Drapes have made a pretty strong comeback over the past few years as people are tired of having blinds set inside of their windows, or nothing at all. Drapes add both privacy and style to a room, but many of us are unsure how exactly we are supposed to hang them.
This article from Houzz.com outlines several methods for hanging drapes, as well as ways to replace the blinds or honeycomb shades with something a little softer.
What are your thoughts on drapes? Do you prefer heavy light-blocking drapes or light sheer curtains on your windows?
For me it depends entirely on the room. In my last house, our living room had 20-foot ceilings, and was very open, so we covered the front windows in sheer curtains with velvet drapes that could be pulled across when we wanted to block the light. The cranberry red also framed the cream sheers nicely, creating a break from the light cream walls.
In our current home, the windows are small and oddly placed. One of them has honeycomb blinds that came with the house and it is always closed. Why? It looks straight at the neighbor’s front door from the living room! There’s nothing quite like the feeling of being watched as you go about your day. The ceiling above it is angled and rises from 9-feet to 14-feet along that wall.
The front window, however, is in a little window seat-like area (without the seat, sadly), and we created a bookshelf from a stained 2×10 across the top of the windows & hung heavy blackout drapes from the shelf. It faces southwest and lets in a LOT of light and heat in the Summer months. The drapes can be opened to let in light & a breeze, but can be closed to completely block the outside light while we watch movies in the evenings. We could have curtained off the entire area for a private reading nook, but that’s where I have my desk, and I don’t want to be completely cut off from my family while I’m working.
What are some of your curtain challenges?
This is part of our home design tips series.
