Curtain Installation Mistakes and How to Avoid them
Curtains are a very essential part of your home decor especially when you want to make your living room look luxurious and expensive. It also makes your living room more like a home, when compared to window blinds. And of course, if you read our list of items that make your home look expensive, curtains graciously made it to the list.
Knowing that curtains can transform your space is one thing, doing it or hanging it well is another thing. You know the saying that, whatever is worth doing is worth doing well. I’m going to share with you several mistakes I see a lot of people make regularly when hanging and installing curtains at home. It’s possible a lot of people are not just aware or they can’t be bothered by little things like that but now you know, you will be able to correct them or avoid these mistakes.
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8 Curtain hanging mistakes and how to correct them
- Hanging the curtain on the window level: this is a big no-no! I see people hang their curtains just slightly above the window frame, this is wrong and it does not even look appealing in any way. It is always advisable to place it as high as possible, the only time it’s excusable is when there’s something else hanging above the window, which is also wrong but I’ll talk more about that in another article or video. Reasons, why you should hang your curtains high are because it shows off the lushness of your curtain design, gives an illusion of a high and bigger window and it also makes the space look expensive and classy. If you have made this blunder in your home, you can have it corrected by getting a curtain installer search for a 'curtain installation service near me' to redo it or if you are in Lagos Nigeria, Eunicon Interior would be glad to come to the rescue with any of our handymen for curtain installation.
- Not making your curtains full: curtains are not just meant to shade you from sunlight or stop people from peeking, it’s also a big part of your decor. So, don’t just throw anything over your windows, take your time to select the right curtain, the right texture and colour for your space. Also, know that there are no standard sizes of curtains because I’ve been asked severally what it would cost to hang the curtain on standard window size, there’s no such thing as a standard, every window is different in height, width and purpose of space. When installing your curtains at home, it should be at least 3 times the size of the window so it can have that lush fullness, especially when using a rod and eyelet curtain hanging system. Yeah, it may be a little more expensive having to add those extra yards of fabric, but trust me, it’s a worthy investment.
- Making your curtains too long or too short: I always say this, when your curtains are too short it makes them look cheap and if they are too long it makes them look very shabby. To fix this, always measure the height of your window before you make a purchase, if you don’t have a measuring tape, call a professional to measure and install your curtains. The best look for your curtain is to let it kiss the floor or at most, 1-inch longer or shorter. If the wall above your window is empty, you can measure from top to bottom but whatever the case is, measure from the floor to wherever you want to hang the curtains.
- Placing the curtain at the exact width of the window: this is majorly focused on the pole. Usually, when I measure for curtain installation, I always add at least 4inches to both sides of the frame. It can be more than 4 inches but never place it at the exact width of the window. If you place it at the width, no matter how full your curtains are, it will never fully block out the sun and peeping toms may get a peek from outside too, it would also look cheap. so, extend your poles to properly cover your windows so you can have a beautiful and elegant window treatment.
- Using very cheap fabric and rods, I get the fact that most people just want to block the sun from coming in or stop prying eyes from looking into their homes. Curtains provide a lot more than just those 2 things. If you want to have a beautiful home interior, invest in good quality curtains and rods. I like those thick fabrics (blackout curtains) that totally block out the light especially for the bedroom, you get to sleep longer and wake up whenever you want to, unlike those light curtain fabrics that allow light from outside and sunlight to disrupt your sleep. Remember I also mentioned that curtains make your living room or bedroom look cohesive and expensive, so grab every opportunity to make your home look better.
- Choose the right curtain hanging style and design: there are about 6 curtain hanging styles, here is a link to the complete blog post about curtain hanging systems, but let me quickly name a few, rod pocket, eyelet, rings, box pleat, tab top and pinch pleats. I find the eyelet and box pleat designs really beautiful and functional for places like the living room and bedrooms. Rod pockets can appear really clumsy and cheap. Avoid that design for bedrooms and living rooms but it can work perfectly for your kitchen windows and other smaller spaces.
- Using a lighter fabric: as I said earlier, use thick curtains that block out light but also make sure to add a day blind as its popularly called here so that when you open up the thick curtain you still have that panel covering so that your house is not completely exposed to the ‘outside world’. Well, during the day, no one can see from outside but once it begins to get dark, your living room becomes visible from the outside. This is the best time to drag your curtains back together and enjoy your beautiful home.
- Use timeless designs: don't be all trendy, trends and designs will come and go. Select a fabric design that would outlast trends. Plain fabrics with fantastic texture can do the trick.
Here are some other things that can make your curtains look super luxurious.
- Using beautiful rods: I like to use bronze or gold rods instead of regular black rods. A touch of gold accentuates your curtain design and makes your space grandeurs. A silver rod works too. Buy curtain rods on amazon.
- Always use tiebacks: I’d rather you don’t use any tiebacks instead of using a cheap-looking one. There are several beautiful tieback designs that can enhance the beauty of your curtain and tiebacks can also serve as decor accessories . Check out some on amazon
- Use thick rods to match the weight of your curtain. Don't use a slim rod when you are using a heavy curtain, it won't be appealing to the eye and because it's not proportional, the weight of the curtain will drag the pole down.
As always, I look forward to working with you through your curtain selection process and your interior makeovers. Please drop a comment if you find these tips helpful
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