How To Cover Those Windows

Let’s talk CURTAINS. An often over-seen element of home decor, these can be done *soooo* right, or super, super… not right. More often than not, the homes I see are breaking all of the curtain-hanging rules. What, you didn’t know there were curtain hanging rules?! OH, there are curtain hanging rules. Let’s dive in… 

The goal when staging or decorating any space is to make the room feel large and BRIGHT. As the keepers of the *literal* light, window treatments can make a massive impact on the way a room looks and feels.

I’m not usually a rule person (she says, while writing yet another article about rules), but when it comes to curtains there are a few general rules that I always follow, and they have never steered me wrong (they’re a little math-y, but it’s the good math, I promise!). Plus there are cute drawings of what NOT to do:

Choose the correct size curtains (width and height). A good rule of thumb is to have the width of the curtains be double the width of the window. This means that sometimes using two panels per side of the window is necessary — measure (and budget!) with that possibility in mind. For length, the goal is to have the curtains sit just above the floor no more than an inch (since comparing this to fashion seems to work so well, think: slight crop and not a capri). 
Or, proper curtains = stilettos; the curtains on the left = flip flops.

Hang the rod *above* the window frame. Aim for 6”-20” above the frame, depending on the height of your ceiling and length of your curtains. Bam! Stilettos. You know how people GASP and rave about tall ceilings? Well, short curtains are an awesome way to *not* have that feeling when you walk into a room. And, choose a rod that is 8″-12” wider than the window. This creates room for the panels to hang on either side of your window, without blocking too much of the actual window.

AND when it comes to staging, sometimes we decide on no curtains at all. When we come across a house with poorly or incorrectly hung curtains, removing them altogether is usually the way to go to give the home the staging love it deserves!