I’m a believer that curtains are the components of your room that bring everything together. It’s a layer that adds warmth and texture to your space. When we moved to our new apartment I spent a considerable amount of time trying one, returning it, trying another one, then returning it. I finally ended up going with the Emery Linen Poletop Curtain from Pottery Barn and I love them! We will be keeping these for a long time (I say that now!). But curtains can be so tricky–you have to think about the fabric, color, lined or not, length, custom vs not. I wanted to share a quick guide for how to choose drapery for your space so you can achieve the look and feel you desire.
Hanging Curtain Rod
- Go as high as possible, 2-3” below the ceiling or crown molding – this will make both the room and window feel taller! Hanging the rod and determining the curtain length is a bit of a dance depending on if you are doing custom curtains or not.
- Extend the curtain rod 4-6” out. This lets more light in when the drapes are just hanging and creates more balance.
Length of Curtain
- We are going for the delicate puddle, 1-2” break in the fabric when it touches the floor. You want to measure your drapes just long enough so they kiss the ground but aren’t bunched up. If you want a cleaner look you could measure so they don’t puddle–personal preference!
- Standard lengths that you can buy in a store are 63”, 84”, 96”, and 105”
Color
A hue of white or ivory, are now my go-to. They aren’t distracting and look beautiful in every room! They give just enough texture and warmth to pull everything together. Plus, when the sunrise filters through, trust me when I say you’ll oo and ahh.
Lined vs Not?
Lined, always lined. In our master we have black out curtains from Target so that Andy could sleep after night shifts at the hospital. Throughout the rest of the apartment I went with linen lined since blocking out light during the day wasn’t an issue.
I’ve had light filtering curtains before and tried out many different ones in our current apartment, but they looked unfinished and didn’t hang as well.
Custom Curtains?
Custom curtains can be very expensive and are not always accessible unless you are working with a designer. While most designers would say to go the custom route when the budget allows, I think you can achieve a beautiful look when buying stock drapes.