All You Need To Know About Curtains For Your Bedroom

All You Need To Know When Choosing Curtains For Your Bedroom Made Simple

The answers to your questions on choosing bedroom curtains.

Should bedroom curtains be long or short?  

When choosing bedroom curtains you can often get stuck as to whether to hang curtains to the sill or past the sill and concerned they will block out the heat when there is a radiator positioned  below the window.  Personally I would go long every time, they will always look more elegant than short curtains.  The trick is to interline them.  A thick blanket sewn in between the fabric and lining which was used as insulation before we had central heating in our homes.  Not only do they retain heat but they will make any fabric look much more luxurious.

Black out Lined Curtains

If you can't sleep without total darkness, then choosing bedroom curtains with black out linings should make a huge difference.  Despite the name, black out lining is not coloured black and nowadays comes in a lovely soft handle which means your curtains will hang nicely.

Fabric for Bedroom Curtains

When designing curtains for your bedroom, I like to choose something that won't date.  They are an investment and therefore you don't won't to tire of them.  I love to use classic, elegant fabrics in neutral tones  in silks, a linen mix or velvet and sometimes a combination of both for a nice contrast in textures. You can choose from pattern or plain.The main thing is you want the fabric to have a nice drape which means you want them to hang beautifully.  If using silks or any lightweight fabric, it is advisable to use an interlining.  You really won't regret this as they will hang to perfection and really enhance any fabric no matter what the cost.  Your fabric doesn't need to be expensive if they are interlined and beautifully made.  This is the key to really luxurious curtains and are well worth the money.

 

Window Dressing 

So if you've found a fabric that you love, what style of heading are you going to choose?  Do you want something functional and practical or purely decorative.Consider if you are going to draw the curtains every night , then just having them touching the floor (or my favourite a little relaxed on the floor for the ultimate bespoke look) will be a more practical solution.  Puddling the curtains looks luxurious but you may not want to pull them in the evening as you prefer how they are dressed and will use a roman blind or roller blind for functionality.If you want to allow as much light as possible, a non fussy heading like a double pinch pleat or single cartridge pleat will create a neat stack back and allow natural light to flow into the room.

Layering The Window

If you really want to create a feature of the window you can layer the window with a double pole and have an inner voile curtain behind the outside main curtains.Curtains with a roman blind or curtains with a fabric covered pelmet or a shaped pelmet in wood or mirrored glass for a really extravagant look.

Where To Install The Pole

Install the curtain pole as high as you can.  This really draws the eye up, creating height and elegance.

Tie backs or Hold Backs

Both will do the job.  I personally can't be bothered fussing about with tie-backs unless they are dress curtains, life is too short .  If I have to use something I prefer a holdback.  They gently nudge the curtains back, the curtains will hold their shape and make it super easy when drawing them back again.

Should You Wash Curtains?

I wouldn't attempt this unless they are cotton, as it can be disastrous.  The last thing you want is colour run or shrinkage. The same applies to dry cleaning curtains, I have heard enough scary stories about dry cleaning curtains - unless you've used the dry cleaners  before and they can stand by dry cleaning them.Vacuuming your curtains will keep them in top condition as it is the dust particles that break down the fibres, especially in silk.Air them outside but be careful of strong sunlight.

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