What you should consider before buying Curtains!

With the weather getting colder and the nights getting darker, curtains naturally become a more notable part of your home decor. So maybe it's because we're looking at our curtains more we feel the need give them drab drapes a new lease of life.

Curtains are often an overlooked accessory in a home's decor but can have a huge impact for relatively little cost and effort. However, choosing the right curtains and accessories for your window is very important as it could mean the difference between a fashion statement or fashion faux pas.

So remember these tips when you're hunting for those next window dressings:

Design & Colour:

Your first consideration should be towards a fabric design and colouration, so make sure you think carfully about the current colour and decor of the room you intend to hang the curtains. Finding a frabric that contrasts is the most challenging apect of buying curtains but is the one that stands out the most. Getting this wrong will be quite noticable, matching colours of an area this size is very important as it provides a first impression to visitors.

If you want to keep it safe, try and pick an accented colour from your existing decor such as soft furnishings or upholstery detailing. However, don't choose a fabric that is the same colour as the dominiating colour on your walls.

Fabric Type:

The type of fabric you choose not only makes a difference to the look but has a bigger role in the function of the curtains.

• A heavy fabric tends to look better in more traditional styled rooms with antique furniture giving a more formal look, a good choice for a study, living room or dining room. In fact, any room that is carpeted and painted with a darker color will have its sense of warmth increased by a heavier curtain. The benefits of heavy curtains is their ability to block out sun-light and stop heat loss making them a perfect choice for the Autunm and Winter months.
• However, if you're looking to dress a window for Spring & Summer or just don't like the look of heavy curtains, lighter curtains would be a great choice and generally work very well a room with hardwood floors and lightly colored paint. If you still want the the benefits of a heaveir curtain you might want to consider a lighter fabric with the addition of Venetian blinds.

To get the best of both worlds people often buy more than on set of curtains and change them depending on the season.

Size & Measurements:

The size and measurements of a set of curtains can have dramatic effects you've probably never envisioned. Firstly you need to decide on the length on the curtain, again this really come down to the room's decor. Generally shorter curtains are seen as being casual and relaxed, longer curtains are more formal or dignified. You could class the length of a curtain in 4 categories:

• "To the sill" - casual and great for a country styled kitchen or dining room.
• "Bottom of the apron" (just under the sill) - would look good in most kitchens and bedrooms.
• "To the floor" - creates a very dramatic and dignified look, most suite for a formal dining room or living room.
• "Puddles on the floor" - over-sized curtains that sprawl on the floor give a romantic look, perfect for the bedroom.

Curtains can be great at hiding any flaws in the design or symmetry of your windows.

• If a room consists of several windows at differing sizes, take the measurements and dress the largest window first. Then hang all the other curtains in the room at the same height making sure that all the hems are also at the same height off the floor.
• If you want to create the illusion of wider windows extend the curtains poles and width beyond the window frame.
• Alternatively, if you want to make the window look shorter, use a longer pelmet when dressing the window.

Headings:

There are many different types of curtain heading but the four most common are; Pencil Pleat, Pinch (French) Pleats, Tap-top & Eyelet.

• Pencil Pleats are the most common heading type for both Ready-made and Made-to-measure curtains, they work well with most types of home decor.
• Pinch Pleats are arranged in groups of three pleats with flat areas in-between, they look more attractive and would suite a more formal setting than Pencil pleats.
• Tap Top & Eyelet headings are the modern and contemporary styles. Often cheaper these are also far easier to fit.

Accessories:

When dressing a window the look and feel often leans towards to being more formal or casual, curtain accessories can change this very easily. The two main accessories you can add to your window dressings are Pelmets (Valances) and Tie-backs.

Curtain Pelmets are stiff panelled structures mounted at the top of the window covering the curtain heading. Pelmets are usually upholstered in the same material of the curtains but can be just painted or covered by the rooms wallpaper. They come in a huge variety of shapes and sizes with numerous trimmings and tassels from off the shelf to bespoke designs.

Pelmets are useful for keeping light from escaping out the top of the curtain if total darkness is required and help with insulation of the window. Using a plemet also means that you can choose a simple heading as it cannot be seen, which reduces the cost of making the curtains although this depends on the type of pelmet as to whether it is more cost effective. Providing a neat and tidy finish, pelmets are a good way to even up a room if you have different height windows, this often occurs in older houses that have had numerous alterations over time.

Tie-backs finish off a window dressing beautifully with many varieties like; plain tassels, plaited, bound edge and ornate styles. The real benefit of using tie-backs is the ability to completely change the appearance of your curtains simply by where on the wall you decide to secure them. Below are the most common ways designers use tie-backs to achieve the right look and feel for a room.

• High Tie - the curtains are pulled back just above the centreline of the window area.
• Low Tie - is the opposite of the High Tie, placed below the centre mark of the curtain
• Middle Tie - the curtains are pulled back right at approximately the middle.
• Angled Double Tie - uses two different tie backs to create a billowing effect.
• Centre Tie - the curtains are pulled together in the window’s vertical centre at about 2/3 of the curtain’s length.
• Criss-crossed Tie - the two fabric curtain panels overlap each other.

It may take a little more thought and time than you first expected but making sure your windows dressings look great will have a massive impact on you home decor.

Author: Simon Blackburn  | 13/11/08   |   Curtains  |   Home Decor Ideas  |