apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

IKEA has extra long curtains.

Ikea, or your local fabric shop might be your best bets. Sheer drapery fabric in synthetic material is fairly cheap. The only thing is that you'd have to stitch up the tops and bottoms to finish the panels off.

I'm sorry, but you have to be a total moron to move into a big open plan loft and then gripe that you "want to divide the space up somehow so it doesn't feel like a huge empty space." Kinda defeats the purpose of living in a loft.

Ouch...."Moron" - Thanks "hejiranyc"

any other constructive advice would be helpful.....

Have you tried Ebay?

Your new place looks beautiful. Good luck.

How about the reason to move into a big open loft is because it gives you options to divide it up?

IKEA for the curtains, they are opening up in Sunrise in a month.

You can always use bookshelves and partitions to break up the space a little and give the illusion of separate rooms. I like the picture below for an office/desk space - the shelves are more like cubbies, so you don't feel too closed off, but it still gives privacy.

http://www.dominomag.com/galleries/2007/05/smallspaces?slide=5#slide

Check thecompanystore dot com. Especially the Clearance section. Pottery Barn offers over 120" but for a really high price.

Be prepared to sew. Why not combine two colors even?

I'm now back on the East Coast but while in Phoenix I ordered custom drapes for an entire wall of our home from the Shade Store in NY.

The company made and free shipped the order to me within a week. The quality was beautiful and the service was great. While not an inexpensive option, this company provided me the cheapest quote for the job. The link to the website is theshadestore.com.

I live in that building... Funny to see it here. Neo.

I got my extra-long sheer curtains from Ikea. They let just the right amount of sun in and are fantastic. They actually travel completely down to my floor.

Here are a few pics of them in action- notice we actually had to tie them to the side because they were too long!
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v87/supervixennyhc/?action=view¤t=100_0579.jpg
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v87/supervixennyhc/?action=view¤t=100_0580.jpg
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v87/supervixennyhc/?action=view¤t=rosebank6.jpg

ohh, squeegee Bechkenheim - any way to showcase your fireplace and move the dining table? you're so lucky to have a fireplace (I say display it if you can!)!

Other than the long Ikea panels (which were always out of stock at the Burbank store), you are probably out of luck in terms of premanufactured inexpensive options. Most stores that stock premade drapes do so in lengths under 100". Believe me, I have looked! If money is not an issue, any custom drapery store can do a this sort of job but be prepared for sticker shock. I wanted to have one wall (13.5' X 8.5' h) done and the quote came in around $1300 plus fabric (which added another $500-$600). The third option is do it yourself. I made a floor to ceiling ripplefold shower curtain (without sewing...) that came out pretty much exactly as I had hoped and only cost about $125 to make. I used, among other things, heavy duty fabric fusing material, ikea curtain grip clips, fishing line, rubber bands, bendable ceiling mounted curtain track, and fabric liner for the actual sheers. It sounds like a mess, but it actually all came together. The instructions are way too elaborate to go into here. One day, when I have the time, I hope to put together a little flickr diy on the topic. In the meantime, if you decide to go diy, let me know and I will give you the info that I have.

hejiranyc: are you really sorry?

Squeegee Beckenheim: you didn't mention which curtains they are.

Ikea has some choices in sheers. Mainly the sarita and the wilma, both of which come in a variety of colors. The wilma also comes in white. The Wilma is listed on the Ikea site as 98". But it also comes in 120".

The sarita also comes as material that can be bought. There are other materials, such as the 'brit' which would work. And you could buy one of Ikea's cable systems to hang the material. People also use the cable sytem as room dividers.

Ikea also has panels that are 118". The window panels have a system that creates fabulous looking dividers that allow for variety.

I love ikea sheers! I have the saritas in orange-gorgeous! and wilmas in torquoise: like a beautiful sky pouring through the window! But I want one of their window panel systems. They are smashing!

You can absolutely do it without sewing. You can buy fabric and cut it to your length, and use fusible webbing to make a seam. You just need an iron. You can use curtain ring clips to hang it on a rod.

People who live in lofts rarely leave them feeling like huge empty spaces. Using sheers, open shelving, area rugs, etc etc are all great design options for defining smaller spaces within a larger open one.

Another option is to buy curtains and add a fat border at the bottom (or in the middle or wherever) to get the length you want. I used it pretty effectively because the material I used is also less sheer than the rest so it masks the bottom of the wall where the windows fall short. By introducing a different fabric you also give it some visual weight/definition. Its the perfect compromise between buying the length you need and making them from scratch, and the added panel gives you the opportunity for some customization without the hassle of doing the whole thing.

IKEA has cut way back on offering 128" curtains and now stops most curtains at 98". There are still a few longer styles, but not many.

J.C. Penney offers extra-long curtains, including sheers, but most are only available online. Target also does some longer lengths online-only.

Some great bookshelves at WEST ELM!! You should have a look as they would be really perfect for a room divider. look at the parsons book shelf!!! perfect, simple and would look really nice in your space!!!check them all out!!! there are also some shorter versions if you don't want the go full height. you could line up 2 shorter shelfs next to each other. have fun!!

Hi.
Nice space.
I recently bought another pair of drapery panels and (very affordable) rod system from IKEA.
I think the ones that would flatter your place are the set with the big s/s grommets that slide along the (black) rod.
I'm sure they come in longer lengths still. c/w fusing tape to hem them.
My ceiling is 8' and I had to shorten them significantly.

Even in a clean, uncluttered space simple drapes really enhance the room, and make it feel warm.
Hang 'em high!

I don't know where you guys are getting that Pottery Barn sheers are expensive. My house has huge windows and I had to immediately rip out all the disgusting blinds. I found PB sheers to be the MOST affordable option for me, granted I don't have an Ikea nearby. 120" for $40 each and 144" for $45. They are cotton and I love them. Iron them before you hang them. The wrinkles will not fall out and because you need a ladder to get back to them, you want to make it right the first time.

http://www.potterybarn.com/products/p8229/index.cfm?pkey=cprwwinshr

Thank you, Lorie09, for you post about Pottery Barn. I've been searching all day for extra long sheers, and your information was just what I needed.

Checked with PotteryBarn.com and they have just what I want, and at a reasonable price.

Thanks.

I would say try www.jcpenney.com. They have great options for custom sheers and I did a quick check and you can get a nice pair for about $200 on sale, to your custom specs.

Good luck!