This isn’t as exciting as our big laundry room reno (nothing is!) but let’s talk about curtains for a second. Remember when our bedroom was all naked and afraid? (Sidenote: if you’re not watching that show, you should be).
We added frames and hung curtains at the same time, but it took us way longer to actually finish said curtains. We knew we wanted nice white linen-like ones for our dark-walled bedroom, and had heard a lot of good things about the Lenda curtains from Ikea around blogland (they’re their nicer/thicker white curtains with a convincing linen-looking weave, as opposed to the cheaper/thinner/breezier ones we’ve tried in previous houses). After seeing – and feeling – them in person, we were sold.
We also grabbed some nice substantial curtain rods from Lowe’s along with some nice big ring hooks (the same ones that we used in Teddy’s room).
They didn’t look so great when we first hung them after washing and drying them (to account for shrinkage), which is why we moved on to our little frame project (and asked you ignore the curtains while posting about that).
Once we finished with the frames, I turned my attention back to the curtains and slowly (as in, it took me a month to finish them) got ’em done. First I took them down one by one and ironed them. I also removed the tabs at the top, so we could clip them more cleanly to each panel. See how it looks floppy and folded over in the one that’s hanging below? No bueno.
Just ironing them and removing the tab tops made a big difference. We also realized that they looked nicer when they were less pulled out/wide. That’s right, after years of practicing hanging curtains “high and wide” to give the illusion of bigger windows, it felt odd to like the look of tighter, narrower curtains – but it really gave these curtain panels a cleaner and fuller look.
The last thing they needed was a bit of a hem on the bottom, so after three weeks or so of being almost-but-not-quite done, I took to my sewing machine to make a nice thick hem (around 4″).
Here they are after. So. Much. Better.
I just want to rehang the curtain rods a little closer to the windows (nothing a little spackle and paint can’t solve).
Oh and one more tip is that when I hung them I sort of trained the fabric to alternate the direction of the loops with the rings (between two rings I’d train it to swoop out and between the next two rings I’d train the fabric to swoop in). That created a nice shape that I could follow down the rest of the panel for that drapey look. The professionally made curtains at the showhouse had that shape to them, and we really liked it. They felt so polished and tailored. Here we use faux white wood blinds for privacy, and the showhouse has custom white shutters, so in both cases the curtains are purely decorative (so they’re not drawn closed and can keep that shape).
Speaking of the professionally made curtains we got for the showhouse, we’re actually debating getting some made for our office. We know it won’t be as cheap as buying fabric and making our own (or grabbing pre-made ones by mass retailers) but we really loved how the showhouse ones turned out, and we conveniently met a seamstress through that process that we can use. We actually debated using her for bedroom curtains, but we figured white linen looking curtains were easy enough to find, so we’ll save her talents for a more not-readily-available result, like office curtains in one of these fabrics:
We ran through our favorite local fabric store (U-Fab) to grab these swatches. We love all of them for different reasons, so we’re still simmering on which one to go with. The patterned ones feel a little busy when we hold them up, and although we thought we’d love the emerald green or the orange ones for being a little different than our usual choices, they both felt sort of thicker/heavier than we expected when we put them next to the window.
Our favorite of the group is probably the top right swatch, which we only realized after holding them all up is the same fabric we used for the window treatments in the master bedroom of the showhouse, so while it feels sort of anticlimactic to go with the same thing at home, it’s also nice that they’re pre-vetted and we know we love them (and that they drape beautifully).
We’re not 100% sold on it yet though, so we’ll keep you posted when we make a decision. Sometimes I look into the office and think leaving the windows bare might actually be beautiful…
We also made a few curtain updates in Clara’s room, since we both had some issues with how hers had been looking. I thought the pattern was competing a little too much with the bold rug and the playful raindrop painted wall, and Mr. Function (John) didn’t like how the blackout curtains, which were clipped behind each breezy panel, made them feel a little bulky when we slid them open and closed since we hadn’t ever sewn them together. Plus, the thin rod – a carryover from our last house – was starting to sag.
