DIY

Hanging Curtains on Bunk Beds

January 10, 2019

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About a month ago, our girls started taping blankets to their bunks to make forts and hide outs and they were having the most fun ever but it left their room (and the playroom–the source of all the blankets) in complete disarray, and it lasted WEEKS and weeks, not to mention the tape supply was gone before I could even start wrapping presents. I was scrolling through Instagram and saw some bunks with curtains and I showed our 8 year old, Greta, and asked how she liked it. She was so enthusiastic that I took the opportunity to make the trade. “You take down the blankets and I’ll get you some curtains.” This week, we finally made good on the deal.

I started out by looking for the shortest curtains I could find, knowing I would still have to hem them, but it felt more doable to me than starting from scratch fabric. Although that is definitely an option for someone who knows their way around a sewing machine. I hit the jackpot. I found these velvet green curtains on Amazon (they have tons of colors and every size) for $38/pair!

 

I put two pair in my cart and added two of these curtain rod, clips sets, too. My favorite black rod is actually this Umbra one, still inexpensive, but these fit the budget for the project just a little better, especially since the bundle came with curtain clips, too!

In retrospect, I should have checked how many clips it came with, because the 7 each rod it did come with only hung one panel. Luckily, our local Walmart had the exact clips and we got 2 more sets for the remaining panels.

The bottom bunk curtains would be a little bit longer since they would extend to the ground while the top bunk curtains would only extend a couple inches shy of the mounted rod.

So before cutting any curtains or hemming, we actually hung the bottom curtain rod first and measured and marked where to cut the curtains.

Then we cut them and my mom hemmed them. (Sewing is not my strongest DIY skill). Once the bottom curtains were hemmed and clipped up, we mounted a rod to the top bunk and marked to hem the curtains about 2″ above where the bottom curtain rod hit.

We pulled the dark green color from this painting my talented sister did of Greta and Faye. Since there were already a lot of drapes happening, I pulled down their pink curtains that used to be here but kept the ceiling mount rod up in case we change our minds.

Since each curtain panel is 48″ wide there’s plenty of room to fully close them with a soft ripple left in the fabric still. I opted to pull both panels to one side for the photos for a more full look, but they’ve already been opened in the middle, thrown to the other side of the rod and everything in between by the girls. Faye actually opted out of playing with friends yesterday because she didn’t want to leave her curtains. (Hahaha!)

They love them is an understatement and the truth is I do, too! I could very happily claim this room as my own.

Psst. See how this room used to look before and even before we made it a bunk room here.

SOURCES:

Paint Color: Farrow & Ball Wimborne White
Wardrobes
Wallpaper
Green velvet curtains
Curtain rod & clips
Stool/end table
Bamboo Blind
Striped Sheets
Duvet
Rattan Hamper
Painting
Unicorn Head
Ceiling Light Fixture
Bunk Sconce
Baskets
Mirror
Antelope Fawn Pillow
Striped Rug
Persian Rug (similar)
Reading nook sconce
Throw

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What do you think?

  1. Carly says:

    And now I can’t picture the bunk beds without the curtains! They were meant to be and how fun for your girls!

  2. Julie S says:

    I love this bunk room all the more with the curtains added! Talk about perfection for kiddos. My older daughter (5) adores blanket fort playing and can’t wait till her sister is old enough for putting bunk beds in their room. I’d better plan to add curtains then too :)

  3. Liz says:

    When we were kids my grandparents had a trailer in a campground where they spent the summers. The bedroom had a slide-out with bunk beds in it with curtains (and a window in each bunk!) and my sister and I just LOVED sleeping in those bunks whenever we went to visit!!

    Thanks for the memories!

  4. Helen D says:

    LOVING the photo of your Mom sewing with Faye sitting beside her. Reminds me of when my mom taught me how to sew when I was growing up.❤️

  5. Erin says:

    Love!! And I have to ask about the bedding—does this mean the specialty bunk bed sheet/duvet wasn’t a good fit for your family? They are expensive and I’ve been trying to get a review before pulling the trigger.

  6. Jennifer says:

    So, so fun! It reminds me of an old fashioned sleeping car on a train!

  7. Patricia says:

    When I was a kid, I always wanted bunk beds … and now with curtains! Not sure I’d sleep for pure happiness.

  8. I love this addition! The dark green adds so much balance to the room now with the dark wardrobes. Love love love it!

  9. Jeanna says:

    I love it! The room seems more balanced to me with a bit of darker color on the other side :) How could a child not love being able to create their own little hide away? :)

  10. Abby S says:

    I got some of the best sleep in my rack in the Navy. Eight years later, I can still hear the distinct sound of scraping metal from curtains being opened/closed.

  11. Meghan says:

    This goes to show we can have form and function when it comes to our kids. Well done, mama!

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