When it comes to hanging curtains we’re not shy about encouraging people to hang them high and wide to visually enlarge the window and add height and drama to any space. Just as influential as paint on the walls, nothing makes a room look more finished than a few floor to ceiling curtain panels. And we’re here to break down a few fast and easy curtain-hanging steps for your convenience. Of course there’s more than one way to skin a cat (that expression is gross, sorry) so here’s a method that works for us (although there are about a million other approaches out there).
Here’s our favorite eight year old’s window sans curtains. You can see how harsh the rectangular frame of the window is, and how naked the entire wall looks. Nothin’ some Ikea curtains can’t fix.
The first step is to determine how high and wide you can go. In this case (where the ceilings are 9 feet tall) we didn’t go all the way to the ceiling (as we do with our 8 foot ones) but we did decide to place the curtains 12″ higher than the top of the window, and 12″ wider on each side. A good way to check that the curtain rod can extend far enough (which is definitely something to figure out before installing the rod hooks) is to lay it on the floor in front of the window and measure your targeted width (in this case adding 12 inches to either side of the window) to ensure that the rod is long enough.
Once we determined that the rod was long enough, we simply used a level to measure 12″ higher than the window frame and another 12″ to the right of the window (and to the left on the other side). Marking the spot with a small penciled “x” was all it took. Then we predrilled a small hole for a plastic anchor, hammered it into place, and drilled the screw right into the anchor to secure the rod hook. No sweat.
In this case we also hung a hook in the middle of the rod for added support (to counteract the dreaded “sagging rod”) which was easily added by measuring 12″ above the center of the window and again using a plastic anchor and a screw to keep the rod hook securely in place.
Here’s the finished product: billowy floor length curtains that can be easily hemmed to just skim the floor (although Princess Olivia loves the pooled look so much that she prefers them as is). Of course colored and even patterned curtains would add even more punch to this space, but Olivia’s minimalist mommy adores the white on white look. And it’s actually a huge trend to hang curtains that closely match the hue of the wall for a seamless and uninterrupted look that draws your eye right out the window. Mission accomplished.
And while many people fear the space between the top of the rod and the window, you can easily see here that it looks perfectly balanced (in fact, we think the window looks choked and crowded when the rod is mounted right on top of the window frame). And you can always cheat things even more by adding some bamboo shades like we did in our living room to hide the 15″ gap above ours. Oh window treatments: how did people ever live without you?!
We hope our lil’ curtain tutorial has been helpful and empowering. John wasn’t even around when I hung the curtains above (his sister Emily and I grabbed the drill and went to town). So if you have a ruler, a level, and a drill you can get ‘er done in about a half hour for a totally polished result. And of course we’d love any and all curtain hanging tips that you guys have picked up over the years. Dish the curtain hanging dirt…
Marie says
We have 9 foot ceilings in our breaksfast area which also has a set of french doors to our patio. Our great room is adjacent to the breakfast room and has high vaulted ceilings and a wall of windows on the same side of the house as the french doors are. In the great room we hung one long drapery rod the length of the wall about 9 inches above the top of the windows, which puts it directly below the molding of the half moon window that is above. We cant decide where to hang the rod in the breakfast room. Do we keep it consistnat at 9 inches above the top of the french doors? Go to the ceiling? Is there any way it would work to go right above the french doors…..the drapes that I would love to keep in there are the standard 84 inches (an unusual color purchased a long time ago). I can let out the hem a little on them which would allow the rod to sit at a max height of 3 1/2 inches above the top of the moulding. Would that look too “crowded” or could it work? Thanks in advance for your advice! I just love your site!
YoungHouseLove says
I would keep it consistent so it looks balanced and the same height all around. Hope it helps!
xo
s
Shawn Murphy says
This was a great tip – thanks! We were successful in hanging curtains high and wide in our living room and love the look. When we went to the bedroom and office though we opened a can of worms.
In our 1942 house, I can’t seem to get the drill bit to go through the wall completely at the corners above the window frame. It’s almost as if there’s a metal bracket in the exact place I need to install the curtain rod. Any suggestions or ideas? I’m at a complete loss and my wall is starting to look like swiss cheese. I might give up and install the rod at the top of the window frame just to be done with this project.
