Photo Via Pinterest
I admit it. In the past, I have been guilty of some of the drapery faux pas to follow...but, I have seen the light and I am here to lead you to the promised land of perfect drapes. Or Curtains.
how to hang your curtains
These are lovely curtains. Look at the way they puddle on the floor! Oh, so romantic! (more about that later).....but look at the top. The curtain rod is almost directly on top of the window. The first rule of thumb with curtains is:
1. go high
Hang your curtains anywhere from 1/2 to 2/3 the distance from the top of the window to the ceiling. Or even higher! Curtains that strafe the window don't do your ceiling height any favors. It just brings the room down. If you have relatively low ceilings (say 8 feet) take those bad boys to the top. Like so:
Photo Via Casa Tres Chic
The second most egregious drapery violation I see is high-water curtains.
2. go low
Look at the picture below. Not only do they have the bottom of these curtains high enough for a flood, they even have the paddle! Maybe they are preppers and will have the last laugh but those curtains are too dam high. (See what I did there?)
Photo via Countryliving.com
You want to have your curtains one of three ways when it comes to the floor:
1. The "I'm Not Touching You!"
Photo Via Pinterest
See how they hover just barely above the floor? Just barely kissing it. This is look number one and is perfectly acceptable if you don't dig the following methods but it's the hardest to pull off. Your measuring game must be fierce.
Next is my personal favorite:
2. The "Poser Puddle."
Photo Via Younghouselove.com
I have kind of made this up. It's really just the barely kissed look but with a little more passion. This just lets your drapes gently break onto the floor. It looks pretty and soft without being too over the top. It also gives you a little bit of measuring grace as there is no hard and fast rule as to how much break to give. Off by half an inch? You're the only one who will know it wasn't purposeful.
3. The "Vapors Puddle."
This one is all drama. In fact, don't do this unless you own a fainting couch to dramatically pass out on, you drama queen! This is definitely a more feminine, old-world feel.
Photo via housetohome.co.uk
Make sure your curtains are wide enough!
3. go wide
Photo via Crate and Barrel
In this photo, the rod height is headed in the right direction, but....there aren't enough panels! You can't cover the expanse of these doors with these two silly little panels. This door needs at least four panels (or two double wides). When measuring, just figure double the width of the window or, in this case, door. Also, install that rod at least 6 inches wider than the window or door itself. 6-10 inches is a good range - if you have the real estate to do so. This will make your windows seem larger and make more of a statement. Plus, you need room to stack your open curtains. You don't want them to stack to each side within the window. That's a no-no.
Window treatments can be complicated, to be sure. These are just simple guidelines and if you abide by them you will be on the right track. Or you can just throw up your hands and give me a call. I got this.
Do you have some embarrassing drapery shots you would like to share? I won't judge (fingers crossed).
Be sure to tag us on Instagram and Facebook with your window triumphs.
Thanks for reading and I will see you next week!
