Curtains can be a great addition to any room in your home. Whether you are searching for a style to make the dining room more elegant or the kids’ playroom a little more fun, curtains are one of the easiest and most inexpensive ways to achieve the change you have in mind.
Curtains have a way of softening the light that enters the room. Lace or sheer curtains provide a wonderful venue to do this. They don’t filter out all the light, but soften the rays that do come in. If you want to block the light completely (this is a good idea for a movie room) then you might want to consider curtains that are lined or insulated or a heavier fabric shade.
Placing curtains in your windows is also a great way to soften the sound that echoes in a room. The curtains will absorb some of the sound waves that travel through the room, making it more quiet and comfortable. They are also a great safety feature in your home. They can be closed to give you the privacy you need and opened when you want to let the world in.
Many people seem to get a bit overwhelmed when it comes to picking the right style and color of their curtains. A great tip for this dilemma is to purchase a piece of fabric that you think you might like and place it in the window for a few days. Walk around the room and look at the potential color for your curtains from many different distances and angles. Notice how the color and the texture of the fabric you picked can change the mood and feel in the room. If you don’t like what you see, you haven’t invested in completed curtains, so you can start all over and try another color.
The length can also make a big difference on the feel of the room. Short curtains will provide a very casual, homey feeling to the room while longer curtains brushing the floor will emanate a formal feeling and can lengthen the look of the room. Also, using tiebacks to hold them open can create a wider, more open feel in a room.
When you are measuring your windows for ready-made curtains, make sure you understand all the measurements of the curtains. The heading on curtains is directly above the rod pocket where the fabric slides through the pocket. The length of the curtains may or may not include this heading, so make sure your understanding is clear.
They may sit comfortably on the window sill or they may drape down below the sill to the length of the apron right below the sill. Other curtains may cascade down to the floor. Make sure to measure these areas accurately and plan for any hemming that may need to be done. Also measure the width of the window very accurately so the curtains will fill the entire window without a bunching effect.
The rods and tiebacks you choose can also add a lot of variation to the curtains in a room. Whether wrought iron, wood, ceramic glass or any other material and design, rods and tiebacks are a personal choice. You may want to take along a swatch of the fabric you want and test it with different colors and styles to find the perfect look for your curtains. You can find ready-made curtains at many online retailers or you can search for ideas and try to create them on your own. Some are simpler to create than others, so if the design is complex, you might end up saving time and money just going with the ready-made curtains. Do a quick search and find some potential styles for your home and be well on your way to creating a unique and stylish look that fits in your budget.