The Only Curtain Guide You Need (Plus the Two Changes That Made Mine Look Custom)

Curtains are like the missing pair of earrings to a room. They’re the detail that pulls the whole look together, and a room without them always looks a little unfinished, a little boring, like it’s missing personality.

I learned this the hard way in our first home. I bought patterned cotton curtains on sale from West Elm because I thought they would make the house look high-end. I found the cheapest ones that looked nice and bought the same pattern for a few different rooms because I was too afraid to experiment. We even hired someone to install the curtain rod because a) we didn’t own a drill and b) we knew nothing about DIY.

The Before:

Safe to say we’ve come a long way since then. I want to show you the difference between those first curtains and what hangs in our own home now, because a few specific changes completely transformed the room’s feel. Let’s see if you can spot the difference and how just a little bit of effort can take curtains from builder grade to a real high-end look.

What to Consider Before Buying Curtains

Before you fall in love with a print, it helps to think through a few things. How much natural light does the room get, and do you want to block it or just soften it? Do you need help with insulation or noise? What’s the window frame type, and how much abuse is this fabric realistically going to take if you have kids or pets running around?

These answers end up shaping everything else, from how heavy the fabric should be to whether you need blackout drapes or something more sheer. A principal designer would tell you the same thing: function comes before the pretty stuff, every time.

What Is the Best Curtain Length?

This is the spot where I think most people, myself included, go wrong first.

Curtain panels usually come in a few standard lengths: 63, 84, 96, and 108 inches. If you have 8-foot ceilings, 84-inch panels can work if you hang the rod up close to the ceiling. If your ceilings are 9 feet or your windows are on the taller side, you’ll want 96 or 108-inch panels, or even wide panels for large windows, so the fabric actually has some movement and presence instead of looking stretched.

For the bottom of the curtain, there are really three looks people go for. Some like the curtain to float just above the floor for a clean, modern look. Some like a slight break where the fabric just grazes the floor, which is honestly my favorite because it looks tailored without being fussy.

And then there’s puddling, where you let extra fabric pool on the floor, which looks romantic and expensive but only really works in a formal room that doesn’t get a lot of foot traffic, because heavy fabrics like velvet curtains need more upkeep when they’re dragging on the ground.

A good rule of thumb I always go back to is that your curtain width should be about two to two and a half times the width of your window. That’s the difference between curtains that look full and intentional, with real visual interest, versus the thin, stingy ones that come stretched flat right out of the package.

How High Should You Hang Curtain Rods?

Here’s what actually changed between our first curtains and the ones we have now.

Hang the rod higher and wider than your window.

This was the single biggest change we made. Instead of mounting the curtain rod right above the top of the window, push it up closer to the ceiling. A good general guideline is about 4 to 6 inches above the top of your window frame for a standard room, and even higher, like 8 to 12 inches, if you have low ceilings or a tall window you want to stretch visually.

Bob Vila and Homes & Gardens both back this up, too, and it’s genuinely the rule any interior designer uses most often. The higher you go, the taller your ceiling appears, even though nothing about the actual room changed.

Go wider, too. Extend the rod a few inches past each side of the window so your curtains can stack off to the sides when open instead of blocking out the outside world or bunching up right over the glass.

Choose pleated curtains, then train the pleats.

Flat panel curtains, the kind you grab off a shelf without thinking twice, tend to look a little flat once they’re hung, no pun intended. Pinch pleat or pencil pleat header styles immediately give curtains more structure and a boutique feel, and they tend to photograph so much better than a basic rod pocket style that just bunches up on the rod.

If you already have flat panels and don’t want to buy new ones, you can just make your own pinch pleated curtains with just some fabric adhesive, no sewing required! I walk through the whole process, in my DIY pinch pleat curtains tutorial.

And once you hang your pinch pleated curtains, take it one step further and train the pleats. Loosely tie the curtains in sections with fabric strips or ribbon for a few days so the pleats set into soft, even folds instead of hanging stiffly. It’s such a small thing, but it makes a real difference in how custom the whole curtain style ends up looking.

How Do You Choose Curtain Color and Pattern?

Here’s the quick rule I use. Either match your curtains to your wall color for a soft, blended look that makes the room feel bigger, or go the opposite direction and contrast them for something more dramatic and intentional. Both work great. What doesn’t work is landing somewhere in the middle with a color that’s just slightly off from everything else in the room.

If you love a printed curtain, go for it, just maybe skip it if your room already has a lot going on with art, a rug, or an accent wall. White curtains are always a safe, classic look if you’re not sure, and they tend to work in nearly any room curtains end up in, from a media room to a laundry room to a full-on dining room.

Do Blackout Curtains Help With Energy Efficiency and Noise?

If you’ve got a bright bedroom, a street-facing window, or you’re just trying to keep your energy bill down, blackout curtains or anything with a thermal lining is worth it.

