Remember when I moved from my beloved, charming 1920s Mediterranean apartment into a more contemporary stark-white walled townhouse, and then wrote an article about how nothing I already owned felt right in there? 

Well, if you don’t remember, you can find that here. And if you do, I’m back with more. While I will say that my “it’s all a disaster!” mania has cooled off and things are starting to feel a bit more like home—the product of taking a deep breath and hanging some art—there are areas I know need work. My cool-toned blue sofa, for one, would be so much better in a warm tone like ochre, for instance. But pish-posh, that’s a different fish to fry for another day.

Today’s design discussion-slash-challenge happens to be what’s beyond my sofa: the curtains. The white, IKEA curtains that felt so pristine in my last home are suddenly as boring as a sack of all-purpose flour in their new spot. They framed my old second-floor picture window beautifully and added just the right amount of necessary softness to my plaster walls and White Dove walls (the perfect warm white, in my opinion). But these walls aren’t a glorious milky hue but rather a completely generic landlord-favorite Swiss Coffee. Suddenly, these curtains look tired. Perhaps they’ve also been waking at 3 am every morning to replace a baby’s pacifier. Such hard-working curtains, they are. And while that’s one totally plausible hypothesis, another is that…this room just needs something else. 

If you were to take one tiny scroll through my saved folder of room images on Instagram or even Pinterest, you’d be correct to assume that I live for pattern and color. Except when you look at the first floor of my house, NOTHING IS PATTERNED and apart from my blue sofa, THERE IS NO COLOR. How did I get here? 

In my hunt for a panacea or, at the very least, a design palette cleanse, I unearthed a bit of a trend I wanted to share that just might save my living room in its current state: the patterned curtain. I’m sure I don’t have to explain to you the absolute death grip the neutral window covering has had on the design world over the last decade (or…always?). Heck, most of the projects you see revealed around here play it safe with the ubiquitous white or flax linen panel and Roman shade. 

There are, of course, a few reasons for this: they add just enough texture in a functional form (read: privacy) without fighting against or adding too much visual weight to a room’s design; they’re very easy to find at numerous price points; they’re classic; and, as mentioned, they’re a very safe choice for a usually very pricey item. Who wants to spend hundreds or even thousands on draperies in a floral pattern you might tire of before the spend seems worth it? I won’t even dignify that question with a response (no one, okay, that’s the answer). 

But back to the “trend.” Interior design, in general, has really spread its wings in recent years on a mainstream level. People are wallpapering ceilings and painting everything in sight…I LOVE IT, so it’s no wonder I’ve been noticing far more designers and design content creators sidestep the white curtain for something in a rich solid hue, or, even better yet, a bold pattern. 

The patterned window covering is everywhere right now, whether via just a subtle windowpane grid or a full-blown sprawling floral moment. And I can use several hundred words to tell you what that detail adds to a room scheme, but instead, let me show you.

First Up: The Solid Color Curtain

I know this is a post about patterned window textiles, but I kind of want to build up to it. Because, you know, drama and all. First, let’s start with some EHD baddies:

In Caitlin’s (long awaited) living room, the grass green panels are a key part of her color palette. Without them, the room would have been predominantly blushy peach and neutrals. Plus, they draw the eye to and from all her amazing vintage finds so perfectly. 

Isn’t this just so pretty?? I hope you all remember Jess’ office spruce up in her beautiful Old World apartment. The blush linen just glows against the turret window, a feat likely not able to be accomplished if she had gone for the subtly of white. 

Moving on from our in-house friends is this vignette from Martha Mulholland. That whole home, actually, is so lovely and a testament to bold drapery. I personally think had she gone with beige or white panels in this room, it would have stolen the warmth of the window casing and woodwork. The rust makes them pop a bit more and leans into the character of the architecture. 

Let’s Get Charmed By Some Prints

Behold, the photo I’ve had saved on my desktop for months that is possibly the most direct inspiration for what I want to do in my own living room. Shot for Emily’s second book, Rosa Beltran’s block print curtains hit that perfect harmony between sweet, chic, interesting, and not overdone. I tried to hunt down this fabric but haven’t had much luck. Does anyone by chance know what it is?

