is what makes this part so easy.....

Step 4.     Pick up your film and carefully apply it to the window pane...... You can now slide it into the corners and ensure it's in the perfect position thanks to the water solution.

Step 5.     Once in place spray the entire surface of film with water again.....

Step 6.    Using the squeegee provided push out any water or bubbles to the edge of the pane starting at the top and working down the glass. Continue this until all the water and any bubbles are gone.

Step 7.     Using paper towels, dry the window and the frame. be careful at this stage not to lift the film at any of the corners or edges. 

And that's it... It's that easy!  

I'm so pleased with it..... No more windows opposite looking in and the glare from the sun has been reduced whilst still allowing tons of light into the room..... And the pattern looks great! I decided to go just under half way up the window with the window film as that was enough to sort out the privacy and glare into the room as the window is much higher than your average window- The beauty with these window films is that it's entirely up to you how you use the film on your windows as you just send in the measurements online and it comes back ready to fit. 

I went for a white print on frost patterned film as I wanted to make a feature of the window, there are numerous printed patterns to choose from, but there are many other alternatives too.  You can go for a plain frosted film or a range of cut designs which have the pattern of your choice computer cut from the frosted film, including house numbers for a glass panel above the door or on the glass in your front door itself. For older buildings where some of the character has been stripped out you can choose a stained glass effect film and If you don't find a design you want you can even have the in-house graphics department come up with a design to your specification.

As for the other windows at the front of this room, they look out into the front courtyard and our parked cars (it was where the garage doors were originally) They need changing as they are a bit cheap and nasty and don't actually match the other windows in the house as they were re-glazed by the previous owner in plain glass...... We hate them to be honest and want to replace them with a large picture window.... And because of this the venetian blinds at the window are always fully down and partly closed which is why the light from the side window is so important..... I'm so pleased with the window film though I've decided I'm going to use it on this window too as a stop gap until we can afford to change it, allowing us to then be able to pull the blinds up and have lots of natural light without looking out at car bonnets!

As both of the sitting room windows will be letting so much light in during the day, this in turn will make the open plan area which runs off it so much lighter too which will be great..... Of course there is always the added bonus that as it was such an easy job Mr H will not be moaning about it as I can do it myself!

You can also find The Window Company on Instagram & Facebook.

Sharon x

* This is a sponsored blog post in collaboration with The Window Film Company...... I only promote products that I am happy to use in my own home.