They actually photograph better than they look in person (photogenic curtains?), but in real life they felt a little more demanding and messy looking. So while in the midst of hanging Clara’s new light, we tried two things: flipping the panels backwards (the pattern was more muted on the other side) and removing the blackout curtains (which we’ve been considering weaning Clara off of anyways). They immediately felt less bold and heavy.
So I took them down and I sewed a hem on all four sides of all four panels (16 hems!) so that hanging them backwards looked more finished. For a second I worried about how bad the bold circles might look from the street with them drawn, but realized that since we close the blinds before pulling the curtains closed, they’d never be visible from outside – and since we removed the blackout panels we probably would just shut the blinds and leave the curtains open anyway.
Rather than rehanging them on those thin, sagging curtains rods; we took the opportunity to upgrade those too. We went with white wood ones from Lowe’s so that we no longer had a dark metal line cutting across the top of each window. That’s a look that we like almost every where else, but Clara’s room is so light and playful that it felt oddly heavy and out of place in here. As soon as we got the white rods up, they felt great.
I was waiting for one of you eagle eyed readers to notice the rod change/curtain flip in Clara’s light post, but nobody did! To be fair, we hardly showed them, so here’s a nice full view for ya. We’re still not certain they’ll be Clara’s forever curtains, but we’re both liking them much better, and it was a zero dollar change other than the rod upgrade (they’ll stay no matter what curtains end up there someday).
Oh and as for the length in here, John was adamant that ours be floor-length in our bedroom (he likes that look best) but agreed that a little loose pooling action on Clara’s floor would be ok for these. I think that casual french vibe goes well with her Belle-looking chandelier.
The best news of all is that so far our fears of ruining Clara’s sleep habits without blackouts have been unfounded. She’s still taking good naps in the afternoon (which is when the sun hits her windows the most directly) and isn’t waking at sunrise like we worried she would. Turns out those white faux-wood blinds do a pretty decent job at blocking light on their own, so they seem to be just fine without blackouts backing them up.
There you have it. A whole lot of hem-sewing, some new rods, and some curtain considerations for the office. Now it’s back to laundry room stuff (today we’re re-routing vents, which sounds about as exciting as it is – but next is drywall!). Until then I’ll be daydreaming about what curtains we’ll hang in the future bunk room someday and trying not to duct tape my fingers together.
Erica DeSpain says
My family is moving with the Army to Kansas next month, and your site gave us the courage to buy a 27 year old home (with only a few cosmetic issues) instead of a new construction because through your site I’ve learned how a little paint and a little patience can truly transform a home. In six years, I’ve never used my blog to discuss DIY home projects, but now I’m so excited to get there and get started (and hopefully do some documenting on my blog!). Thanks again! -Erica @ WhimsicalSeptember.com
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so sweet Erica! Congrats!
xo
s
Fran says
Re Clara’s room. It isn’t the curtains, it’s the rug. Change that and you will have a whole new ‘little girl friendly’ room.
I do agree with the rod switch out. Perfect.
Milky says
I disagree, I love the rug in Clara’s room! Girl does not have to mean pink :) My DD7’s favorite color is blue, her room is green and turquoise, she’d love that rug
Leigh says
E have th same curtains in our bedroom, dip dyed though, I found if you sew down the tabs onto the back of the curtains you can hang then on the rod without the tabs showing. Looks quite polished
YoungHouseLove says
Smart!
xo
s
Carly says
What size are the white rings? When we bought our house, it already had a white rod but it’s larger and I can’t find white rings anywhere! Especially ones that are large enough for the rod.
YoungHouseLove says
I think they’re around 2 to 2.5″? They’re from Lowe’s so maybe check out what they have?
xo
s
Winnie says
Just wondering, how come you decided to sew the hem instead of using your no sew method?
