Curtain Guides & Advice
Curtain Buying Guide & Advice
Planning curtains involves more than choosing a fabric. The window, measurements, heading, lining, hardware, finished length and the way the room is used all influence the final result.
Use these guides to work through the decisions in a sensible order, from understanding the window and measuring it to choosing fabric, headings and finishing details.
Where Should You Start?
Begin with the window and the purpose of the treatment. Think about privacy, light control, the view, draughts, acoustics, the amount of wall space available and how you want the curtains to look when they are both open and closed.
Also consider how the room is used and anything that could affect the treatment, such as radiators, sockets, pipes, furniture, inward-opening windows or more demanding environments such as kitchens and bathrooms.
Once the practical requirements are clear, you can make better decisions about fabric, fullness, heading style, lining and decorative details.
Start With the Window
Work out what the window needs before choosing the decorative details.
Planning
Plan the Window Treatment
Check privacy, daylight, views, draughts, room conditions, wall space and practical obstructions before settling on a style.
Use the planning checklist →Window shape
Types of Windows
Explore common window types and the practical considerations that can affect curtains, blinds, tracks and poles.
Explore window typesPlan the Window Treatment
Before measuring or choosing a heading, check what the treatment needs to achieve and what the window will physically allow.
Purpose
What Should the Treatment Do?
Consider the level of privacy required, whether you want to maximise or control daylight, and whether the treatment should frame a good view or soften an unattractive one.
In older or exposed rooms, curtains can also contribute to draught control and acoustics. In kitchens and bathrooms, think carefully about moisture, splashing and how easy the chosen fabric will be to live with.
Practical checks
What Could Affect the Fit?
Check how the window opens, how much clear wall and headroom is available, and whether radiators, pipes, sockets or furniture could interfere with the curtains when they hang or stack back.
Architectural details such as skirting, dado rails and cornices can also influence the finished position. Looking at these constraints early helps avoid choosing a treatment that works on paper but not at the window.
Measure & Specify the Curtains
Accurate measurements and the correct heading are central to how made-to-measure curtains fit and hang.
Measuring
How to Measure Curtains
Work from the intended track or pole position and measure width and finished drop for the curtain treatment you are ordering.
Measure for curtains →Construction
Curtain Headings & Hems
Compare heading styles and understand how the heading, fullness and finished length change the character of the curtains.
Compare curtain headingsChoose Fabric, Lining & Light Control
Appearance matters, but the finished curtains also depend on fabric behaviour, pattern, lining and the level of light control required.
Curtain fabric
Choosing the Right Curtain Fabric
Consider drape, weight, opacity, pattern repeat, width and how the fabric will look once made into full-size curtains.
Choose curtain fabric →Blackout & lining
Blackout Curtains & Blinds
Understand blackout lining, light leakage, curtain positioning and when layering a blind with curtains can improve room darkening.
Read the blackout guideCurtains, Blinds & the Finished Room
Once the main specification is clear, consider whether curtains are the right treatment on their own and how the finished window fits the wider scheme.
Alternative treatments
Blinds
Consider where a blind may be more practical than curtains, or where layering the two treatments gives greater flexibility.
Explore blinds →Design
Dressing Your Windows
Think about proportion, colour, pattern and how the treatment relates to the furniture and decorative scheme around it.
Dress the windowBefore You Finalise the Treatment
Take one last look at the proportions, fabric requirement and overall scheme before committing to the finished specification.
Aesthetics
Check Proportion & Balance
Let good architectural features breathe rather than automatically covering them. Curtain length, colour and pattern can change how a window and the surrounding wall are perceived, so consider the window in relation to the rest of the room rather than in isolation.
Existing furniture and soft furnishings matter too: the finished treatment should feel connected to the wider scheme rather than competing with it.
Fabric & budget
Allow Enough Fabric
Patterned fabrics can require additional material because repeats must be matched across widths. Large repeats can increase the quantity considerably, so fabric requirement should be checked before making a final choice.
Do not reduce the proper fabric allowance simply to meet a budget. If necessary, reconsider the fabric or treatment instead. In some rooms a Roman blind, or dress curtains combined with a blind for privacy and light control, can reduce the amount of curtain fabric required.
Reference & Final Checks
Useful terminology and a final review before moving from an idea to an order.
Ready to Plan Your Curtains?
Explore our made-to-measure curtain service when you are ready to move from measuring and fabric selection to the finished treatment.
