5 Rules for Hanging Curtains

Ever wondered why your curtains never look the same as the ones in magazines or hotels? You are probably doing it wrong. There are so many things you need to consider to achieve the look you want from the track or rod placement to the materials. You can easily notice the difference between the two and the feel that they give in the room. The right one gives an expensive and neat look that perfectly matches the design of the space.

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However, the left photo looks cheap and makes the space look small. Even if you are using high-quality fabrics, you will still get the same results if you don’t know the proper way to do it. Let Reynard Lowell teach you the 5 rules to hanging curtains. You can transform your room by choosing the right length, width, hardware, material, and style. Height and placement should also be considered.

For more design tips, check these out: 4 Tips to Make Your House Feel More Expensive,

How to Hang Curtains

1 – Hardware: rod/track placement

You have two options: ceiling mount or face mount.

Ceiling mounts create a seamless floor-to-ceiling aesthetic. It is located above the window and is used in contemporary spaces.

Face mounts are commonly used in classical and traditional spaces. Make sure it is mounted at least halfway to 2/3 the height between the top of your window and the ceiling.

Purchasing curtain rods that are too short for the window length means that the curtain cannot be drawn apart without the stack covering the glass and blocking out light. It will make the window look smaller.

Purchase curtain rods that extend more than 6 to 10 inches from the edges of your window.

2 – Curtain drop

Choose between float (just off the floor), kiss (touching the floor), and puddle. Float hangs about an inch above the floor. Kiss curtains barely touch the floor which has a room expanding effect. For puddle, stick to about 2 to 4″ of excess fabrics.

3 – Curtain panel width

You bought the wrong panel width if the curtains cover the windows but are stretched and don’t have any fullness. This makes the room look cheap. Buy curtain panels that are 1.5 to 2.5 times the width of your windows.

4 – Curtain materials

Get a synthetic blend fabric which are typically made from natural materials like cotton and linen combined with polyester. This will give you the linen look that drapes nicely.

5 – Curtain headers

Three most popular pleat folds are ripple fold (s fold), pinch pleat fold, and grommet fold. The ripple folds are usually installed into tracks. Pinch pleats are usually located 4 inches from the top of the curtain. Grommet curtains have rings pressing into them approximately 1 in from the top.

5 Rules for Hanging Curtains