Here’s another room in that same home. Both have a modern yet cottage-y vibe, but I just think the plaid Romans here bring the fun and youthful design of the space up to balance everything else that’s low-slung (or the ceilings are really high, and even so, the point still stands). The patterned window covering is not just a design choice but also a tool.

Many years ago, when I was a full-time EHD staffer, I ran a house tour of Ashley Goldman’s lovely craftsman in San Diego, and since then, I’ve enjoyed watching her update spaces like the kitchen while keeping to and respecting the era of the home. And man I love these little café curtains she did here. I like to play a game where I cover them up with my fingers and then reveal them back to myself to drive home my crush on all things print right now. The peppering of blue in the fabric is a great counterbalance to the oxblood in the rug, wallpaper, and cookware.

Hello striped bamboo shade! You see, not all pattern has to be like PATTERN!!! Even something like what Jenni Yolo picked for her dining nook with a simple black and white stripe is enough to add that touch of whimsy and cool. 

It took me this many words to decide that the best way to describe going for a print on your curtains is like ordering the hot fudge sundae that comes with whipped cream, nuts, and a cherry, and then asking for the add-on of rainbow sprinkles, even though they’re not on the menu. The “rainbow sprinkle” is figurative here, of course, because only an animal would alter the perfect creation that is the HFS, but the attitude behind my analogy is what’s important. 

Rainbow. Freaking. Sprinkles. Dee Murphy could have easily gone the route of simple, neutral curtains. In fact, had I designed this room with all the same pieces, it’s probably what I would have done. Maaaybe I would have been bold enough to go for a tone-on-tone solid drapery but I would have never thought to pair that floral print with the vintage rug, but it works and it’s kind of a little design surprise. Some of my favorite rooms always have a moment of an unexpected choice. Something that doesn’t *super* match but works unexpectedly, and I think that’s what’s happening with these window treatments.

One of my favorite ways to introduce pattern in your curtains without it feeling scary is to stick to a very tight color palette like Heidi Caillier did in this bedroom. The gorgeous Zak+Fox fabric on the panels lives in the neutral, warm neutrals space as the bedding, wallpaper, and even furniture. That way, it’s pattern, but it’s more visual texture than a full-blown eye-catching graphic. 

Now, let’s study Emily’s dining nook before and after she brought in her vintage Japanese Boro fabric cafe curtain. It’s obviously so lovely, but it takes on a whole new life with the magic of the textile, in my opinion. And yes, I know the “before” photo didn’t have any covering on the window, but I still think it’s a fair comparison for the point I’m writing about: pattern adds zest, life, and charm. Not every room or vignette calls for that, of course, but in the instance of what I’m working with in my space, it certainly does.

Some Quick & Dirty Advice 

I can’t possibly guess the statistics of how many of you reading right now are all like “Yeah, duh, pattern is where it’s at” and how many are more “Sorry, you’re just not going to convince me and I’ll die with my white curtains,” but just in case there is a middle ground between those two stances, I wanted to offer some sure-fire ways to make printed window coverings work in your home if you’re interested in trying out the look. 

First, go for timeless: Things like checks, plaid, stripes, smaller-scale block prints, and even certain florals are likely never going to be “out of style.” They’re classics for a reason and have an enduring quality to them stylistically, even in more daring colors.

Don’t spend a fortune: As much as I love to tell people to invest in quality when and where they can, there are a lot of great ready-made options available for pretty decent price points (when compared to custom drapery). Another tip is not to forget to dig around second-hand markets for printed curtains. I’ve seen some of the people I follow find absolute gems for almost nothing. Take the money you save and get them laundered and hemmed to the size you need. 

Test things out if you’re nervous: Want to know a fun little trick? Flat sheets or even large tablecloths can double as window panels depending on the size. Now, I’m not saying hang your sheets forever, but if you happen to have a patterned sheet you like, clip it up to your curtain rod and live with it for a few weeks and then see how you feel.

