My friend Marco Polo’d me from her new house earlier this week. She walked me through room by room showing me everything they have done and wanted to do. When she got to her daughters’ room, she stopped, “Look at the curtains–did we do them wrong? They are just huggggginnnggg the window and look weird.” Sure enough–they were hung to cover the window precisely with no breathing room on the sides or above. It’s a pretty common error and it’s not entirely your fault. Most box stores only carry up to 84″ curtain lengths which gives you NO room to hang your curtains higher. I always take the extra time to order something online (I linked all of my go-tos at the bottom of this post!) so I can hang our curtains both higher and wider than our windows. It really helps your window (and space!) look larger and more grand, and who doesn’t want that?!
You can also use this trick to center an off-centered window or make shorter rooms look taller. Curtains. have. power! For 8′ ceilings, I almost always order 95-96″ curtains and for 9′ ceilings, I go for 108″. I don’t mind a little puddle on the floor with our curtains, but you can always easily hem them or use hem-tape if you prefer your curtains to barely KISS the floor. Avoid high water curtains at all cost. If your curtains are hanging out 6-12 inches from the floor, it’s not doing your space any favors. If it’s for safety sake (like, maybe you have a baseboard heater right where you curtains would hit), I’d opt for a crisp roman shade instead.
Let’s take a trip down curtain memory lane and see how we’ve hung curtains in a few of the spaces in our projects.
Lowe’s Arizona Bedroom Makeover
Clayton Two-Day Bedroom Makeover
Our Living Room in Our Last Home
Polly’s Room
As you can see, curtains can add color or blend in. Sometimes we added 4 panels for a super luxe look, or something light and airy or blackout or went custom (like our closet) for just the right vibe. A lot of the photos we have curtains paired with shades and I can’t get enough of that layered look (these bamboo ones are a fav around here).
As for our go-to curtains, check these out:
1. Aruba Blackout Curtain Panel $29
2. Sour cream Plaid Curtain Panel $29
3. Preston Plaid Darkening Curtain Panel $39
4. Linen Light Filtering Curtain Panel $39
5. Blackout Vintage Textured Curtain $48
6. Pinstripe Curtain Panel $49
7. Beige Blush Velvet Curtain Panel $60
8. Italian Textured Faux Linen Hotel Blackout Curtain $68
9. Quincy Cotton Canvas Blackout Curtain Panel $69
10. Broadway Rod Pocket Curtain, Set of 2 $79
11. Belgian Flax Linen Melange Curtain $89
12. Classic Belgian Flax Linen Rod Pocket Curtain $109
13. Velvet Copper Curtain Panel $119
14. Extra Wide Velvet Blackout Curtain $126
15. Worn Velvet Curtain $129
16. Emery Linen/Cotton Rod Pocket Curtain $159
When shopping for a rod, make sure you choose a length that’s long enough to extend past your window on either side. If there’s space, I like the inside of the curtain to just cover the window trim.
1. Kenney Curtain Rod $24
2. Adjustable Curtain Rod $30
3. Gold Ivilon Drapery Window Curtain Rod $34
4. Silver Ivilon Drapery Window Curtain Rod $37
5. Matte Ball Drapery Rods $39
6. Urban Modern Barrel Curtain Rod $49
7. Seamless Black with Brass Band Curtain Rod $49
8. Sofia Curtain Rod $49
9. Blackout Curtain Rod $49
10. Black Ivilon Drapery Window Curtain Rod $57
11. Brass Room Darkening Curtain Rod $59
12. Mid-Century Wooden Double Rod $160
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What do you think of doing short curtain rods on either side of a large (149 inch) window in my dining room? I am putting woven wood shades there, but would like to soften and add more dimension to the room. Because of the length of the window I would need to get a custom rod if I were to put a rod the entire length of the window, so I thought two 12-20 inch rods would be a solution. How would I place the rod (thinking 8-10 inches off the frame to allow the curtains to remain “open” but not covering much of the window frame.) And then, would you hang 50″ panel or a 100″ panel? Thank you for any help you can give me!
The bamboo ones that you recommend, only come in a 60” length. My window is only 33” length. What would you recommend for this situation? Thanks!
Hi! Thanks for this clear and very helpful post on curtains! I’m struggling with deciding on how to hang my curtains. When do you opt for curtains touching the rod vs clipped to rings? I’m doing white curtains on white walls. Thanks!!
Hello. I have two windows super close together but on separate walls, how would you properly hand curtains on windows like this? There is not enough room for two separate rods.
I’m having the same problem! If I put up 2 rods they are going to be askew. Can’t do a shade and all the corner rods I find are either not cute or cost a fortune. We’re renting so I have no interest in spending a lot on a custom treatment.