Nesting With Grace

by Brooke Christen

Unexpected Places for Curtains That Add Instant Cozy

Curtain panels aren’t just for windows. They’re one of my favorite ways to add texture, coziness, privacy and to hide areas you don’t necessarily want on display. Over the years, I’ve started using curtains in places you might not expect, and honestly, they’ve become one of my go-to design tricks. Here are some of my favorite unexpected spots where curtains work beautifully.

Inside Cabinets

In my office, I have this long black Glass Cabinet (or two of these for a similar look, less $) with glass doors. Even though everything has a place in baskets, cabinets like this can easily feel cluttered when they’re even slightly overfilled. I found magnetic curtain rods that attach right to the inside of the cabinet frame and hung these gingham curtain seafood panels inside (I cut and hemmed 2 per panel!). It instantly softened the look and added charm while still keeping everything accessible. Such an easy, cute solution.
Glass Cabinet // Curtain // Curtain Rod // Lamps // Wallpaper // Leather Chair // Rug
This is what it looked like before! Get the details on our home office HERE.

Curtains as Shower Curtains

In my girls’ bathroom, I didn’t want anything hiding this cute shower room! Instead of a glass door we did a curtain panel and layered a fabric shower liner behind it. The way the bathing room is set up, the liner will mainly just be catching small amounts of water. The curtain is more for privacy. It worked perfectly
I did one panel, then attached this fabric curtain shower liner on the back with these curtain hooks. The shower curtain liner was about 5 inches too short so I did get another and sewed on that extra 5 inches.
For the liner I attached drapery pins to each rod pocket tab, then hooked on the extra long shower liner. The shower liner is wider than the curtain, so I doubled the liner on the hooks on one side. If I had a wider shower I would do two curtain panels, and stack on one side, you could sew or pin together. Tip- pinch the drapery pin closed so the liner doesn’t slip out.
I did the same thing in Finn’s bathroom when standard shower curtains were too short. For his curtain, I did this Cotton Curtain Panel with Back Tab Header, Blackout lining, 93″ H and a total of 140″ wide. Ordering a custom panel makes it easy to use one wide curtain panel as a shower curtain, because you can decide your width and height based on your shower.

Curtain Instead of a Door

Instead of adding a door to our small pantry/drink room, I chose a curtain. I wanted to soften the edges of the opening and make the space feel more like an actual “room.” It turned out better than I imagined. I added a tieback that we can tuck the curtain when we want it out of the way. This works beautifully for closets too, or anywhere you want separation without the bulk of a door.
I used this curtain rod (I also use this curtain rod a lot, but chose a more decorative look for in here) and hung it 10″ off of the door so the curtains would not block the entrance. The gingham curtain panels are just the cutest, love how the gingham is larger on the edges, they also come in a green color. Love the gold color with paint color, Leap of Faith from Benjamin Moore.
In the same room, I used a matching gingham curtain panel  panel (cut and hemmed to size) to hide the drink fridge. It didn’t need to be hidden, but it added so much warmth and coziness. I hung it using a simple tension rod  placed between two cabinets.

Curtains to Soften a Door or add Privacy

We added curtains to our front door, to soften the iron, and can be closed for privacy if needed. Plus curtains around a door are just adorable, they look so good and unique. We had curtains custom made that are on all the windows and doors on our main floor in Pale Blue Aqua linen curtains (with Blackout205 lining, and Double French Pleat).

Laundry Nooks

We added the same curtains from our entry over our washer and dryer in the laundry nook to our bedroom. We used a simple black curtain rod, with rod brackets that attach to the wall, with rings. The biggest tip is to make sure your ledge is high enough so you can slide your washer and dryer out if needed. The pinch pleats and rings make it glide so easily and look really nice.
I LOVE the coziness the curtain added to this laundry nook. We used the same curtains that we have throughout our home, you can get all the info HERE.
We also have a washer and dryer tucked into a hallway nook on the second floor. Instead of a door (which would have gotten in the way) or a tricky sliding door, we added a beam so I could hide the curtain rod and hang panels to close off the space. The curtains soften the hallway and add so much charm.

Closet Doors

In this bedroom makeover, the closet didn’t have any doors. So we hung curtain panels instead of a door.
This was before.
And the after! These blue gingham curtains did the trick to close off the closet when needed, and also add more pattern and texture. We used 3 curtain panels on each side for a nice full look. Get all the details on this bedroom makeover HERE.
Curtains are one of the easiest ways to add softness, flexibility, and personality to a home…especially in places you might not expect! Whether you’re hiding storage, creating separation, or just adding warmth, curtains are often the simplest and prettiest solution. Once you start thinking beyond windows, you’ll see just how versatile they can be. Shop some favorites HERE
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