Time For A Little DIY Planning

Now that I’ve helped you, it’s time to help myself. Being that I already have 10 of these IKEA panels and would rather not have to buy all new draperies, I had the idea of dying and block printing them myself, because I have excess time on my hands as a new mother, and what else would I do with that then spend hours hand stamping flowers? In all honestly, I love a mindless, repetitive project, and I think I’d feel pretty dang proud of my work once complete every time I looked up from the sofa. 

Here is a snapshot of my living room as it stands. A few things you can go ahead and ignore: the fact that my drapes are all clearly different lengths…I washed them and then only ironed half of them (the long ones) before it got dark and I had to put them all up, and then I just never got back to it. Oh, and the unkept patio behind the sliding glass doors. That’s a project for the future (stay tuned…maybe!). And of course the diaper box and unhung art in the right corner.

Do you see how the curtains feel limp, boring, and like they have the potential to be so much more? If they were the lead in a teen romcom circa 2002, they’d be on the precipice of removing their unsightly glasses, getting a chic bob haircut, and putting on a slinky red dress to inevitably win the guy and become prom queen. But for now, they’re the frumpy sad sack nerd who can’t be bothered to wear mascara. 

As I mentioned, my loose inspiration is the curtains in Rosa Beltran’s living room I showed above and I think that would be “easy” enough to accomplish. And by “easy,” I mean at least somewhat possible. 

Take a gander at some quick Photoshop work to give you an idea of how things can look: 

After digging around the RIT Dye website to find a combination of dyes that will turn the creamy white I have into a buttery tea-stained beige (a formulation they call Aged Ivory), I hunted down Rose Quartz and Lemon Yellow from my local art stores and started the search for a block print stamp and paint. My intention is to first dye all the panels in my washing machine (they actually suggest this, don’t be scared like Charles was when I talked him through the plan), get them all steamed and wrinkle-free, and then map out a grid for the flower print I bought. 

You’ll have to imagine that the pattern isn’t straight on like that obviously, but rather folded into the curtains. I haven’t quite decided on the colors yet as I have some thinking to do with regards to an updated palette but I have ALWAYS loved a block print marigold or Scottish thistle. I mean, for well over a decade, so I just know that these will feel more me once finished. I think once I swap out some of my other soft goods like the pillows to better match the style, I’ll bring down the modern vibes to something more welcoming and charming.

If you’re wondering whether I’ve ever done this or not, the answer is a firm no, but I did one paint Kelly green chevrons on some curtains back in the chevron heyday and that turned out okay, so I think I’ve got it in me to do. 

Thoughts? Prayers?

QUICK UPDATE: Some readers have commented on the placement of my curtain rod being too low. While you’re not technically wrong, the photo does lie a bit. I took this photo standing in my dining room, which is about four or five feet up from the living space, making the doors here look much shorter than they are in real life. These are ~100″ curtains that I released the hem on a bit to make them even longer. I could definitely gain about 8 or so inches by going up to 108″ panels, or I can add some length to these with another fabric but I don’t love that look. The ceilings in here are TALL so it’s kind of just a crappy setup in terms of ready-made curtain lengths (custom isn’t an option for me at the price point I want to stay at for a rental). ANYWAY, all that to say, it looks short, but it’s in fact very tall and there aren’t a ton of other solutions that won’t cost me a fortune. Sometimes, you kind of just have to break some “rules” and live with it, you know?

Shop the Trend

Before signing off so I can get to work rehabbing my existing curtains, I window-shopped a little for myself in case this plan goes south and I need to indeed buy new panels. Here are some of the ones I’d maybe consider, as well as a few I’ll dream about but likely won’t invest in.