YoungHouseLove says
I’ve sewn curtains before too (like our former dining room curtains, which are now in our guest room) so I tend to switch off on methods. Since I had so many hems to do, getting the machine out seemed worth it.
xo
s
Allison says
I want to switch out my pole pockets and add rings to my curtains instead to open and close them more easily, but I haven’t done that before. I didn’t know how many rings per curtain, etc. so this was a timely post for me!
Blair says
I like all the curtain updates just fine, and I’m another one that is in the roman shade camp. I think it’ll be a great compromise. I must say, however, that the elementary school teacher in me is going crazy – nice, nice, nice, nice, nice… I counted 9. That’s one that’s always in our word cemetery. It’s banned! Maybe it should be in a YHL word cemetery, too? :)
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, with all the words we spew I’m sure dozens of phrases and words should end up there ;)
xo
s
Diana says
Love the curtains… but have to comment about Naked and Afraid…oh my goodness. We haven’t seen any of the new season yet but dying to. I’ve gotten a lot of weird looks lately suggesting it to people, glad we’re not the only ones fascinated!!!
YoungHouseLove says
It’s addicting!
xo
s
Lauren S. says
Looks lovely!
Unrelated, but I was looking through old posts on your house tour and was wondering, any plans to post on the change in outdoor lights by the back door/garage doors still? Just curious what happened with that.
YoungHouseLove says
We shared that info back in May. Here’s that post for ya: https://www.younghouselove.com/2014/05/just-a-few-days-too-late/
xo
s
Berry says
I think you guys mentioned a long time ago putting some built-ins in the master bedroom to balance out the windows and add storage, but now with the new curtains and frames up everything looks pretty awesome. Are you still thinking about built-ins down the line (if I’m even remembering that correctly) or is that idea kinda off the table?
Love all the changes and can’t wait to see the laundry room. And that blog post that someone put up about y’all being “our friends” was spot on…
YoungHouseLove says
Now that we added then to the crib/bed wall in the nursery next door it feels like too much to do that in our bedroom for now so the frames are our new approach for that wall.
xo
s
Amy K says
Where did Clara’s cuckoo clock come from? I love it!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Amy! I had so much fun making it. Here’s that post for you: https://www.younghouselove.com/2013/11/weekly-crafty-getting-clocked/
xo
s
Anna | Gone Banannas says
Curtains is one of those things that I keep meaning to do and for whatever reason (really any reason I can think of) I avoid them. I don’t have a good sense of what good priced curtains are. I know if you go to the ‘ol JCPenney and grab some Martha Stewart curtains you’ll be dropping a pretty penny but when it comes to DIY, do you have any tips on what a good price point is for fabric? ALSO, for those of us who don’t buy fabric often and are sort of (definitely) shy about it, how do you find fabric long enough? The longest I was finding in something that I liked was 9 meters, and I wasn’t sure that was long enough for four floor length panels. GOD IM SUCH A NEWB, SHELLY!
Anna | Gone Banannas says
*SIGH* I ALSO CAN’T TYPE *SHERRY!*
YoungHouseLove says
I love local fabric outlets and I look for the wide bolts (like upholstery grade fabric). I usually need five yards to get two floor length panels, and I think something in the $5-7 a yard range is good. Ikea also sells nice extra long curtains that are sometimes cheaper than buying comparable fabric and making your own, so that’s a good place to check too.
xo
s
DKL says
I just noticed that you have books under your lamps in the bedroom. It makes me feel better that I also am propping my lamps up with books to compensate for my new, higher off the ground bed. I had some thought about finding something more polished to use like a lacquer box but maybe that is not necessary.
Diane says
Thanks for this post this morning. I’ve been wanting to rehang my curtains but wasn’t sure what to do to make them look nicer. Now I do!! Did you just hang them any which way then start arranging them??
