For most of us, the biggest challenge with curtains is how to hang them. We often see the same mistakes made over and over, and they are easy to avoid.

When curtains are right they are the perfect finishing touch, completing a room. They soften a room, giving a focal point and adding colour and texture. They are practical - controlling the light, giving privacy and extra warmth. And they can make a window feel bigger and brighter, they can heighten a ceiling and let in more light. But they can also do the complete opposite if they are not fitted right.

Little changes however, can have a huge impact. Here’s our guide on how to avoid the most common mistake, so you can achieve a beautiful polished look making the most of your windows.

1. Don’t place your curtain pole too low

This makes such a difference to the final look! Raising the pole up naturally draws your eye upwards and makes your windows appear taller, giving the illusion of a higher ceiling. If you place the curtain pole too close to the top of the window you are making the window feel squashed and smaller in the room.

RULE 1 : Look to place your curtain pole or track half way to two thirds of the way up between the top of the window frame and the ceiling. If you don’t have much space above the window you could look to ceiling fix the track instead, creating a sleek contemporary look - great for bi fold doors.

2. Don’t use a short pole

If your pole is too short, your curtains will hang over the window making your window look much smaller - and crucially, blocking precious light. When the curtains are drawn back you want them to draw back onto the wall rather than then cover the window. Ideally just the edges of the curtain should overlap the window. This will create the illusion that you have a much wider, larger window and your room will be filled with more light.

RULE 2 : Choose a pole or track that is 10-15cm wider than your window on each side.

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3. Don’t choose curtains that aren’t wide enough

If you buy curtains that aren’t wide enough for your window, they will look skimpy and definitely not luxurious. You want to create a fuller, gathered look in each curtain rather than having curtains that only just reach across the window, or worse still, leave a gap in the middle!

RULE 3 : If you have a pair of curtains, each curtain needs to be the width of the window, so together they are twice the width of the window. This will create lovely full curtains that really frame your window and still remain full when you close them.

4. Don’t make your curtains too short

Curtains to the sill are never going to look elegant or contemporary. They just don’t look good! There are a few different long lengths you can consider however:

Your curtains can ‘float’ just off the floor. They should hang just 1-2cm off the floor for a contemporary look - good in high traffic areas where longer curtains might get messy, like in the kitchen/family room.

The next length is called ‘kissing the floor’. The curtains just touch the floor, so that they create a crease in the fabric as it touches the floor. This is a tricky look to get right as it needs very accurate measurements and level floors.

The longest length is the ‘puddle’. With the puddle the curtains drape onto the floor for a dramatic, luxurious look. This can look great in a formal dining room. You can achieve this by adding 5-10cm to the curtain length so that the fabric spills onto the floor. Don’t go longer than 10cm though or it may look more like a mistake than a design choice!!

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RULE 4 : Curtains to the floor are always the way forward.

5. Don’t use old tracks or cheap poles

After going to the effort of choosing new curtains, you want to use a track or pole that is going to compliment your curtains. Reusing your old rickety track won’t set your curtains off well, and may well be a false economy when it falls down!

RULE 5 : Buy the best track or pole you can afford. Don’t fall at the final hurdle.

Top tip for hemming curtains if you can’t sew :

Iron on hemming tape (WonderWeb) is a great invention if sewing isn’t your thing. The heat of the iron sticks the hem in place, and you can even do it whilst your curtains are hanging - just bring the ironing board to your window.

Here are some beautiful examples of curtains hung the right way!

@theharbourdeckhouse

If you would like some help choosing a curtain fabric and style for your window, The Living House can help you bring your whole room to life! We even provide visualisations so you can see how your room and window will look before you commit to the changes.

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