1. Amber Lewis for Anthropologie Rowena Curtain 50″x96″ | 2. Arnica Bhotah Floral Curtain 50″x96″ | 3. Abeille Curtain 50″x96″ | 4. Holli Zollinger Kalami Floral 1pc Blackout Window Curtain Panel 50″x96″ | 5. Red + Blue Poppy Flower Hand Block Printed Cotton Curtains 46″x98″ | 6. Penelope Moss Custom Curtain 50″x96″

1. Pieced Stripe Curtain 50″x96″ | 2. Blue Buffalo Check Cotton Blackout Window Curtain Panel 44″x96″ | 3. Windowpane Plaid Rod Pocket Curtains | 4. Ticking Stripe Rod Pocket Curtains 100″x96″ | 5. Dash – Block Print Boho Curtain Panel by littlearrowdecor 50″x96″ | 6. Tatum Ivory Curtain Panel 50″x96″

Stay tuned EHD friends for how this all turns out. These curtains are phase 1 of a living room refresh that mostly involves new textiles and styling, but I’ll be sure to keep you posted. 

Until next time…

| February 2, 2024

10 Living Room Curtain Ideas to Transform Your Room

Curtains play a pivotal role in transforming your living room by impacting the aesthetic and overall atmosphere of the space. Drapes — and any style of window treatment — are both functional and a key element in your interior design. Choosing the right living room curtains is essential for creating just the right look and functionality, but how do you choose? These living room curtain ideas are a great place to start by sparking your creativity and guiding you in designing your own curated space.

Before you dive into curtain ideas for living room windows, first learn about the benefits of choosing curated drapery.

Benefits of Beautiful, Curated Living Room Curtains

Taking the time to find the perfect drapery for your living room has several benefits, including:

• Aesthetic enhancements – The right drapery will give your room an intentional, curated aesthetic that improves its overall look and feel.
• Privacy and light control – Curated curtains will provide the right level of light and privacy control you need for a relaxing, calm atmosphere.
• Insulation – Drapery made from the right material, and with the right lining, will ward off the chill and block summer heat, keeping your room temperate and comfortable.

Curtain Ideas for Living Room Windows

Now that you know the benefits of choosing the perfect drapery for your space, kickstart your design process with these 10 inspiring living room curtain ideas.

1. Capture an Antique Feel: Pinch Pleat on Tall Windows

For tall, wide living room windows, Drapery is one of the most efficient — and attractive — window treatment options. Curtain ideas for living room windows like these should focus on wide panels of fabric that will easily stretch from wall to wall as well as tall panels that will help to accentuate the height of your windows and ceiling, creating a spacious look and feel.

To keep your room from feeling too open, explore living room curtain ideas that feature a pleat style with more visual weight to it, like Pinch Pleat Drapery. A pinch pleat has three-finger pleats pinched four inches from top of the panel which create a visual break right at your ceiling to stop the eye and ground the design. You can add additional depth and dimension to your design when you choose a fabric with a subtle pattern and texture like Surrey Stripe. The vertical pinstripe-inspired lines complement the verticality of your wall and windows while adding visual texture that further grounds the design.  

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Pinch Pleat Drapery

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Surrey Stripe

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2. Embrace an Earthy Look with Dark Grey Drapery

Capture an earthy look and feel in your room with living room curtain ideas that feature organic tones to complement other natural colors and materials in your space. A deep warm grey like Lisbon Woven in Agave features a rich earthy tone that resembles stone. The natural linen blend fabric also has a subtle hand-woven texture that adds visual warmth to your space and complements the textures of wood furniture and décor elements. For pleat style, consider Ripple Fold Drapery which creates subtle highlights and lowlights with its soft S-fold curves that resemble elongated afternoon shadows.

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Ripple Fold Drapery

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Lisbon Woven

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3. Go Bright & Modern: Sky-Blue Drapes On Glass Doors

When looking for living room curtain ideas for glass doors, it’s essential to have window treatments that are as functional as they are attractive. Tailored Pleat Drapery, which features three-finger pleats pinched at the very top of the drapery panel, is one of the most functional pleat styles available. It’s compatible with traditional rod and rings hardware (pictured) as well as track system hardware. For the best functionality, choose track system hardware, as the panels are attached to carriers on a track so you can effortlessly glide your panels back and forth as needed. You even have the option of a motorized track, which allows you to open and close your drapery with a remote, an app on your smartphone, or even the sound of your voice when paired with a smart home device.