YoungHouseLove says
Yes I clipped them all at equal increments with my ring clips and then sort of trained them so they looped in and out.
xo
s
Danielle says
I may have misread the issue with the emerald/orange fabric for your office, but, if you’re having them professionally done through a seamstress and just want them to be a little heavier/allow less light through, you can always have your seamstress add a liner to them. That will help to preserve their color with the sun as well!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Danielle! They actually felt thicker and heavier than we expected without any liner! I thought they’d let more light in and drape sort of like linen but those colors felt more solid for some reason :)
xo
s
Tiffany says
Just wanted to let you know I absolutely love your blog! You have inspired me to tackle removing the glass shower doors in my 2 upstairs bathrooms. I admit, I’m a little nervous about it, but I’m going to give it a go. Just wondering, but have you tackled your dining room yet or did I miss that post? I’ve been excited to see what you do with that room.
YoungHouseLove says
Haven’t even touched it other than getting down the wallpaper. Haha! That blue trim’s days are numbered though!
xo
s
Carolyn Williams says
Looks great! You’ve inspired me. My daughter has had 6 inch too long curtains for about a year. And currently we have blankets and tapestries hanging over our blinds in the master bedroom. It’s super classy, but I think it’s time for actual curtains, and some hemming.
Joelle says
Is Clara’s new rod from lowes too?
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, Lowe’s (ring hooks too).
xo
s
Kristal Kerr says
Is Lowes sold out of those particular curtain rods? I could not find them and they would be perfect for our living room!
YoungHouseLove says
Maybe they’re just in store only? I have seen them in person a bunch of times.
xo
s
Jeanine Long says
I was super excited to see your post on curtains. We use your decorating ideas and tips to decorate our house, so thanks for that. Speaking of curtains, I live up in Hanover and I’m a design consultant for a small local company based in Ashland called Bloom (Boldly living out our mission). We make beautifully handmade curtains and other home furnishings (pillow covers, poufs, shower curtains, etc.). If you would be interested in looking at our fabric swatches (some of which are very similar to the swatches you picked in this post), I would love to show them to you. Go check out our curtains on our website http://www.shopbloomllc.com I hope you love them. Our owners do beautiful work and we’re local!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip!
xo
s
Brandi says
Awesome updates.. as usual!
The faux wood blinds are not cutting it in our nursery, and our little peanut wakes up with the sun every morning. I want to hang black out curtains, but can’t decide on the length. I would typically do floor to ceiling (it’s a set of three adjacent windows measuring 60ish inches tall), but I’m hesitant to have curtains that will hang within reach of a crawling child (some day). Do I just go with the curtains that hang just below the window sill? Any suggestions?
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh I would do floor length but hang them on ring clips like we do! They’re sort of a safety feature because the curtain will just slide off the clip (instead of the whole rod coming down) if you pull on them too hard ;)
xo
s
julia says
Might be a silly question, but what is “training” your curtains? I love that drapey look. PS I want to live in your daughter’s room. In love with that rug.
YoungHouseLove says
Just sort of using your hands to push them to loop back towards the window between two clips and then pulling the fabric out so it loops away from the window between the next two clips. You can sort of manipulate the way it hangs ;)
xo
s
Stacee says
Our house has NO curtains, anywhere! We’ve been here 3 years and I just can’t justify the cost or commit to a color! So we just live with our wooden blinds as is. I actually kinda love a naked window- if it’s in an area where you don’t feel the need to have privacy of course!
M'lea says
Hello, drapes are kinda my sweet spot so if you ever have questions… though I know keeping track of one email just incase of a random window treatment question may not happen, I wanted to throw it out there. I know how to make them professionally with the math and proper lining but also how to get the look for less!
I want to give my little opinion on the office treatment… I think roman shades would look awesome. Especially if you like the window al a carte. They take far less fabric so you can buy nicer more expensive fabric and not break the bank. Also there is a system you can have put on them and they move up and down like butter! Here in OKC it costs about $55 for each shade.
Love what you do and I know it will look perfect!! Bye!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much M’lea! Love the info!
xo
s
susan says
Clara’s white rods = perfect!!
