Forget ’70s Beaded Curtains — This Luxe Alternative Is So Much Cooler

Last month, I visited the 2026 Pasadena Showcase House, a fundraiser that taps top interior designers to transform an entire home every year. Each designer has at least one room to completely reimagine in their own style. This year’s chosen home was an early 20th-century Craftsman-style beauty that once belonged to heiress Clara Baldwin Stocker, aka the “Diamond Princess.” 

That alias supposedly comes from her infamous jewelry collection, which, at the time of her death in 1929, was valued at around $1.5 million (almost $30 million today!). I was excited to see how the designers would incorporate this lore into the decor, and they didn’t disappoint. The concept of “jewelry for the home” became the throughline that tied all of these gorgeous spaces together. 

Whether it was a sun catcher made of chandelier crystals hanging in one of the home’s many windows or diamond-shaped mirrors framing the dining area, many of the rooms felt like the inside of a stylish grandmother’s jewelry box. But one space in particular really caught my eye, thanks to designer Jamie Loren and her ingenious DIY: a curtain made from brass jewelry chain. 

According to Loren, the idea for the chain curtain was born out of necessity; it serves a purpose beyond its aesthetic value. “I wanted to create separation between the main living area and this hidden closet nook, but I didn’t want it to feel like a traditional doorway or curtain,” Loren says. Her goal? To somehow create an entrance that felt, in her words, “almost like a veil into another world.” 

The result didn’t fall short. The chain curtain adds so much intrigue to a simple closet nook. Made from both hard metal chain and soft fringe, this feature added much-needed depth to the space and a touch of shine that’s in dialogue with the light fixtures that flank it. Just like the right piece of jewelry can complete an outfit, the curtain pulled the whole space together and provided the perfect callback to the home’s history.

You could try this idea anywhere really — smaller spaces included. Not unlike the beaded curtain revival of the 1990s, this feels like a fun, fresh, and dynamic way to define a space and make it look a little more luxe. “The benefit of using chain is that it creates separation without fully closing off a space,” says Loren. “It still allows light, movement, and visibility to come through, but it adds drama and texture.”

The chain curtain might have been inspired by Stocker’s jewelry collection, but it also fits perfectly with the modern Medieval decor trend that designers can’t get enough of right now — and it’s easy to make your own. Loren sourced an antique brass linked necklace chain by the spool (which you can find on Amazon) and designed an S-hook system that allowed her to hang the chain from a perforated metal sheet installed above the doorway. 

“That system was crucial because it gave me flexibility during installation,” she notes. “I could adjust the height of each strand on site, create a staggered effect, and layer multiple strands on one hook to control how much visibility you had through the curtain.” 

Because it’s such a functional piece, Loren says durability is key. “The curtain had to reduce tangling, hold up if someone touched or tugged it, and still have just enough glisten to catch the light,” she says. In total, she hung 1,280 feet of chain from the doorway, noting that it “held up beautifully,” even with all of the people who visited the Showcase House oohing and aahing over it. 

The chain curtain works well in Loren’s room, but it’s also a fun and whimsical element of Medievalcore decor that can look sophisticated when re-created with intention. “It works best as one memorable design moment rather than something used everywhere,” Loren notes. “It could be used as a room divider, in a piece of a traditional drapery panel, behind a bar, at the entrance to a lounge or powder room, or as a dramatic backdrop behind furniture or art.” 

If you try this trend at home, Loren says to lean into contrast. A chain curtain will feel more elevated when paired with rich paint, plaster, stone, warm lighting, and textures like velvet, linen, and wood.