Curtain Blinds and Drapery

As any decorator will tell you, curtains make a room — but only when chosen correctly. When it comes to window treatments, it's a matter of color and fabric, length and lining, and custom-made versus off-the-shelf. With so many decisions, it's easy to feel overwhelmed, so we asked a few pros for advice on narrowing down the options and selecting the right curtains for your home.

For the best look when a set of curtains is closed, make sure each panel is at least as wide as the window. Stretching too-narrow panels across a window makes the scene look mismatched and out of scale. Mount rod brackets 6 inches outside the window frame so panels can be pushed away from the glass, allowing light to flood the room and the window's architectures to be on display.

You want your curtains to feel full, not skimpy. If you actually plan to close your curtains on occasion, the curtains should be roughly between two and 2.5 times the width of the actual window. Curtains complete a room. They help control the light, lend privacy and warmth, affirm your style, and add texture and color.

With bay windows, you have two curtain options. One, you can hang them on the either side before it starts to bay, and then do a roman shade on the inside of every window. Or, you could do curtains on each window, one on the left, one where the windows join, one where the other windows join, and one on the outside.

Then hanging a curtain rod at the same level as the blinds, but extending the rod about 18? wider than the window on both sides creates the look of a much wider window and allows the curtain panels to hang in front of the wall instead of encroaching on the window and blocking lots of much-needed light.

Now don’t mistake bathroom window curtains for shower curtains! This article covers window treatments for your bathroom windows. I’ll cover shower curtains in another article. Bathroom window curtains create a visual aesthetic appeal in your bathroom without the need to spend a lot of money. They also give you privacy without blocking all the light.

Creating a beautiful window treatment starts with choosing the look you'd like for the room. First consider the length of the curtain, then which type of top treatment will work best in your space. From a dramatic entryway to a casual kitchen, the details you choose for your windows make a difference in defining the style of the room.

In my search for white rings to hang the drapes in my house, I could only find clip-on style in white in the desired size. Clip-on rings make for easy hanging, but I didn’t want the clips showing. Many drapes come with back tabs where you can clip the rings, or you can pinch the fabric to create pleats. I have tried all these methods but prefer using drapery hooks to get a more tailored look.