Choosing the best curtains that complement your interior decor will create a finished look that expresses your personal style. Before making the final decision on design, fabric and size, it is important to evaluate the effect that you want to achieve in the room. Draperies and curtains are an expensive investment to your home and the choice that you make may remain for many years. A little research and careful planning will ensure that the window coverings enhance the decor and are appropriate for your home.

Sizes and Styles

The first step in choosing a window covering is to consider the size of the window and the style of the room. In a kitchen, breakfast nook or casual room, a window length curtain looks chic. In a formal room such as a dining room or living room, floor length styles add elegance.

Valances are the icing on the cake and add dimension to a wall. They can be used alone, layered or coordinated with matching curtains. Scalloped edges, swag styles with fringe and tassels or gathered valances dress up a window.

Decorative curtain rods made of wood, polished or flat metal finishes can be exposed if panel style curtains are used. Tiebacks made from the same fabric, tasseled and beaded can be hidden or exposed with decorative hardware.

Curtain Fabrics

The fun begins with choosing a fabric that coordinates with the interior design. Casual areas look best with cotton blends, canvas, and synthetic blends. Sheer fabrics can be used as an inner layer or in combination with blinds to soften a window. If the curtains are for privacy, fabrics that close easily are preferred. If the purpose is strictly decorative, lacy or dressy fabrics that softly drape the window add style.

Colour selection is a vital criterion. The curtains should blend with other fabrics in the room and agree with the wall colour palette. Contrasting fabrics can be used if the accessories pick up the colour decor.

Custom Made Curtains

If you want to match other fabrics such as bedspreads or sofas, it may be necessary to purchase custom styles. Whether you choose a curtain or drapery style that makes a statement or blends with the room, the effect will be stunning if it coordinates with the interior decor. Taking the time to consider the existing furnishings, the wall colours and accessories before making the final decision will ensure that the room will have a finished and well decorated ambiance.

Blinds offer an attractive alternative to curtains, although aren’t always considered. They are economical, easy to care for, and offer superior privacy. There is a style to fit any budget or room. By choosing a classic style, your blinds can fit into the changing decor of any room. Understanding the options when it comes to window blinds is an important first step in choosing the right kind for your design needs.

Vertical blinds are perhaps the most common in both home and office settings. They consist of plastic or aluminium vanes that run vertically and are held in place with a string. They can be raised to allow light in or the vanes can be rotated to allow light in while affording privacy. Though not as stylish as other options, they are economical and can be dressed up with a fabric swag to conceal the head rail. They are easy to clean, only requiring periodic dusting, and durable.

Wooden Venetian blinds offer similar construction to vertical blinds but are much more sophisticated in appearance. In an office setting they can lend a degree of professionalism that vertical blinds may lack. At home, wood can be chosen to compliment molding and accents in order to tie the room together. There extreme durability and easy upkeep make these a good choice.

Panel blinds are usually made of fabric or wood and come in two styles. Some are similar to a horizontal version of Venetian blinds and others are two or more sliding panels. They are suited especially to floor length windows and sliding glass doors. The wooden styles only require a bit of dusting where as fabric panel blinds may need spot cleaning on occasion.

Roman blinds have long been a favourite window treatment for professional designers. Also called roman shades, they are a panel of fabric that covers the window and when raised pleats attractively. These are perfect if you like the look of curtains but want the practicality of blinds in your home. When the blinds are raised they do not offer as much privacy as other styles but this is offset by their dramatic diffusion of light when they are closed.

Pleated blinds work on the same theory as vertical blinds except they are fabric that is pleated in such a way as to cause a pocket within two layers giving the blinds their pleated appearance. These blinds work well on traditional windows, but can also be made to fit round or curved windows. They can be raised and lowered or left closed where they will diffuse the natural light wonderfully.

When choosing blinds, decide what you are want them to provide. Whether it is privacy, light control, or style there is a choice that will fit your needs.

Just as important as the curtains are the fixtures. No matter how nice your curtains are, they will look unfinished or awkward if the proper fixtures are not chosen to complete the look. Luckily, there are many options and one is sure to coordinate with your decor.

There are two categories of curtain fixtures- track and rod. Track fixtures have a cord that is used to open the curtains, which are attached to the rod with curtain hooks. On a rod fixture the curtains are affixed with hoops or hooks and they are opened manually.

There are two main types of track fixtures, sometimes known as rails. A flexible track can be curved to go over arched windows. A fixed track comes in predetermined lengths and you must measure carefully before purchasing.

Curtain rods also come in many varieties. Where as curtain tracks are meant to be hidden by the drapes, rods are part of the design element and special care must be taken when deciding on which to purchase. They come in many different materials and widths. Finials may be part of the rod or may come separate.

Cafe rods are for small windows that will have half curtains on them, such as in a kitchen window. The are narrow rods and usually not overly decorative. Often they come in a brass tone or they are white.

Metal rods are quite decorative, and may have texture and ridges on the rod itself. Wrought iron is a very popular choice, as is brushed steel. Heavy curtains look good on wide diameter wooden rods, which are available in a multitude of finishes. Both metal and wooden rods require a finial if one is not built in, otherwise the rods won’t look complete. Complementary hooks, fabric loops, or rings attach curtains to the rod.

Finials also come in a variety of materials and styles. Finials should match the finish of the rod, so a brass rod would have brass finials and so forth. Finials come in many styles from simple and modern to organic and intricate. Stick with the style of the room and choose a suitable finish to complement your current decorating scheme.