Any help is appreciated! We love the book and have tackled lots of “intimidating” projects with the ease of your step by step process. Thanks for that!
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, I would try hanging the rod higher so you’re not right on the window frame. It’ll let the window breathe and look larger and you’ll hopefully avoid whatever’s blocking your drill.
xo
s
Shawn Murphy says
You are correct – just spreading them out a bit further bypassed whatever we were hitting and actually looks a lot better too. Thanks for the reassurance and thank goodness for spackel and leftover room paint…
YoungHouseLove says
So glad!
xo
s
Anne says
Hello! Thank you for blessing so many people by sharing your giftedness through this website. I love it! The creamy grommet curtains you used in this lovely room are exactly what I’m looking for. Do you remember the brand/color?
YoungHouseLove says
They’re from Ikea! Hope it helps!
xo
s
Melissa says
My husband and I are currently working on our little girl’s room and are trying to decide on curtains for the room. The curtains that I love are kind of pricey so I was thinking about just putting 1 curtain on each window. The curtains are wide enough to cover the window, but I didn’t know if it would look weird to only have one curtain, instead of 2 on each window that meet in the middle. It seems like you guys have great advice, so I figured I would ask. Thanks!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, I generally think it looks nice and balanced when you have two, so that’s our preference. You could always do one and see if you like it before committing to two though :)
xo
s
Lisa says
Hi,
I have very wide living room windows and am attempting to hang new custom drapery panels that span about 175″ split between 2 panels. I have tried piecing several drapery rods together to get the width I need but will need more than just extra center support due to the very long lengths and the somewhat weighty linen panels. With that option, there’s no way to move the drapery back and forth on the rings. I thought to take all of my hardware back and get traverse rods but I can’t find anything in such a width that isn’t white and I don’t want to cover the rod with a valence. I’ve certainly seen the conduit DIYs out there but I actually wanted rods with some type of return. I’ve also seen folks tack a return to the wall but I don’t care for the look. I really like French rods (this is what I’m currently working with) Any suggestions? French rod ends for sale that could be used with conduit? I’m so picky….
YoungHouseLove says
I would check out JC Penney because I hear they have extra long rods and extender rods you might be able to use without interfering with opening and closing your panels. Hope it helps!
xo
s
Lorelei says
came across your site in desperation on how to hang valances in my kitchen. My problem is that my kitchen is divided by an breakfast bar and there are windows on each side – but they are different sizes. The one that is over the sink is wide but short and on the other side wide and long – but the tops are not at the same height from the ceiling. How do I determine where to put the rods-should they be even or do them separately. Since I am makng the valances how long should should the valances be 12″, 16″? My other issue is that the window on the left does not have a frame? Should I have a frame made? Plus the window is extremely close to the cabinet – i would say there is probably less than 10″ and then the other side has no cabinet – I am at a loss on how to handle these valance positioning. Any thoughts?
YoungHouseLove says
I would do 16″ valances and hang them at the same height (so chest one higher to make them feel more balanced. Put the rods at the sane height as the valances, but obviously one will be wider than the other. As long as theyre the same height they should feel more balanced. Hope it helps!
xo
s
Kathy says
Hi,
I’ve stumbled onto your fantastic and inspiring blog all the way from Australia :)
I have a tricky window. The room is very small, only 8′ x 12′ and has a built-in wardrobe and desk on one wall, leaving the only place for the bed to go in the corner hard up against the two walls. Also in this corner is a small window. The window is about 3′ wide and is about 3′ up from the floor. It is jammed up against the corner, so impossible to hang a curtain either side.
Also, as the bed must be up against the wall having floor length curtains is out.
Not only that, the room faces west, getting the hot summer afternoon sun so the window needs to have a covering that can help to block out the heat.
I currently have a vertical blind, which looks horrible. I do have a ceder venetian/plantation style blind that fits inside the window – its brand new and still in the box.
Any ideas on how I can make this work AND look good?
The room is for a young adult female.
Thanks,
Kathy
YoungHouseLove says
I would grab a lined bamboo shade or a lined roman shade. That way it’ll feel balanced and block the light without being too long. Good luck!
xo
s