Ten Ways To Get Your Curtains Looking Fabulous

Here are my top ten tips for

making sure your curtains look

completely fabulous.

1. Choose the right material.

It was worth waiting to find the perfect fabric for our girls bedroom. Even if you have a fairly small window, like ours, the right curtains can make a real impact. We chose Cabbages and Roses Hatley in their pink colourway. It was love at first sight. From the moment the parcel arrived, wrapped in delicate tissue paper, to the final hanging of the curtains, Hatley is utterly Country, with this beautiful floral pattern, yet, because of its fairly sparse, monochrome design, utterly Modern all at the same time.

2. Before buying, hold material up to the light.

Don't be fooled by sample books. When your fabric is hanging up, light streaming through the window will change how it appears. You can see from the two photos below (first on an overcast day and the second with glorious sunshine) that this Cabbages and Roses fabric does change a little with sunlight, despite being lined and interlined.

3. Don't skimp on interlining.

Unless you want a deliberately floaty appearance to your curtains, it's absolutely worth forking out for good quality interlining. This is a layer of blanket-like material which is sandwiched between the main fabric and the lining. Interlining creates a feeling of additional richness and weight to the curtains that can't be imitated.

4. Choose lining colour carefully.

Although it may look beautiful from outside your window, if your lining is too bold, it may show through, affecting the appearance of the curtain fabric. Always, always test!

5. Pick good quality blackout lining for bedrooms.

Cheap-as-chips blackout lining is a false economy as it can start to peel, which looks ugly and stops its effectiveness. Not good!

6. Ensure the pattern matches across both curtains.

If your curtains are patterned, make sure the pattern falls at the same position on each curtain. A mis-match would look awful, of course, but a completely precise match is what to aim for.

7. Choose an appropriate header.

We've used a simple metal track here to prevent too much light getting in when the curtains are closed, as it keeps the curtain next to the wall, so we kept the pleat very simple too. This finish is called a pencil pleat but, if you want something fancier, there are plenty of options. In general, the grander the window, and the smarter the pole, the larger the header should be.

8. Add weights to corners.

Another trick for adding a feel of sumptuousness to your curtains is to add purpose-made weights to the corner of each curtain. These are sewn in, so aren't visible, but help the fabric to drape delightfully without pulling.

9. Check how the curtain will look when pushed back.

Curtains spend as much of the time open as they do drawn so remember to see at how your fabric looks when it's fully pleated. In our girls bedroom, Cabbages and Roses Hatley still looks super-pretty when the girls draw the curtains in their bedroom each morning.

10. Tie in your fabric with the rest of the room.

In particular, ask yourself, 'how does it combine with the other soft furnishings?' and 'how does it combine with the walls?' There's no use having gorgeous fabric, if the rest of the room doesn't act as a foil to enhance its loveliness!