Drapehaus
Drapehaus
Preparing the room
Drapehaus
Preparing the room
Bamboo chik simulator
A chik is a screen of fine split bamboo, bound with cord, that rolls up from the bottom and ties. It has shaded Indian verandahs for generations. Lower it below and watch it work.
Bamboo chik · Midday
Treatment
Time of day
Split bamboo: you see out but not in by day, and the breeze still moves. At night, lamps on, the view reverses.
In short
By day a chik hides the room while you still see out, and air moves through it freely. After dark, with lamps lit, the effect reverses and the room is on show. Use a chik for daytime shade and breeze, and pair it with something solid for the evening.
Using the simulator
The simulator opens on Bamboo chik. Drag the Raised slider to 0% so the bamboo covers the window.
At Midday, read the meters: Daytime privacy High, yet View out still at Some, and dappled light striping the floor.
Switch to Night. The lamps come on and Privacy, lights on falls to Low with the chik still fully down.
Back at Midday, raise it halfway: View out climbs to Good while Daytime privacy slips to Some.
What the simulator shows
Split bamboo leaves thin gaps between the strips. Your eye, close to the screen in a dim room, looks past the strips to the bright garden beyond. Someone outside, in full sun, sees the lit face of the bamboo and a dark room behind it.
It is the brightness difference doing the work, not the bamboo alone. That is why the simulator can show View out at Some and Daytime privacy at High at the same time.
Switch to Night and the brightness difference turns round. Now the room is lit and the garden is dark, so from outside every gap in the bamboo is a small window onto the room.
This is the part of a chik most people discover only after it is up. Pair it with a lined curtain or a Roman blind inside for the evening, or keep chiks to verandahs and rooms that are not used at night.
A lowered chik stops much of the direct sun, which is why Sun and heat cut reads Good, and throws a soft striped light across the floor. Unlike a fabric blind, it barely slows the breeze.
Hung outside the glass or across an open verandah, a chik stops heat before it reaches the room at all, which a blind inside the window cannot do.
Chiks are made in finer and coarser splits. Fine strips set close give more privacy and a softer view; coarser, wider-spaced strips let more light and view through and hide less.
For: light, breezy shade; privacy by day; natural texture that suits old Goan houses; simple to roll and tie. A chik also works in places no fabric blind would, such as a verandah edge.
Against: little privacy at night; no darkness; bamboo fades in strong sun, can mould if rolled up or stored damp, and needs regular dusting. On a living-room window used in the evening, plan a second layer.
| Bamboo chik | Light-filtering roller | |
|---|---|---|
| View out, midday | Some | None |
| Daytime privacy | High | High |
| Privacy, lights on | Low | Good |
| Breeze | Passes through | Blocked |
| Best for | Verandahs, daytime rooms | Rooms used at night |
See it at your own window
The simulator narrows the choice. At the house we bring the real fabrics, hold them up to your light and measure every window.
In Goa
In Goa the chik belongs on the balcão and the deep verandah, taking the western glare off the sea in the afternoon while the breeze keeps moving. Inside, a bamboo blind over a living-room window adds warmth and texture.
Before the rains, take exposed chiks down and store them dry and loosely rolled. Bamboo rolled up damp through June to September can mould, and salt air shortens the life of the binding cord.
FAQ
By day, yes: you see out and passers-by see the bamboo. At night with lights on, no. The gaps between the strips show the lit room, so add a curtain or Roman blind for the evening.
A chik, or chick, is a traditional Indian screen of thin split bamboo or reed held together with cord. It is rolled up from the bottom and tied, and has long been hung across verandahs and doorways for shade.
For daytime shade and texture, very good. Because they give little privacy after dark, living rooms used in the evening need a curtain or a lined blind as well.
Yes, on a covered verandah. Take them down or roll them loosely and keep them dry through the heaviest rain, as bamboo left damp can mould.
Many can be backed with a fabric lining, which adds privacy at night and cuts more light. The lining also stops the breeze, so it changes what a chik is for.
