No Shortage of Curtain Ideas Here
Running out of curtain ideas?
It’s hard…we know. There are so many things you can do with your living room windows, but doesn’t it seem like when it’s time to make that change, your mind goes blank? Very frustrating.
Here’s a simple solution…use the ideas we’ve put together as your inspiration. Whether you’re making your own curtains, looking for swag ideas or figuring out a treatment for your giant bay window, you can’t wrong with these curtain ideas. Read on…
Your Moment of Decision
As you look at various options for your window treatments, there are several questions we recommend you answer. These answers will point you in the right direction and make your decision much easier.
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The Book on Window Treatments and Much, Much More
Some of us are looking for just one thing we can do that will make an instant difference in our living rooms. Others want to go for broke and start over from scratch. Others still are just getting started in a new home or apartment and need a crash course. Wherever you are and whatever you need, you’ve found your home and we have the solution you’re looking for.
The Stylish Living Room allows you to start at the beginning , plan and create your dream living room, step-by-step. Or, if you just want a tip on window treatments, furniture or color; go to that chapter, find what you need and get to work. It’s that simple.
Apartment dweller? Have a home with unique architectural challenges? Designing on a budget? Great!
The Stylish Living Room will help you with all of these and more. What makes this book so special is our partnership with a professional interior designer. She provided her unique insights and we combined them with our ideas to make an e-book that will answer all your questions and truly help you make your dream living room a reality.
Welcome to…The Stylish Living Room
Ideas for Common Window Types
Windows come in many shapes and sizes which means you need a lot of curtain ideas to keep your window treatments fresh. That’s good because what follows are a whole bunch of curtain ideas for the most commonly found types of windows.
Double Windows or Pairs of Windows
We’re talking about evenly sized, side by side windows here. The best idea we’ve seen is to think of this pair as a single unit, making sure your window treatments are symmetrical.
With your curtains, set up one track across the top of both windows. Try floor lengths curtains that draw evenly towards either side. To give each window its own personality, you might want to try a sheer curtains inside each window frame.
Uneven Pairs of Windows
So what if you have side by side window of different sizes? How can you unify these windows with your window treatments? It’s easier than you think, actually. Apply your double window strategy to your uneven windows and you’ll have a winner.
Corner Windows
Windows that meet each other in the corner of a room can be interested. Even more so when glazing and silicon are used to create a see through corner, making the frame invisible.
The best ideas for corner windows tend to be the simplest. Try floor or sill length curtains mounted above the windows. Draw them to the outside edges of the windows. How about some layering with sheers, too.
French Windows
A house we lived in a long time ago had beautiful French Doors leading from the dining room into the living room. If only we’d had the curtain ideas back then that we have now.
Here are a couple things you can do with your wonderful French Windows. First, use expanding wire or special door track to hang the curtains directly on the doors. Or, hang your track above the French Doors, work in an awesome swag or valance above and draw your curtains to sides of the doors, leaving them to swing open freely.
A Wall of Windows
If you have a group of windows to cover along a single wall, why not create a wall of curtains?
Run them from one corner of the room to the other and keep in mind that because there’s a lot curtains, you’ll need to operate them with tracks.
What to Put on Top…
There’s no doubt that headers are a great curtain idea. Whether were talking about pinch and pencil pleats, what we find in the first few inches of a curtain or even over the top of the curtain makes the window treatment unique and truly gives it style.
How would you like to make your own pleats? It’s not rocket science…it’s having a plan. All you need is fabric, curtain hooks, and curtain tape. You’ll also need the ability to click here for some more specific instructions.
Adding a swag atop your curtains is an excellent way to add some elegance to your window treatments. A fabric scarf draped over a decorative rod, tie backs or swag holders is a simple, yet effective way to add layers to your window treatment and give it more character, depth and sophistication.
A good curtain idea would be taking two pieces of fabric, one in a main color and another in an accent color, and sew them back to back. Drape this fabric as a swag and take your window treatment to another level. Go for broke by adding trim or cutting the ends at an angle.
If we’re talking about swags, we’ve got to talk about valances, as well. We’ll cover valances more another day, but let’s hit some basics right now.
A valance is simply a decorative window treatment that mounts across the top of your curtains, basically framing the window. You can purchase matching valances with your curtains or make your own, using complementary fabrics that accent the curtains you’ve bought or created.
An interesting idea for a valance is a cornice valance. A cornice is a piece of plywood or foam that is padded then covered with fabric. Curtains can be hung from a rod under the cornice. Now that’s a great curtain idea.
Bay Windows – A Challenge For Sure
Bay windows look great, all by themselves, but because they’re often found in older homes with less insulation, curtains are one of the only ways to reduce heat loss and drafts.
First rule of bay window decorating? Treat the bay window as one unit. Your window treatment should cover all of them, end to end. Two curtain ideas spring up from this…
Use a pole, rod or track system that follows the line of the window or the alternative of a ceiling mounted track going straight across from one end of the windows to the other. This will only work, however, with a lowered ceiling around the bay window.
Our old friend the valance comes into play again as a great way to cover up the hardware or as an accent for each individual window in your grouping. Picture a swag across the length of the bay window. Perhaps multiple lengths of fabric woven together as a swag? Amazing!
Here’s a third curtain idea that relates more to the curtains themselves. Rod pocket curtains look wonderful with bay windows and offer a wide variety of colors and patterns. Make sure you purchase a curtain rod that’s hinged to follow the curves of your window or the fun will be over before it even starts.
Shop These Great Merchants to Put Our Curtain Ideas to Work
The images we've shown you on this page today come from some great suppliers of window treatments and accessories. Please visit them and see everything they have to offer.
Free Shipping on All Orders from Smith and Noble - Custom window treatments, including the Christopher Lowell Collection
Free Shipping on Curtains & Draperies at American Blinds - A leading source of blinds and wallpaper along with curtains, draperies, and accessories
Some Other Awesome Curtain Ideas
Here are some things we’ve discovered in our travels and have worked for us in our homes.
If you looking to take your window treatments over the top, try silk. You’ll spend more but the shine and luxurious look of the fabric make up for it many times over.
Smith + Noble is the place to go for custom-made silk draperies. They’re especially helpful for building a window treatment so you can see how it will look before you order. Follow this link to browse their impressive collection…Smith+Noble – America’s Leading Resource for Window Treatments
Here’s a specific silk curtain idea you may like. Take your traditional living room of dark woods and earth toned fabrics and punch it up with some bold contemporary color. Choose a silk drapery in a bold red, citrusy orange, or apple green. Hang a sheer curtain first, then hang your bold panels and just let them hang, no tiebacks.
Last but not least, three more ideas to sum it all up.
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