According to HowStuffWorks, quality blackout curtains can block up to 99 percent of light, cut thermal energy loss through windows by around 25 percent, and reduce outside noise by close to 40 percent. That’s a real difference if you’re trying to actually sleep in or work from a room that faces the street.

They also help regulate the temperature in the room and do a decent job cutting down outside noise, which matters if you’re trying to actually sleep in or work from a home office that faces the street.

Velvet blackout curtains are a great option if you want something that feels a little more elevated than your standard blackout panel. They have that heavier, richer drape that instantly makes a room feel more formal.

Best Curtains for Pets, Kids, and Everyday Durability

If you’ve got pets or little kids running around, skip the puddle and skip anything in delicate silk or pure linen. Both wrinkle easily and show every bit of pet hair and dust at the hem.

Cotton-linen blends and faux linen curtains hold up so much better, and a lot of them are machine washable, which is honestly the deciding factor for me most of the time. Save the fancier fabrics for a formal dining room or a primary bedroom that doesn’t see much traffic, and stick to the more durable options in guest rooms or anywhere else that gets heavy daily use.

How Do You Hang Curtains on Sliding Glass Doors and Oversized Windows?

Sliding glass doors and patio doors need a curtain setup that can stack cleanly to one side without getting in the way of the door itself. A wider rod gives you the room to push everything completely out of the way. And if your window is oversized or has an odd shape, that is when custom window treatments actually start to make sense, because standard sizes just won’t give you the perfect fit.

Best Curtain Styles: Linen, Sheers, and Smart Curtains

Linen drapes and linen-blend curtains have that effortless, slightly textured thing going on that works in pretty much any room and tends to look way more expensive than it is.

Sheer curtains are great if you want to soften the light without giving up all your privacy, and they layer beautifully under something heavier for a more formal look.

Cafe curtains are another fun, different curtain style worth considering if you want something a little more casual, especially in a kitchen or a window that doesn’t need full coverage.

And if you’re someone who wants your curtains to open and close on a schedule or with your voice, smart curtain tracks have gotten so much more accessible lately and are worth a look, especially for windows that are a pain to reach.

Where to Buy Curtains Without Overspending

I love buying curtains from Amazon. They don’t have to be designer or custom curtains that cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Custom drapery can be a lot, and that’s just not realistic for the average homeowner, myself included.

There’s a wide selection of great budget-friendly options out there if you know where to look, beyond just the usual suspects like Pottery Barn, Ballard Designs, Urban Outfitters, or Shade Store, which all have beautiful curtains but at a real extra cost.

Shop my favorite Amazon curtain finds:

1. Curtain Rings with Eyelet
2. Adjustable Curtain Rod
3. Wood Double Curtain Rod
4. Pleater Tape
5. Pleater Hooks
6. TWOPAGES Pinch Pleat Leaf Curtains
7. TWOPAGES Linen Textured Pinch Pleated Curtains
8. TWOPAGES Pinch Pleat Floral Curtain
9. Jinchan Winslow Embroidered Floral Curtain

A few of my favorite places to shop:

TWOPAGES is one of my go-to brands for affiliate links I actually trust and use myself. Their pinch pleat curtains come in these beautiful textured linen looks, and the pleats actually hold their shape right out of the box, all at a great price. I also love their patterned options for rooms that need a little more personality, kind of like what you’d find at Pepper Home, but for a fraction of the cost.

Half Price Drapes is another favorite of mine for quality drapery without the custom price tag, and they often have free shipping, which helps offset the cost of buying enough wide panels for a larger window.

IKEA also makes great curtains, and here’s the trick: add your own pleater tape to their flat panel curtains, and you get that custom pinch pleat look without paying custom prices. You can also grab stainless steel pleater hooks separately if your tape doesn’t already come with them.

The curtain rod matters just as much as the curtain itself, by the way. A clean rod like this adjustable blackout one or something more decorative like this wood-finish rod with a brass cap finial, similar to the Nordic Knots aesthetic that’s everywhere right now, genuinely changes how finished the whole thing looks.

And don’t skip the curtain rings with eyelets. They make opening and closing your curtains so much smoother than back tabs or rod pocket styles that just bunch up directly on a rod.

If you want something with the detail already built in, I’m a big fan of this embroidered bordered floral set from Jinchan and this linen blend pinch pleated set from DrapePalette for rooms that want some softness and pattern without going fully custom. Both have many color options, so you’re not stuck choosing from just two or three shades.

I do a deep dive on all of this, including my favorite budget sets and where to find rods and rings that don’t look cheap, in my full guide to curtains on a budget.

One more easy trick: add custom trim along the edge or bottom hem of a budget curtain. It’s such a small detail, but it instantly makes something basic feel like it was made just for your own home.

FAQ: Choosing the Best Curtains for Your Home

If you’re working on more of your home alongside this, my posts on wood accent wall DIYs to try and easy texture painting ideas for your home are great projects to pair with new curtains once you’re ready to keep going!