Curtains can instantly make a home look spacious and if used well, can truly lift the spirits. Curtains not only adorn the shape of doors and windows but also accentuate the height of a room. There are a plethora of options to try out from mixing and matching colours and patterns to choosing fabric options, and to heading options and the length.
Abhinayah S, the co-founder of popular (their Instagram handle is decor-inspo through and through) Bangalore-based home furnishing brand The Yellow Dwelling, through her experience over the years, realized that the nuances of hanging curtains aren’t known to many and so felt the need to share our thoughts on the same. Though some of it might sound considerably basic, a little attention to detail can help make your home interiors come across as cohesive and put together.
Solids, Length & Fabric: How To Pick The Right Curtains For Your Home
The Colour Can Make Or Break Your Space
The colour of your curtains should be in sync with the rest of your furnishings. You can either choose curtains that are either neutral or pick a contrasting colour. For a pleasing look, choose curtains that are in a complimenting shade to your walls or to the colour of your largest piece of furniture in the room. Alternatively, if you want the curtains to be the main focus in the room pick a hue that’s contrasting to the walls and furniture.
Pro-Tip: Check out the entire range of door and window curtains here
LBB Picks: The Yellow Dwelling, Vermillion Lifestyle, Home - The Best Is For You, and The Shop
Choosing Between Prints And Solids
The choice of your décor will dictate the direction of the design of your curtain. If most of the soft furnishings are solid in colour going with printed curtains can be a popular choice and the opposite holds true as well. It’s important to remember curtains are a large volume of fabric and printed curtains with it add visual weight to your space. Consider pairing printed curtains with solid coloured or white curtains to balance the visual.
Pro-Tip: If you are looking for soft furnishing in solid colours or otherwise, check out the entire range here
Selecting Your Curtain Length
Curtains that fall exactly to the floor are on trend at the moment. However, for a dramatic look, you can opt for curtains that are slightly longer than a puddle on the floor. But if you have kids at home, this might not be the look for you. Opt instead for curtains that are a few inches off the floor. If you have a side table or any piece of furniture under a window sill it might be ideal for you to consider window curtains so as not to have the curtain pool on or near your furniture.
Pro-Tip: Check out the range of window curtains here
Measuring The Width
First, start by measuring the length of your rod using a measuring tape. If you do not have the rods installed, add about four to six inches on each side of your window’s width. Now, you will need the width of the curtain to be double that of the number you have now. Rule of thumb -- combined curtain width should be double that of the rod. The extra fabric helps accomplish the gathered look on the sides when the curtain has been drawn back.
LBB Picks: Home - The Best Is For You, The Shop, The Yellow Dwelling, and Vermillion Lifestyle,
Pick Fabrics Based On Your Space
Understanding the purpose of the space is very important while picking out curtains. For instance, sheer curtains are great for living and dining spaces, while they let in an ample amount of sunlight they provide you with much-needed privacy, especially in the city.
Consider a combination of solid curtains with sheer curtains if you’d like to block more sunlight in these spaces, plus from a design standpoint fairing, two different fabrics bring visual interest. One might pick curtains with lining for a nursery or bedroom, they are great for those weekends when you want to sleep in or watch a movie in bed.
Pro-Tip: For curtain fabric, check out brands such as Freedom Tree, The Yellow Dwelling, Thoppia, and DDecor
Layering
To bring some volume and grandeur to your living rooms, you can have two rods and have a mix of main curtains and sheer curtains. The main curtain helps in blocking the harsh sunlight, while the sheer curtains help in allowing more soft light at the same time offer you privacy. You could opt for a printed or patterned main curtain while going for a plain or small patterned sheer curtain. If you don’t have a double rod, fret not. You can easily achieve this layered look by having the sheer and main curtains on the same rod.
LBB Picks: IKEA has a range of room darkening, block-out, and light filtering curtains, House Of Ekam, and Thoppia
Get Creative
Play around with your curtains. Combine solid and patterned curtains in the same colour or pair a bold pattern with a small overall pattern. Another interesting look can be achieved by pairing free-flowing patterns with stripes. The organic form of florals works elegantly with the rigid geometric form of stripes. Another way to bring interest is to try a different header style. Eyelets and pleated are not the only options available, explore other options like the back tab, button tab or pocket rod. Though they seem like minor variations, the difference they bring to a space is huge.
Abhinayah S is the co-founder of The Yellow Dwelling, a home furnishings brand, based in Bangalore.