From pencil pleats to eyelets, thermal and blackout, there are many different materials and designs to choose from when it comes to window dressings. Whilst sometimes considered merely a practical purchase, when done right custom drapery can create a big impact in a room.
If you’re hoping to make your home look more expensive and luxurious, there are a few key things to consider when choosing custom window treatments. To help ensure our window dressings don’t fall flat, we have worked with Amy Wilson, interior designer for 247 Curtains, to reveal her top tips to maximise the impact of our windows with luxe-look curtains.
1. Length = luxe
Getting the length of your custom window coverings right is the number one rule when it comes to achieving a luxurious-looking window.
Amy tells us “When it comes to the length of your curtains, they can be too long, but never allow them to be too short. Curtains should always touch the floor and for an added touch of luxury, let them pool slightly onto the floor. To create the perfect curtain pooling you should allow an extra couple of inches to your measured drop, when measuring your made to measure curtains.
“The beauty of curtains is there is margin for error when using a pole or track as you may be able to lower this if your curtains are falling a little too short. If you prefer not to have curtains all the way to the floor then consider a roman blind instead of short curtains.”
2. Perfect your pleats
One of the trickiest parts of choosing your curtains is deciding on the heading. To get the ultimate luxe-look there are lots of factors to consider.
“Firstly, when choosing your heading you should consider the frame you’re covering – if you’ve got a wide space to fill (like bi-fold or french doors) you’ll probably want to opt for an eyelet heading. This style looks most expensive when fitted on a curtain pole from floor to ceiling.
“A pinch pleat is also a really elegant choice, it gives a defined structure to your curtain that can look more polished. Paired with a subtle curtain pole in shades of metallic this can also look really modern and stylish.”
3. Draw carefully
A key part of luxe-looking curtains is maintaining neatly defined pleats and curves. To ensure they look as structured as possible you should be careful not to disrupt them when drawing your curtains.
Amy says “The key to a defined pleat is to ensure that you have extra material in the width of your curtain. This means that when they’re drawn, you’re able to keep a slight curve to their shape.
When you’re closing the curtain, you should push it towards the middle of the window pleat by pleat – rather than just dragging it across. This is especially important for eyelet style designs to create strong silhouettes.”
4. Think wider
The key to making your curtains look fuller (and thus, more expensive) is to have a longer width than the opening that you’re covering.
Amy comments “You want your curtains to maintain a strong shape even when they’re closed and the key to this is having more material. This is where it’s beneficial to opt for made-to-measure curtains over ready-made. There’s often lots of conflicting information about how much extra material you need, but this is generally taken care of in production – so you only need to measure the width of your window or door and you’ll still get that ‘full’ look.”
5. Hang high and wide
Whilst a practical mind may only think to cover the exact perimeter of your window or door, if you want to make your room look bigger and more expensive, you should make more of a feature of your glass.
Amy says “The higher and wider you hang your curtain rail or tracks, the more expensive it looks.
Playing with the scale of your furnishings and adding in items that seem ‘too big’ for the space will actually have the opposite effect and make your room feel more dramatic and grand, hence bigger. A small window in a small room will benefit greatly from full-length curtains that actually extend beyond the width of your window. Taking your curtains across your whole window wall will give the illusion of a larger window and elevate the style stakes of your room.
Hanging curtains too short simply cuts your room in half- your eyes will be drawn to the bottom of the curtains and the room will appear smaller and more constrained.”
