5 tips for buying curtains

Asha Bogenfuerst Asha Bogenfuerst
homify Modern windows & doors
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Curtains are an important part of a home both aesthetically and functionally. Not only do curtains dress up windows and beautify a room, they also sometimes serve the function of blocking natural light from entering the house or securing the privacy of a home. Choosing suitable curtains for your home can be both fun and challenging. Today, we're here to help you choose the right curtains for your home. However, keep in mind that there is no right curtain, it all depends on your needs and style. For example, how much natural light do you want in a particular room—the curtains can have a big impact on the whole atmosphere and mood of the room so you need to take into account all kinds of factors. Now let's check out some of these tips for buying curtains, shall we? 

1. Colour and fabric

If the room gets a lot of direct sunlight, the colour of the curtains will fade away quite fast so we recommend light or pastel colours, since it's much less noticeable when a light colour fades compared to when a dark or bright colour fades. As for the fabric, choose a material that allows the room to breathe better. The fabric should not be too heavy, instead it should allow for ventilation and keep dust away. For warm weather, light and airy linen and cotton or silk are the most ideal. For more inspiration, here are 9 curtain designs for Indian homes.

2. Length and lining

Did you know long curtains can make a small room seem bigger? This is why it is important to consider the length of the curtain before any purchase. In order to add length to a curtain, you can place the railings higher above the window rather than closer to the window. However, if you would like to make use of the wall space below the windows, shorter curtains which just covered the windows would definitely be more ideal. 

As for the lining, it really depends how much light you want to let into the room and how airy you want it to be. Faux silk curtains usually fall and look better with a good quality lining. 

3. Ready made or tailored

Although it is tempting to just shop online and buy a ready made curtain with standard dimensions, a little more effort to have it tailored to suit the exact dimensions of your house can result in a much better outcome. Tailored curtains have a much better quality of stitching and you can also choose to use better quality curtain material than what is usually used for ready made curtains. Take a look at 11 curtain ideas for your home if you need more ideas. 

4. Machine wash or dry clean

Please take note that some high quality curtain fabrics should only be dry cleaned, or they will be damaged. This means that you will need to spend extra money on maintaining expensive curtains. You may want to consider using cotton and linen curtains if saving money and time in the long run is important to you, as these fabrics can simply be machine washed at home and you don't have to spend lots of money for dry cleaning. For more inspiration, check out 8 essential curtain styles for Indian homes.

5. DIY or expert consultation

Basically, we have given you the essentials tips for buying curtains, but if you still do not feel confident enough that you will be able to find the suitable curtains for your home, we recommend that you consult with one of design experts on homify. If you do it yourself, you will need to take measurements,find a curtain tailor and decide on the fabric colour, length and lining and shop around for it—it could be fun, but it will be time consuming. Think about it. 

We hope the purchasing tips for curtains here have been helpful. If you need more information like this, have a look at our article titled dress your windows in spectacular style.

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