No home décor is complete without pretty and accentuating curtains that adorn the windows in your house. The curtains not only highlight the windows but also bring the décor around the windows into perspective. Heat insulation and light-control are other benefits that make curtains an ideal window treatment option for all types of living and office spaces. Affordable, easy to install, and available in a variety of color and design options, curtains have many unique advantages over other types of window treatments which make them so popular.
Why Curtains are great for Your Windows?
Curtains are a popular choice for dressing up windows not only because of the cost-effectiveness and easy availability. There are other aspects also which make them the ideal pick for adorning the windows and doors in your house. Let us look at some such aspects in greater detail:
Easy Installation
With other window coverings such as blinds, shades, shutters, etc. you have to give a lot of attention to getting the mounting mechanism installed properly. Ensuring that the mounting mechanism is strong enough to handle their weight is crucial. Curtains are not only more lightweight but hanging them on the windows is pretty straightforward and super easy as you don’t need to invest in a sophisticated mounting mechanism.
Stylist Edge
Curtains add texture and a unique stylistic flavor to the room and impart a sense of warmth and coziness to the décor of the room. While other window coverings such as the blinds are also available in many design and color options, these are no match to curtains when it comes to stylistic versatility and availability in a variety of colors and patterns. You can choose to have the curtains coordinate in color with the rest of the décor in the room. Alternatively, you can also decide to make them stand out by creating a beautiful contrast with the wall, furnishings, and other décor elements in the room. Finding similar flexibility with other kinds of window treatment products is a little difficult as these aren’t as readily available in the color of your choice as curtains are.
Easier Improvisation
Window treatment options such as blinds and shades are normally quite durable and can’t be frequently changed or replaced as it involves substantial expenditure. This means that you are stuck with the color and design of the window coverings you purchased for many years. With curtains, there is no such issue. You can not only get the curtains in all kinds of hues, but you can also keep changing them to reinvigorate the décor of the house from time to time. With so many designs and patterns available, doing some experimentation of your own isn’t all that difficult either. You can find unique and creative ways of hanging the curtains in order to accentuate the interiors in your house.
Utility
Curtains are also high on utility and have many useful features that make them an awesome window treatment choice. Curtains are very energy efficient and block out the heat and light very effectively. If you want to block out the light completely, you can opt for room-darkening or blackout curtains. If you want to allow some light to enter the room, sheer or semi-sheer curtains will be an ideal option. The sheer or semi-sheer curtains diffuse the light, prevent glare, and also provide a tasteful appeal to the windows and the interiors. Curtains also act as a sound buffer which helps in quietening the room. Some window coverings such as aluminum blinds can be quite noisy to operate and if you hate that, curtains can be a good alternative.
5 Creative Ways to Hang Your Curtains
Hanging curtains is very simple and straightforward but that does not mean that you can not be creative and imaginative about how you do it. You can improvise to create unique and impressive looks that can add an edge to the interiors. Let us look at some of the innovating and artistic ways in which you can hang the curtains in your house for an eloquent and expressive appeal:
• Go natural with the headrails: You can start with choosing a headrail that is unconventional. You can use driftwood or slim branches from trees that are shaped similarly to headrails. This will give a natural and rustic appeal to the look of the window and the curtains. You can choose curtains with tab-top or eyelets that have a generous grommet size so that these improvised wooden headrails can easily pass through them. Whether you are putting sheers on them or hanging darker curtains, these headrails will surely accentuate and freshen up the look of the interiors. If you go this route, ensure that the wood you use can properly support the weight of your curtains.
• Use ropes instead of headrails: Hanging the curtains using headrails is a common practice but it is not the only option. You can try hanging the curtains using a decorative rope. This will not only soften the look of the window frames but will also impart a relaxing appeal to the feel of the interiors. You can use the brackets that hold the ends of the headrails to tie both the ends of the rope. If the rope is longer you can use it to your advantage. Use the extra portion on both ends as tiebacks for the curtains. It will not only make the look neater as no loose ends will be left hanging but will also heighten the effect of this look.
• Use curtain tracks: Curtain tracks are a convenient, unobtrusive, and neat way of hanging curtains. The tracks are normally hidden away and hence the whole look is very elegant and tidy. You can use curtain tracks in multiple layers as this will allow you to use a combination of different types of curtains. You can hang sheers, voiles, and blackout curtains in separate tracks. Doing this not only add color and character to the window frame but also provide you with the flexibility of having varying degree of light control ranging from allowing outside light through sheers to completely blocking them with blackout curtains.
• Use valances: Valances and curtains are a pair made in heaven. Valances not only hide the mounting mechanism of the curtains but also add a unique character to the look of the curtains. The valances draw attention to the window frame and thereby highlighting them. You can opt for fabric valances or can go with wooden valances if you want the window frame to look more structured.
• Hang long curtains along with sheers in pairs: Long curtains make the windows look tall and shift the focus back to the window frame. You can use blackout curtains and sheers in pairs to add some depth and elegant symmetry to the window frame. Blackout curtains on both the ends and sheers in the middle create a beautiful contrast while accentuating the window. You can also use tie backs to further heighten the style quotient of the interiors.
There are innumerable ways in which you can use curtains to dress up your windows, limited only by the scope of your creative ingenuity and imagination. The above-discussed ways are a good way to get you started on that path. Curtains are fun, easy to improvise and flexible enough to find relevance in any kind of home décor irrespective of your taste whether it verges on sophistication or some warm peculiarity.
