Lakeside Design Notes
How Do I Pick The Right Curtains For My Windows?
We’ve been down this road a few times, and it’s never easy is it?! Curtains can be confusing! Let’s review a few key details to keep in mind when selecting curtains. With so many options at our fingertips it’s difficult to pick exactly what we need. Having some guidelines to follow can be helpful.
Location Location Location!
Bedroom
Considerations like privacy and sleeping conditions are ideal to keep in mind when it comes to bedroom curtains. If it’s a guest room, your visitors may appreciate optimal privacy and sun facing rooms may require a heavier fabric to protect furniture and keep the sun at bay for those lazy cottage mornings!
Dining Room
How you entertain is the question to ask for dining room curtains. This holds true for an open concept space as well. If you prefer a more casual lifestyle when it comes to hosting guests and your everyday routine, you may consider a fun pattern and a fabric that can be easily cleaned. These curtains will set the tone for your overall space, so considering what feel you want to convey is a good area to focus on for selecting curtains for main rooms. You may not need curtains if the view is what really frames the windows!
Patterned curtains tie in the sofa and other furniture detail in this project providing a traditional backdrop for the homeowner.
Bathroom
Often, we do a lot of blinds and shades in bathroom zones. This means keeping fabric off the floor and having less is more when it comes to gracing smaller windows that you typically see in bathrooms. Bathrooms are an area where you can consider a bolder approach, knowing you can easily change it up down the road. This could be a space where you try something more whimsical, fun and adventurous.
Curtain Call for Style!
Fabric
Some fabrics just scream luxury like silk or velvet. This may be a consideration depending on your room style. Silk tends to pool nicely and lend a full, voluminous look. Lace in a country setting is hard to compete with and light cottons set the tone for casual, comfortable lifestyle. Sheers have been around a long time and still continue to be a crowd pleaser. Sheers diffuse natural light and you can also add liners or variations on light filtration to suit your lighting requirement.
Middle: Sheers in this client cottage project were paired with blinds to further block light while the sheers provide a soft and summer feeling backdrop.
Right: Antique style lace curtain panels frame a cottage library nook.
Colour
Curtains are a fun and experimental way to add character and personality to a room. We all have style phases so changing curtains can be a more inexpensive way to introduce a new look. We remember our floral stage and it looks like that is back once again! Stripes are timeless and can add that preppy touch. Solid colours are likely less trendy and if kept in neutral tones means for bedrooms spaces you won’t have to update often. Colour can often be impacted when you change the furniture, so grounding a room with a cream, taupe or other neutral means it doesn’t become a domino effect once you change something else! We all know how out of hand it can quickly get when it comes to updating a room!
Neutral coloured curtains in this cottage guest room help elongate a window wall. Using curtains to expand an otherwise limited outdoor view can help elevate the room.
Hardware
For a more formal look you may want to consider a double rod to layer sheer curtains under patterned panels. This allows for options when it comes to privacy and blocking light. Taking into account curtain weight is a good guideline for selecting sturdy hardware that works with the scale of the curtain and the window. Materials like wood will warm a room and add texture. Whereas with metals you may be matching other hardware in the room or wanting contrast against walls and curtain colours.
Finials on either end of rods are an opportunity to add character and detail to a room. Rods and finials should match the look of the room and further build on the style you are conveying with your décor.
If you have a design question you would like to submit for the next Town Crier issue, you can send it to the Home by Tim + Chris design team at: info@homebytc.ca
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