Good Questions: Help! Curtains Needed

Eric needs some shopping advice: "I know its bathroom month but I have been looking for curtains for my windows forever now. I'm not really sure what I want but was hoping that you guys could offer up your opinions. Everywhere I go seems to have the same basic boring curtains, nothing that stands out. Oh, and I'm not interested in anything sheer, I would like them to be effective at blocking the light, my shades currently do not do a good job of that. Thanks for any help!"

Eric, you might want to look into an online source for window treatments. We took a peek at the Smith+Noble website and they have a big selection of curtain styles and fabrics, and most have the option of adding a blackout liner to deal with the light issue you mentioned.

Our suggestion for your room would be to go with a strong pattern. We like dark brown to go with the blues in your room, but since you have black and white artwork around, we looked for something that would compliment that.

We like the pattern (swatch shown here) from Smith+Noble called Neo in Onyx. It's a graphic, geometric choice that is a bit retro, a bit chinoiseire, and not at all too flowery or bedroomy. It would also work down the road if you changed wall color in the future.

Eric's looking for suggestions - please share your curtain source and design ideas in the comments below...

Comments (4)

Eric, I don't know if you feel comfortable with a sewing machine, but it's *really* not hard at all to sew a hem if you want to open your possibilities up to what's at the fabric store. You'll want to look for a heavier drapery fabric. Ask an assistant and they'll point you the right way.

From there you could go a couple of routes. You could find a seamstress (not a big deal) to sew them up for you. Just decide on how you'll hang your curtains before you take them over so they can hem them appropriately. Otherwise, it's not hard to do it yourself.

I dig the idea of those hospital-type curtain tracks and that's what I'm planning on using for my new place. I love the look of floor-to-ceiling draperies.

Eric,
I am in the same boat. I have looked in dozens of stores and it all is the same stuff. Either boring or plain ugly. Lots of junk on line as well.

I decided to visit the fabric store. It still wasn't easy, but I came home with two swatches. Once I decide, I'll pick up the fabric, drop it off at my mom's and her home helper will make me curtains. I recently hung wooden shades in my bedroom, but I like the curtains as another layer to help keep in the cool in summer and keep out the cold in winter. Not to mention the street lights.

I had a difficult time finding curtains, too, but I found great panels at Urbanest two weeks ago. Lined, well-finished panels in a variety of colors, fabrics (sheer, semi-opaque and velvet), and lengths. They also had curtain rods and finials. Very reasonably priced, too. It's in Andersonville on Clark.

I second janel's recommendation of Smith + Noble--they do a great job for very reasonable prices. I'm a big proponent of DIY for household projects, and I've sewn my own curtains where all I needed was something informal and unlined--but when you need something particular like a properly executed blackout lining, or want a spiffier top treatment than just a tunnel to put a rod through, custom curtains are usually money well spent.

Your window isn't a very strong feature in your room right now, but good curtains and hardware can bring definition and a sense of "significance" to it. I would most stongly recommend that you plan on hanging the curtain rod way above the window, near the ceiling, and run the curtains all the way to the floor. This gives the illusion of a much bigger window and also "raises" the ceiling of the room visually. There are lots of great examples of this on the S+N web site (and in any home decor magazine, actually) that will give you an idea of how effective it is.

Good luck and enjoy your new curtains!