Curtains can have an important impact on the appearance of a home. Rather than buying new furniture or doing costly home improvements, modernize and update your curtains. It is all that’s needed to achieve the look while keeping the expenses low. Before considering your decision on style, there are various things you should know about when purchasing curtains.
Always consider the room
When selecting curtains for a living room, it’s important to have a welcoming and cheerful feel. In addition, they should allow much light through the windows.
Living Room Curtains
A living room with a large French window will look best with layered curtains. Tri-layered curtains would have an outermostlayer made of a simple light colored cloth whereas the inner layers are made up of a lace curtain or a thick drape.
Bedroom Curtains
It’s important to choose curtains that create ambience which is conducive to sleeping and relaxing. If you want to darken the room, you should avoid buying curtains with dark colors as this will make the room appear smaller. Brightly colored curtains are great for a kid’s bedroom because they provide a childish atmosphere.
Kitchen Curtains
As curtains create a homely atmosphere, you should consider blinds as an alternative. They are much easier to clean and stain-resistant if someone drops or spills anything on them. They will not soak the smells of foods, at the same time, they are not highly flammable.
Know the curtain’s purpose
An important thing to remember about curtains is to know their purpose in a room. People who want to have some privacy and block light should buy a heavier curtain. Velvet curtains have a blackout lining which are perfect for this whereas a sheer curtain creates a nice style in a room only if blocking out sunlight is not a big necessity.
Lining and No Lining
It is recommended adding a lining to your curtains because they have a number of benefits. It protects the curtain fabric along with furnishings and wood floors in the room and they also add volume and weight to the window. It makes the curtain fuller and richer as the main benefit, however, is to make curtains more energy efficient. It keeps the room cool during summer and chases the cold away during the winter.
Always know the density and thread count
Another key thing to consider is the curtain’s density. Curtains having a thin density cannot effectively block sunlight as they are transparent and they are frequently used in combination with a heavier curtain to provide privacy. A moderate density curtain can block out sunlight whereas a heavier density one will not allow any light to pass through. This thing is perfect for living rooms and bedrooms.
Select the Appropriate Color
It is very important to choose a curtain that compliments the overall style of your room, particularly the color of the walls, carpet, floors, and other soft furnishings. A general rule when blending curtains into the room is if there is already a new focal point in the room, such as strongly colored walls, carpets, furniture with a busy pattern. If this is the case then it is best to choose curtains with a neutral tone.
However, if your room is painted white or cream with neutral furnishings then statement curtains will bring a look to the room.
Consider energy saving properties
A huge benefit of having curtains is their energy saving properties, particularly in cold regions where people face very hot summers, cold, and wet winters. A year round it is important to insulate the room either by keeping the heat in or out.
As mentioned earlier, these curtains with heavy lining are perfect for this case. These curtains reflect the heat from the sunlight, preventing the home from heating up during summer, and insulating the room in the winters. At the same time, these curtains provide fractional lighting, so you don’t need to waste electricity with room lights.
Fitted curtains can also help to keep your room air separate from the window surface which acts as a strong insulator.