If windows are the eyes of a home, then colorful curtains are the equivalent of blue eyeshadow. It takes a brave person to pull it off, but it can look really great if you get it right.
Like a colored lampshade, curtains actually have the power to change the quality of light (for better or worse). We think the examples above all do a good job of enhancing a room's decor, rather than overpowering or detracting from it.
When shopping for colored curtains, there are two basic ways to go. Semi-sheer curtains filter light, and lined drapes block it. While the blue curtains in Kim and Scott's bedroom bathe the whole place in a calm, cool tone, the patterned curtains from Romo (photos 3 and 4) are backed with an opaque lining. Sheers have a more casual look, while opaque colored curtains are generally more formal.
Would you hang bright curtains in your home?
SHOWN ABOVE
• 1 Kim and Scott's Colorful Condo
• 2 Marimekko Curtains
• 3 Romo Fabric
• 4 Romo Fabric
• 5 Kim's One Room at a Time
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We have bright curtains in our living room. They are about the same shade of green as the "comment policy" link below. I chose lined ones because the glass doors they cover span the length of the back wall, and it gets chilly in the room. I like the curtains, because they add some interest to an otherwise dull room. Not that I haven't tried.
And, although they weren't exactly bright, I used to have some dark blue sheers that I loved. My walls in that room were the same shade of blue, and together the curtains and walls look very calm and quiet.
Oops... never mind about the "comment policy" shade. Apparently the color varies.
thats some pretty awesome bear artwork in that first room.
i hang bright and colorful ones, and not just at the windows.
If it takes a brave person to pull off colourful curtains I must be freakin' Batman!
I wasn't even thinking of changing the light when i hung red curtains, but I love it. It gives the room a warm feel. My mom got sick when visiting and she said the room was very comforting, because of the light!
I second the awesomeness of that bear print. Anyone know where it's from or who it's by?
I just put these up last weekend:
http://blog.waterspiper.com/2010/01/new-drapes.html
I love them so much that my husband kept laughing at me, catching me sitting on the couch smiling at them. I think adding some bright color or pattern in the middle of a yucky Chicago winter is just the trick.
We got them at World Market. I think they're still running all their drapes at 50%, but today may be the last day.
-Alana
http://www.waterspiper.com
You can't go wrong with the Marimekko.
I'm with calamityayne ... my turquoise curtains would make me Bat Girl! As a renter with white walls, curtains are the easiest way to add color!
Pouf is in the mail. :)
I am in love, totally in love, with that bear print... does anyone where it came from?
To all who commented on that bear print:
We purchased that print the second we laid eyes on it at the Chicago Renegade Craft Fair. We were so excited with our purchase, we forgot to grab a business card, and the signature in the bottom right corner is unreadable. I've tried too many times to count. I wish I could give you more details, but we're still kicking ourselves for forgetting to scoop up the artist card. And wouldn't you know, we get a lot of questions about that print!
I can at least tell you we framed it using a Ribba frame from Ikea, our favorite source for clean, crisp frames.
Although I can't pinpoint the artist for you, I hope this link may inspire some other art-love:
http://www.renegadehandmade.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=37