Are Curtains Going Out of Style?
With so many modern window treatments out there, it can lead anyone to wonder… are curtains going out of style? In short, the answer is no—but read on to learn how curtains can go wrong and how to make them right again.
Curtains Are Timeless… Except When They’re Not
Curtains are an easy way to dress up a room, especially if you’re on a budget and you’re looking for a little pizazz. There are literally thousands of different kinds of curtains in the world, varying in different kinds of fabrics, patterns, and light blocking ability.
Want to add depth? Color? Stay relevant with a trend? Add an artistic touch with patterns?
Then curtains might be for you. With so many options, it can be easy for curtains to go wrong.
When Curtains Lose Their Way
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Curtains That Are Too Long
If you’ve got high quality curtains, you might want to consider letting those curtains “puddle” on the floor. A curtain “puddle” is when that gorgeous fabric gathers on the floor. Just a few inches, though. When long and high quality curtains ‘puddle’, the light can catch the fabric and highlight the texture of your curtains.
Curtains gathering on the floor has long been a symbol of luxury and sophistication, and is a wildly popular choice for folks with tall and beautiful windows.
However, puddling looks pretty bad when the fabric is cheap. If you want your fabric to gather, the curtain fabric must be thick and substantial. Consider linen or velvet for this one. It’s a common mistake for puddled curtains to look “too long” or “cheap” when the curtain fabric is a low grade material or see-through cotton.
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Curtains That Are Too Short
Curtains that are too short can really ruin the vibe of a room. They can make the room look like it’s wearing pants that aren’t long enough to cover the ankle. If you don’t want to “puddle” your curtains, a good way to dress your windows would be to use the “kiss” method.
Make sure that your curtains are measured to barely touch the floor. Just a little kiss of fabric here and there. The ‘kiss’ is the most popular way of hanging curtains and the most efficient way to dress up any room without making your windows look like they are wearing high-waters.
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Not Enough Curtain Panels
If you want privacy and control over natural light, make sure you have enough panels to fill your rod when hanging your curtains. Curtains that have a lot of rod showing and very little curtain look sad.
Most curtains come in a package of two panels. Depending on the width of your window and quality of the curtains, you’ll most likely need 4 panels to fill the rod space and to completely cover your window.
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The Rod is Installed Poorly
Measure the space between the top part of your window casing and the ceiling. Then, mark where 2/3rds of the distance would be between the window and the ceiling. This is a fool-proof way of hanging your curtains at a distance that makes sense for your wall—however high or short they may be.
When you hang the rod at the 2/3rds mark, and then measure your curtains from the rod, you’ll end up with a well designed curtain length that makes sense for your ceiling and window height.
Staying On Trend
History seems to always repeat itself— just in new ways. So it’s no surprise that we’re seeing neutrals and patterns as the key players in curtain trends this year.
Neutrals are timeless and classic, consistently offering calm and tranquility with color and texture. Deep jades, emerald greens, and various other shades that fall in the “green” category seem to be more popular than ever. Why? Because the color green can act as the swiss army knife of colors. It lends peace while also supporting design.
Green can scream sophistication while also, in the same breath, insisting everyone just chill out. The right color of taupe or khaki can do the exact same thing.
As we’ve seen in every era before the one we’re in, pattern play is huge this year. Just as folks loved their wild floral patterns in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, we’re seeing tons of abstract patterns in the 2020s. As ultra-modern minimalism has taken the world by storm in recent years, we’re finding that people are dressing up bare spaces with curtains that are ready to play.
If your home is mostly neutral in colors, shapes, and paint—consider a curtain that has a fun pattern that stays within your color scheme. Or choose colors that will support the neutrals, but will pop against them as well.
The Best Curtains for Your Home
With so many options out there, it can be really challenging to figure out which curtains are best for your space. However, that’s what we do—and we’re here to help.
Contact us today so that we can talk about what we offer and how we can best accommodate you in making your space a gorgeous place people will want to spend time in.