A Beginner's Guide to Picking the Right Curtains for Your Home

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Ask any decorator, and they will tell you curtains are a big part of what makes the aesthetics of a room. Choosing the right curtains can make all the difference in bringing a well-designed room together. But choosing the right curtains isn’t straightforward and anyone who has ever gone shopping for them before will already know this.

There are a lot of factors to consider in choosing the right curtains. You need to consider the colour, and any other visual features and patterns. But there are other considerations as well, such as the length and the material used.

With all these factors to consider, buying a new set of curtains can seem like a daunting task. However, with a little guidance, choosing a new set of curtains to spice up any room should be just as enjoyable as putting the rest of your look together.

The following are the most important things to consider when shopping for new curtains.

Colour

When you are deciding on the colour of your curtains, it will help a great deal if you have most or all of the rest of your room in order beforehand. Only in exceptional circumstances will curtains be the main focus of a room. In most cases, you will want your curtains to complement the rest of the room’s aesthetic, rather than competing with it.

Another factor to take into consideration is that fabrics will fade over time. The more sunlight that a curtain is exposed to, and the brighter the sunlight is, the quicker the colour will fade from the fabric. Lighter colours will disappear after less fading, so you should use darker curtains on windows that receive the most light.

If you aren’t bothered about having to change your curtains more often, perhaps you regularly change your look up anyway, you might not be so concerned with this fading. A potential compromise is to stick to neutral colours, but this won’t always fit in with the broader aesthetic of the room.

Fabric

The type of fabric that you choose is obviously going to be a very important consideration. The type of fabric will determine the texture of the curtains. This, in turn, will have an effect on how the curtains look and feel. While anyone looking for curtains will give some consideration to how they will look, many people overlook the importance of their curtain’s tactile qualities. The type of fabric will also have a considerable impact on the lifespan of your curtains.

When curtains are too heavy, they often don’t fold neatly when they are drawn. If they are too light, on the other hand, they may not fall well.

When you are previewing fabrics in the showroom, something you should always try to do, hold them up to a window so you can see exactly how the light will fall on them, and what kind of effect they will create. The bigger the sample you can try this with, the better an idea it will give you of how the material will look when used in your curtains.

Length and Lining

You should decide how high above your window you would like the curtain to begin before you start measuring up the space. Many designers suggest putting up panels first, so you can get an accurate sense of the height of the room. A common choice for deciding on the length of curtains is to hang them six inches from the floor. However, it is becoming fashionable to hang them higher, which can create a dramatic effect.

When taking your measurements, take them from the top of the window, but remember to take into account the added inches between the top of the window and where your curtains will hang from, to the floor. For measuring the width, remember to add on four to eight inches on each side. This is necessary to ensure the curtains have a fuller look when they are drawn.

You can order made to measure curtains for your specific requirements here.

Cleaning

Before you commit to a pair of curtains, you should decide whether you want them to be washing machine friendly, or if you are prepared to have them dry-cleaned. Remember that washing curtains in the wrong way can discolour them or ruin them entirely.

Choosing a pair of curtains seems like an overwhelming task the first couple of times. However, with some preparation beforehand, you can make the whole experience much easier. You should sample any fabrics you can in person, but the internet can provide you with a lot of useful information. Researching online will give you an idea of what to check for when you have the fabric in your hands.