Erin says
I love how much lighter the curtains look in Clara’s room! Do you remember where you got her bed spread? I’m looking for something similar for my daughter who is about the same age. I love the simplicity!
YoungHouseLove says
HomeGoods!
xo
s
Sarah @ Sarah's Daybook says
I love me some curtains :) They look awesome!
BamaCarol says
Good call on having cutains made for the office. I have finally had them professionally made for the entire house and while not cheap, they were so worth it in adding a professional look to the room. Especially the dining room and living room. I actually like the yellow and white sample you have!
Lindsay says
As someone who is constantly changing curtains in rooms, I enjoyed your post! I’ve also been obsessing about my daughter’s room lately and was looking for inspiration (I’m thinking of doing a polka dot wall) and found this and it reminded me of the fabric in your daughter’s closet.http://www.athoughtfulplaceblog.com/2013/07/diy-gold-polka-dots-using-decals.html
Like that room, maybe Clara’s room doesn’t need curtains? I like that you’re trying to keep the curtains from competing with the rug, but perhaps you should go without? Just a thought! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Oh I LOVE that room! I think it looked really naked without curtains (when they were down being hemmed), but it’s definitely something to think about!
xo
s
Evie says
I love how things look, Sherry. I’m working on curtains here, so I’m glad for this update! One question: what diameter curtain rings work well with 1″ rods? Thanks.
YoungHouseLove says
As long as they’re wide enough to slide on you’re good. Maybe 1.5 or 2″?
xo
s
J. Bagley says
Lovely! We found a pretty nice white linen-looking curtain option at Target.
I LOVE the Annie Selke Links Fabric (option picture #4) for your office. I’ve been eyeing that fabric for sometime – the bubblegum pink version.
I really like that other geometric print too – the yellow (option pic #5).
bookish says
I’m considering faux wood blinds. I really wish your photos weren’t so blown out so I could see how they look. Bummer. You guys get an awful lot of light in your windows for having so many trees.
Annie says
I have those curtains, too!
The way to hang curtains “high and wide” is to buy a rod long enough and then mount it wide enough that theedges of the curtain just kiss the edge of the frame when they’re hanging right. You need to get up there and fiddle to figure out what width of curtain looks right, then decide on rod placement.
My brackets are close to a foot out from the edge of the window frame.
It’s hard to judge these things when you don’t gave that gut feeling about proportions, but the rules of thumb work pretty well. And always, always always err on the side of fullness! You want the curtain width to be at least doube the window width, but when you hang wide you eat up width, so your curtains need to be double the width of the area between the brackets (on my windiws that’s an extra two feet! If in doubt, another curtain drop cut in half can add fullness to each side.
I would not recommend trying Roman shades yet. They are very tricky to sew.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Annie!
xo
s
Lauren K says
This is such a great idea! I love the blue color of the bedroom in the first pictures. Do you happen to know/remember the brand and color?
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Lauren! It’s Black Pepper by Ben Moore.
xo
s
Erica c says
Where did you get the green rug?
YoungHouseLove says
That was from Joss & Main a while back. It was in our last house’s living room.
xo
s
Jenn (Student Mom) says
Gorgeous. Wish you were closer so you could give me a swift kick up the bazooker so I get my inspiration from my head into my sewing machine.
YoungHouseLove says
Ha! Believe me, sometimes I need a swift kick when it comes to sewing!
xo
s
Wendy says
I have had luck using drapery weights with lighter fabric. You can buy them at any fabric store and they help the curtains hang nicely.
Hannah says
It’s funny that those curtains in Clara’s room was sold as a bed sheets in Ikea here in Scandinavia. I’ve got that fabric on my bed, and it seems strange to see it as curtains instead.
YoungHouseLove says
So funny!
xo
s
Kate says
What about just a topper in the office? Still getting some interest at the window without too much obstruction.