Swag knobs and curtain tiebacks are also available in wooden or metal models and should match the other curtain fixtures if used. Otherwise they should either compliment the window frame or the decor. Tiebacks come in either a knob or hook style and are usually metal, though the knob style can be found in wood. When deciding which swag knob or tieback to get make sure they compliment and do not overwhelm the curtains.

Embrace your inner Bill Gates with these curtains…

1) For the Internet Obsessed…

If the internet is like your second shadow, your Siamese twin, your Ying and your Yang.

And if you can’t live without your YouTube, Google or Flickr and the mere thought of going a day without logging onto your Facebook account gives you the absolute jitters…

…. then this one’s for you, you beautiful crazy geeky person, you.

Apparently, someone had 9 wooden window blinds designed for them with a range of those logos printed on them including one for Digg, Flickr, Google, Facebook and Firefox.

Now that’s dedication.

(img src: nets2go.co.uk)

2) This One Produces Electricity…

You definitely can’t blow your nose with this one (or rather, you can, but it might be the last time you do).

The brainchild of Sheila Kennedy, this (prototype) curtain has thin flexi solar panels built into it. The idea is that any energy the curtain derives from the sun is stored and funnelled through to other electrical equipment throughout the home.

Really good (and cool) idea.

However, on a health and safety tip: how safe would it be around children?

And on a style tip: Would a range of different textiles be available? Or would a choice have to be made by the consumer between style and being environmentally friendly?

(img src: inhabitat.com)

3) Aaaand This One’s ‘Wiimotely’ Controlled…

It’s highly debatable as to whether this gadget’s really needed …unless ones room is SO big, the curtains are a 100 miles away but…anyway…

The ‘Wiimote’ is a remote that opens and closes your curtains for you. Looking at the video, it does look like a lot of wrist action just to do that. Wouldn’t it take the same amount of energy (or slightly more) to just get up and do it manually?

Hmm.

4) This One’s Made Out of Computer Punch cards…

Yep, you heard. Someone fashioned a blind out of a humble needle and thread plus the piers de resistance itself… computer punch cards.

Looking at the photo, they don’t look like punch cards at all. It looks more like some sort of calligraphy or creative pattern.

What an amazing way to use waste considering much of that was probably initially destined for the dumpster.

(img src: flickr.com/photos/jeffreygarman)

5) And This One’s a Tree…(but not as you know it)…

Aaaah, nature. It’s so, erm, natural, isn’t it?

I mean, look at that tree outside - and the way the curtain brings out its sheer beauty. All it needs is a couple of birds and voila, Mother Nature at her best.

Except that…ahem…the tree is inside not outside. And, erm, it’s not a real tree actually, but rather a profile of a tree …intricately printed on fabric…using ASCII characters.

Cool or what?!

Eat your heart out, Ikea.

(img src: nsybrandy.nl)

6) Don’t Walk Past This One if You’re, Erm, a Magnet…

The designer of this magnetic curtain, Florian Krautli, who is now my bestest friend in the whole world (but doesn’t know it), created it by incorporating itty bitty magnets to the fabric so that it could be bent/shaped any which way the user chooses.

Where do these designers get their ideas from? Did the Tooth Fairy give them more than a gold coin when they were little?

Not only is this design idea overly-fab, it’s such a simple idea in a “why-didn’t-I-think-of-that” way that it’s a tad frustrating (in a good way, of course).

(img src: nets2go.co.uk)

7) A Shower Curtain that Could Teach You a Thing or Two…

I personally prefer to sing my little tonsils out in the shower, but these shower curtains are pretty cool though. With lots of useful information printed on them, you can kick your sleepy brain into gear in the morning while lathering up in the bathroom.

A range of ‘educational’ shower curtains are available for your grey matter’s absorbing delight including Maths, French and Spanish Vocabulary, Geography and The Periodic Table.

Bathroom showers will never be the same (unless you don’t buy this particular shower curtain, that is. Ahem.)

(img src: nets2go.co.uk)

8) Plastic, Liquid-Crystal Curtain, Anyone?

If a curtain can be fashioned from magnets and computer punch-cards, then why not from plastic and liquid crystal?

This curtain consists of 2 pieces of plastic that switch from clear to opaque when the user presses a button. It’s made possible through the liquid-crystal that’s positioned between both pieces. As energy passes through it, it imbues an interesting dream-like impression onto the plastic.

(img src: nets2go.co.uk/)

Whatever the fashion in terms of colour or pattern, products in subtler tones such as white, cream, soft fawns and beiges act as the foundation to the latest interior trends.  The Natural Curtain Company’s simple philosophy is perfectly in line with this.  Offering unfussy fabrics in understated colours, its made to measure curtains or roman blinds will provide the perfect backdrop to your 2009 decorating scheme.

White has always been the colour of choice for interior designers.  It represents calmness and tranquillity and provides a blank canvas which you can dress up or down according to your preference.  Simple white curtains provide the perfect basis for a clean and minimal room.  Team with white furniture and walls, adding small splashes of colour with carefully selected accessories.

To make a statement, combine fresh white with black or charcoal grey for a dramatic monochrome look.  Simple eyelet curtains in white linen offer a contemporary look and provide the perfect antidote to a striking black wall.

For simple, understated style, visit The Natural Curtain Company - and with a whole new range of fabrics to choose from you’ll be spoilt for choice.

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