In terms of aesthetics, Tailored Pleat Drapery helps create the illusion of height with its streamlined design, which can be useful for windows or doors that are short. To complement the bright natural light that filters through your glass doors, choose a sky-blue fabric with a subtle pattern, like Jasmine in Sky. The light blue is bright and airy while the pattern adds just a touch of visual depth and dimension. For greater privacy and light control, add privacy or blackout lining to your panels.

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Tailored Pleat Drapery

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jasmine

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4. Balance brightness with Dark Drapes

Need living room curtain ideas for a room with floor-to-ceiling windows and glass doors? It’s best to find drapery fabric that balances the brightness of all the natural light in your space. Choose a richly hued fabric like Jasmine in Midnight to ground your design and create a sense of harmony with the brightness of your room. Privacy and light control are also hugely important with such large glass windows and doors, so you’ll need the right level of privacy and light control. Privacy or blackout lining can give you peace of mind by creating a cozy, private space when you need to. To keep your room from feeling too dark when the drapery is drawn closed, choose lighter design elements like off-white furniture and whitewashed wood flooring, or a bright white and grey striped rug.

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Tailored Pleat Drapery

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jasmine

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5. Create a Luxe Look with Drapery on Arched Windows

Have a luxurious living room with arched windows? Living room curtain ideas for your formal space should focus on high-end natural materials to match the opulence of the space. Linen, silk or wool fabrics all deliver character-rich beauty thanks to their unique natural qualities like linen’s laissez-faire look with soft wrinkles, silk’s subtle sheen and wool’s heathered texture. Plus, choosing drapery for arched windows allows you to fully enjoy the architectural beauty of your window — thanks to their ability to be fully pulled off the window — while still giving you the light and privacy control you need.

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Tailored Pleat Drapery

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6. Embrace Chic Continuity with Wall-to-Wall Drapery

Even if your windows are not overly tall or wide, drapery can still be a great choice to add a dramatic aesthetic effect to your living room. Especially for living rooms with a lower ceiling, the right choice among living room curtain ideas will help create the illusion of height for a more spacious look and feel. For wall-to-wall drapery, an ideal choice is Ripple Fold Drapery, which is only compatible with a track system, so you can enjoy effortless ease in adjusting your drapery. For even easier adjustments and a bold look, consider adding a third center panel in addition to two end panels, so you don’t have to pull any one drapery panel very far.

Since three panels of drapery that span from wall to wall take up a lot of visual real estate in your living room, consider a fabric that matches or is just one shade lighter or darker than your wall color. The effect will be a continuous, clean, and soft aesthetic.

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waterfall woven wood shade

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grassweave

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7. Create Textured Layers with Sheers over Shades

When considering living room curtain ideas, don’t write off other window treatments. While your focus is on drapery, layering in blinds or shades can give you greater versatility in your light and privacy control than just drapery alone. Plus, the layers of color and texture beautifully add to your room’s design dimension. When layering, it’s best to start with a base: Which window treatment do you want to be the star of your design? After you make your choice for the base layer, you can choose complementary colors and patterns for the rest of the window treatments.

For a living room with lots of wood tones, Ripple Fold Drapery made of Linen in Natural offers a soft warm beige color that complements the wood. To layer in Roman Shades, choose a fabric with the same color temperature (warm, in this case) for a cohesive look. A good choice is Sahara Stripe in Desert, which has sandy-colored simple stripes on an off-white background for a touch of visual interest. If you can layer in a third shade, like Solar Shades behind the Roman Shade, stick to the same color temperature and choose a color that’s just a shade or two lighter or darker than your shades or drapes.