YoungHouseLove says
There have been some other suggestions like that, and they’re all definitely a possibility! Someone linked to some amazing roman shades that I’m in love with!
xo
s
Lauren says
Loving all these rooms! I wish I had all the imagination you do! Quick question, do you think the blueish color you used in your bedroom would work in a small bedroom? Its pretty small and Im thinking no but I love that blue so wondering your opinion.
Also, looking for wood picture frames just like. Care to share where you found them? I live in a city that doesnt have a great selection of stores and searching online isnt always great all the time.
Thanks so much!
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, I think the wall color would be pretty in a smaller bedroom. Moody and cozy! As for the wood frames, they’re from Michaels (in store, couldn’t find an online link for them). Good luck!
xo
s
Jessie Lee says
With your DIY skill you could certainly make your own roman shades, but I would recommend following a tutorial that would give you professional grade results. Terrell Designs provided the best step by step tutorial around, but she retired earlier this year. I used her instructions to make 8 roman shades (fully operable with lining). I could share a copy of the instructions with you if you want to give it a try.
YoungHouseLove says
That sounds awesome! Would love to check it out!
xo
s
christine says
Try the orange fabric, you might be pleasantly surprised. The swatch looks great.
Deborah HH says
Re: window coverings in the office. Sherry—choose the color that is the most flattering to your complexion. Ask for help from others as you make the comparisons and decide on the color. I know it sounds frivolous, but it’s a little comfort that you will really appreciate in your working space. The color lights the area in a subtle but beautiful way, and you’ll look divine :)
Kristin H. says
Is it bad that I think curtains are equally as exciting as the laundry room?! :) I love the more muted polka dots for Clara’s room! I was thinking if you do change them down the line, maybe breezy solid color panels in a coordinating color to the rain drops/rug/closet door would tie it all together without feeling heavy or competing with the gorge rug. Fabric.com has kona cotton fabric for something like $5.50/yd in everyyyyy color imaginable! (and shows you similar/coordinating colors to the one your looking at, making it easy to weed through the shades) It’s more of a lightweight breezy cotton, looks like a similar weight fabric to the curtains in Clara’s room now. After searching through about a million and eight curtain choices, I did our nursery curtains with the “salmon” color and not only did it end up being the most budget friendly, but they turned out really great too!
YoungHouseLove says
Love that tip Kristin!
xo
s
Iryna says
Before I even read on, I liked the blue swatch the best for the office curtains… So I concur! Although, the idea of no curtains sounds good too, that window is big and beautiful, and I am jealous! :)
And the new curtain rod in Clara’s room makes a huge difference, I also agree that a loose curtain bottoms fit perfectly with the rest of the room decor.
Tracie brown says
Where is the green rug with white pattern from in the bedroom? I have been looking for an affordable rug like that for almost a year!!!
YoungHouseLove says
That was from jossandmain.com a few years back.
xo
s
tanya says
Is the aqua fabric from the showhouse avail online? I’d love it for my office. Thanks for the info
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, I think if you check out our Showhouse page (that’s on our House Tour page) it will link to the bedroom post which has a direct link to that fabric for ya :)
xo
s
Janelle says
So many excellent curtain options! I was crushing hard on the one from the showhouse ever since you revealed that. It read tealy-aqua to me and perrrrfect for my bedroom. But then I saw it for sale online and it looked so blue, same as it does in the photo of swatches on your table. Could you please tell me if it reads more teal or blue in person? Thank you! You’re the best!
YoungHouseLove says
I would call it light blue with a hint of teal. Mostly blue (just a tiny splash of green).
xo
s
Pamela says
What you really need is pinch pleat curtain, like the ones in the show house. A seamstress can add pinch pleats to your curtain. I also suggest you look into how you are hanging your curtain on the rod. I suggest looking at the Country Curtain catalog with their rod suggestions, etc. I just hung a bay window and two side panels using their products. Good luck.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Pamela!
xo
s
Becky Crowe says
Where did you get the polka dot curtains in your daughter’s room? I love it. B
YoungHouseLove says
Those are from Ikea a while back but they don’t sell them anymore. Maybe try ebay?
xo
s