How to choose curtains for your home?

Buying curtains can be an overwhelming process. You have to focus on everything from the fabric to the length of the drapes. In addition to that, if you have a home with several large windows, it can be fairly expensive to buy curtains for your rental apartment in Dubai. Here are a couple of useful tips to choose curtains for your home. 

While selecting a curtain, narrow down your style options. Decide what is your purpose of buying curtains. Whether you want your room to be more colourful or want to let the light in through the windows. This will help you buy the right curtains for your house.

Tips to choose curtains for your home

Whether you are living in a villa or apartment in Dubai, ensuring your windows are well cared for is essential. While selecting curtains and drapes for your home, go for the ones that cater to your requirements. If you want to enjoy the natural light, focus on the sheer fabrics as they will maximize the natural light for you. However, if you are hypersensitive to light or want more privacy, go for more solid curtains. 

If you’re wondering, how to choose curtains for based on the room, it’s generally better to opt for lighter curtains that let the light in. Similarly, if the question of how to choose curtains for your bedroom comes to your mind, go for a heavier fabric as it will enable you to create a little privacy there.

When it comes to the colours, the best curtain colours for living room are optic white, blue and greys, which will complement most colours. This way even if you decide to change your furniture a little bit, you won’t have to reinvest in curtains that may interfere with the colour scheme.

Choosing a window curtain colour for your bedroom is also equally important. When it comes to choosing curtains and drapes for your bedroom, you can go for earthy shades such a beige, brown or pink as they will make your space cosier.

Take precise measurements

Picking out the best curtains for your room is not rocket science. The key is to get the right measurements.

Before you estimate the length and width of the window, it’s important to think about how far you want to hang your curtains from the frame of the window. If you want to add height to the room, it’s best to hang those coverings slightly above the frame. Designers often suggest to hang them about six to eight inches above your window. So, choose what works best for you.

Once you decide, take out the tape and measure the length and width of your window. The standard method is to measure from top to bottom and add another two or three inches to the length. 

For width, add four to eight inches on both sides. These extra inches will block out light from the window, enabling you to make your room pitch black whenever you want. 

If your room has a low ceiling, go for floor-to-ceiling drapes. It will create an illusion of a bigger room. However, if you want to prevent the fabric of your curtains from getting ruined, the shorter length will work well too. Shorter curtains don’t touch the ground and that is the secret to their durability.

Follow the theme

After you have taken care of the measurements, choose curtains that go with the theme of your house. Don’t make that classic mistake of adorning each room with the drapes that look the same – be experimental and give each room a unique personality with vibrant curtains. If you are going for minimalistic home decor, you could experiment with bolder colours for your curtains. Similarly, if your home has a boho-chic theme, maybe choosing more eclectic patterns might complement the look better. 

Get creative with your ideas and select curtains that go naturally with the style and theme of the room. For instance, if it’s a castle-themed kid’s room with pink bedding and bright furniture, go for white or purple curtains. Similarly, if the theme of your living room is artistic, go for a neutral palette drape. It will be a great addition to your room.

While selecting a curtain, think about the function of the room, you’re purchasing it for. For instance, choose elegant curtains for a bedroom. Similarly, avoid heavy curtains in bathrooms.

Choosing window drapings in different styles creates a massive impact on the overall decor of the home.

Focus on colours

While selecting a curtain, make sure you choose the right colour. You can either pick the one that can easily blend with the decor of your room or the one that pops up. 

If you want your curtains to seamlessly blend with the decor, go with options that have the same colour tone as that of the walls. For accentuating the colour scheme in your home with contracting curtains, opt for vibrant shades of red, blue, pink, green and more. If you want your room to be more dramatic and energizing, these colours can be your best pick. However, if your room is susceptible to sun exposure, it’s better to avoid these colours.

There is also an option to choose a non-dominant subtle colour for your room. For instance, if there is a brown rug in your room, you can choose brown curtains too. 

There are also some cool, soothing colours such as lilac, pastel, teal, purple, pink that can give your room a relaxing, vacation-like feel. If you want to transform your room into a beautiful retreat, go with these colours.

The most important reason to embellish your home with colourful drapery is to liven up space. If you feel your home needs happy, positive vibes, bring them in by introducing big, smile-inducing colours such as bright yellow or orange.

Pay heed to the prints and patterns

Patterned curtains go well with solid-colour furniture or bedding. If the room in your house lacks a proper colour pattern and has the same hue all over, patterned curtains would be an ideal choice

Select small, neutral prints such as paisley or dots – they will add a character to your cookie-cutter home. You can also opt for leaf-printed, floral, rosy and transparent curtains.

You can also go for blackout curtains If you want to block light from entering your room or reduce unwanted street noises. Composed of heavy polyester, they provide insulation from light and noise pollution. 

Go for long-lasting fabrics

Most fabrics are prone to some amount of sun rot. However, there are certain fabrics that are more durable than the others and don’t deteriorate as quickly as their other counterparts. So, make sure you choose curtains based on the sturdiness of their materials.

Faux silk is least prone to sun damage. Other fabrics such as linen, velvet, and silk also tend to be more durable, particularly, in a sunny room. There is another convenient option that you can avail: line any curtain with an insulating material. Trust us, if done correctly, it can work wonders!

You can also select a fabric based on the type of room. For instance, in a formal space, heavy silk or velvet would look good while in a casual setting, crinkly velvet and billowy linen would be suitable.

Also, while choosing the fabric, decide whether machine-friendly or dry clean only curtains would be best for you. It will save you from the hassle of replacing a curtain each time it gets ruined by washing inappropriately. 

How to choose curtains for small windows?

If you’re thinking, how to choose curtains for windows, then focus on the tips shared below:

• Go for roll-up curtains such as bamboo blinds.
• Install a curtain above the window so the edge of the curtain will meet the glass, giving the illusion of a larger window.

And this rounds up our tips to choose curtains for your home. Don’t forget to cater to your personal tastes while selecting a drape for your house.

If you are looking at other innovative ways to spice up the decor of your place, take a look at the creative ways to use wallpaper in your home. It explains the best type of wallpapers and the ways to use them to accentuate your living space.

Entryways make the first impression on guests which is why it is important to decorate the foyer entrance of your home the right way. If you’re stuck, check out the entryway decor ideas for your home. They will help you revamp your home in style! 

Looking for more decor inspiration for your home? Stay tuned to the My Home section of our blog for more tips and tricks to transform your home from drab to fab!