It Turns Out That Thick Curtains Are the Key to Cozy Holiday Dinner Parties (but Not Where You’d Expect!)

It’s time! The leaves are finally falling, and suddenly I’m hearting and liking all things cozy on my timelines and FYPs. The algorithm knows exactly what I’m looking for, and that’s to embrace autumn by snuggling into a mental cottony cocoon until further notice. All week, I’ve been telling my friends that this weekend I’m officially going to fall-ify my apartment. 

With cooler temperatures setting in and at-home holiday hosting on the horizon, I was delighted to see how Erik Kenneth Staalberg and Robert Harter used a curtain in the most dramatic way to embrace darkness and separate spaces in their 1930s vintage-filled home. The best part? It’s up all year long.

During the fall season, natural light hours are already dwindling, so why not fully embrace the dark? Typically, people hang sheer curtains to let natural light into a space, but not this couple. Erik and Robert use curtains to separate their living and dining rooms. Although there’s a window in the dining room, closing the curtains blocks the abundant light streaming in from the living room. It takes cozy dinner parties up a notch.

“We put curtains on the large arch separating our living room from our dining room,” Erik said during the House Tour. “We Frankensteined two curtain rods, and now we have a really great way of dividing those two rooms. It makes it really cozy when we are having a dinner party. Not to mention a set of panels hides a wall heater!”

Because the home is a rental, curtains offer a way to separate the two rooms without making a permanent change, like installing sliding or pocket doors. Erik and Robert’s curtain solution is a more simple way to delineate those areas without undertaking a huge renovation project. 

Erik and Robert’s home was built in the 1930s and still has charming details, like the arched wall opening in between the living and dining rooms. When opened, the curtains frame that architectural feature and make it even more of a focal point. 

Besides the curtains, Erik and Robert made the room feel even more nook-like and dramatic by painting the walls in a deep red. (Unfortunately, I don’t know the exact shade, but Benjamin Moore’s “Bewitched” is similar.) Together, these features create an ambiance that makes me want to whisper, sip martinis, and escape the autumn chill with friends.

“I just love the drama of our dining room!” Erik said. “It’s so dramatic and the perfect place to entertain!” If you’re looking for that same level of visual excitement, consider adding thick, opaque curtains. Your holiday dinner parties could feel even more festive. To see the rest of this stunning home, visit the full House Tour.