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ripple fold drapery

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linen

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Flat Roman
Shade

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Sahara
Stripe

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8. Capture a Unique Look with Two-Toned Curtains

Looking for unique and creative living room curtain ideas? Try two-toned curtains, which can be created with a bottom border that runs about two feet up from the ground. The effect can be either bold with strong color differences between the top and bottom, or subtle with similar colors only a shade or two off from each other.

A good rule of thumb for choosing two colors for your curtains is similar to the advice for layering your window treatments: Stick to colors with the same temperature (warm and cool). Mixing warm and cool colors is certainly an option, but it will create a stronger contrast for an even bolder look. For a softer combination of warm tones, choose a light beige color for the top, like Andes in Castle Wall, and pair it with another warm tone that’s just a bit darker, like Andes in Rye.

If you choose to also layer a shade with two-toned drapes, choose a material and color that closely matches the top color of your drapery. This will create subtle visual interest with your shade, while still allowing your two-toned curtains to be the star of the design.

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ripple fold drapery

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Holland & Sherry, Andes

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Waterfall Woven Wood Shade

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Artisan Weaves, Cove

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9. Go Classic: Pinch Pleat Drapes Over French Doors

Need living room curtain ideas for French doors? French doors are beautiful architectural elements and drapery is a great choice as the panels can be pulled fully off your doors so you can use them unhindered. Just like drapery for any doors, functionality is essential, so opt for a pleat style that pairs with track system hardware for the easiest use. Pinch Pleat Drapery is one such pleat style that can be used with a track system, and it delivers an elegant, classic look that complements traditional French doors. For a subtle yet sophisticated look for your drapery that complements a classical aesthetic, choose a fabric like Sankaty Stripe, which features thin shadow stripes for just the right touch of visual interest.

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Pinch Pleat Drapery

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sankaty Stripe

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10. Create Depth with drapes in a Breezy Coastal Space

For living room curtain ideas for a bright coastal-inspired space with lots of bright white and light blues and greys, consider drapery that adds just a touch of weight and balance to the space. Tailored Pleat Drapery made of Harbor Stripe in Sand features bold shadow stripes on a sandy-colored background that complements your white and blue tones while grounding the space with a slightly richer color. Choosing bold black rod and ring hardware, like Wrought Iron Hardware in Black, adds high contrast against your white walls for more visual weight to balance the space.

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Pinch Pleat Drapery

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harbor stripe

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Get More Inspiration

Explore our Photo Gallery for more living room curtain ideas and discover a world of design possibilities.

Tips for Choosing Living Room Curtains

As you can see from the inspirational examples above, there are a lot of curtain ideas for living room windows. So how do you choose the right look and functionality for your space?

Here are some tips to help you choose:

• Match to your existing aesthetic style and color scheme – Your curtains should complement your existing décor. To get the right color, a great place to start is your wall color, then choose drapery that is a shade or two lighter or darker.
• Consider functionality needs – Will you need to be adjusting your living room curtains on a regular basis? Make sure you choose a pleat style and hardware that are easy to open and close. Ripple Fold, Pinch Pleat, Tailored Pleat and Cubicle are all easy pleat styles that are also compatible with track system hardware for effortless ease.
• Think about privacy and light control – Do you need a room darkening effect for a theater-like experience for movies or do you just need to cut the glare by softening the light? Your drapery fabric — and lining that you choose — will dictate the level of light and privacy control you have. Blackout lining with a heavyweight fabric will get you excellent privacy and a room darkening effect. Privacy lining with any fabric will get you excellent privacy along with a soft touch of light filtering through. For the most light filtration and least privacy, choose a curtain sheer material without lining.   

find the Perfect Fabric for Your Living Room Curtains

Now that you have lots of inspiration with living room curtain ideas as well as tips for choosing, you’re ready to take one step closer to brand new drapery by selecting your material. Find the perfect fabric by ordering unlimited free swatches of all your fabric colors, patterns and textures. Be sure to observe each one in your living room at different times of the day to get a true sense for how the fabric complements your room.

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