Curtain Tips: Common Curtain Mistakes
Window dressing is a phrase often used to mean pretty, but unnecessary. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth when it comes to actual interior design. Far from being a frippery on the edge of your design decisions, your choice of curtains or blinds can play a key role in how the whole room is tied together. So it’s a massive shame that when picking curtains people keep making the same mistakes over and over again. Select Interiors use their years of experience as curtain makers in Sussex to take you through the most common:
Picking the same curtains across the house
It’s an understandable mistake to make- you want to get the decorating sorted quickly, you’ve found a decent pair of curtains, you might as well use them across the whole house. But however counter-intuitive it may seem, keeping the same curtains throughout the house can make it seem disjointed. Think about it, would you really want the same curtains in your living room that you would in your kid’s bedroom? Your curtains can tie the whole room together, so you want to make sure they match the atmosphere you’re trying to create.
There are practical considerations as well, such as the lighting and heating circumstances in each room.
Not taking privacy into account
Now that most homes have double glazing, the main purpose of curtains beyond decoration is to give your house a bit of privacy. So it’s bizarre that a lot of people don’t actually consider how much privacy their curtains will afford them.
For instance, a lot of households install sheer drapes in their bedrooms and bathrooms. You can see the appeal, they can look good, and they let in a lot of light. However they let light out as well. If sheer drapes are all you have covering your windows, then your every movement is going to be visible in silhouette to passers-by on the sheet outside.
If you want sheer drapes, be sure to combine them with some darker fabric that will allow you to completely cover your window when you need it.
Messing up the lighting
Not all windows are created equal and curtain makers in Sussex have to take into account the wide variety of different properties they are working for. Depending on their size and angle they can let it in differing amounts of light, and when you pick out your curtains you’ll have to think about this. A heavy, dark set of drapes will block out a lot of light, which can be good for your bedroom, especially if the sun has a habit shining right into your eyes first thing in the morning. On the other hand, for windows looking out onto the garden sheer drapes can be a good way to keep the room nice and airy (providing it’s a room that doesn’t need a lot of privacy, of course).