I get asked often about window curtain panels. From how high to hang the curtain rod to how wide, and how many on each side. In this blog post I share my tips and tricks from past makeovers for hanging curtain panels and my favorite window treatments!
Curtain Panels
How high to hang curtain rod? It really depends on the room on how wide I hang the curtain rods. As you can see in our bedroom we don’t have a lot of space to hang the rod above the window. Most of the time I hang the rod about 5″-6″ above the window and about 5-6″ wider than the window. In our bedroom I did hang them 5″ outside the window. (we have velvet curtain panels 84″ long from here, another source here). See our master update here.
When you really only have one wall the bed can go on and that wall has an off-centered window, you work with it! We did 8 of these IKEA curtain panels and this curtain rod that went wall to wall. What a difference it made!
(Check out this bedroom makeover here)
Blinds are really not my favorite. I just prefer nothing blocking the view outside or the light coming in. As you can see in my sisters bedroom makeover I took off the blinds and did this black curtain rod (my go-to) and hung two RITVA panels on either side of the window. I always do two, unless it is a really small window. (see above makeover here)
Above you can see how I tired two curtain panels in this bedroom makeover. (crazy how curtain panels can changes the look/mood of the whole room!) The white I used TWO on each side of the window in the RITVA. Then on the bottom I tried the SANELA, again I did two panels on each side of the window (they come in other colors too).
PS- The homeowner ended up loving the velvet curtain panels for this guest room.
We did this rod with these brackets (3) and these finials. See above on how we hung the rod outside the molding, we didn’t want to block any of the view. About 13″ wider than the molding and about 6″ above the molding. I also don’t put the rod thru the rod pocket, I use the loops in the back so they look pinch pleated (more custom).
We did the SANELA curtain panels again in my sisters home office makeover. I used these curtain rods in the gold. You can see how we didn’t have a choice on how high to hang the curtain rod.
We did the RITVA for my parents bedroom too! I also love THESE amazon curtain rods.
For the windows above I simple moved the curtain panels outside the window frame, subtle change that really opens up the view! We also made sure the panels came to the floor (compared to the below picture). This was an affordable cozy living room makeover!
In this bedroom makeover I hung the rod about 6″ higher and the brackets 6″ off the window. And I went with these blackout curtain panels.
You can see the difference in one curtain panel vs two and why I always double up! I did two velvet curtain panels in this guest room.
In Finn’s bedroom I only have one curtain panel, that is because he has another window on the opposite wall so they balance out. Also there isn’t enough space in his room for two.
We have these curtain rods that allow the curtain panel to go flush to the wall, creating complete blackout. I used blackout panels with these whitewash bamboo shades.
Bamboo and Roman Shades-
I really like and use these white wash bamboo shades from Walmart. You can find them from Overstock here.
Fun to see the difference curtain panels make!!!
You can see how we used two bamboo shades in this window because they don’t make them larger than 46″ wide.
I do like these white washed bamboo shades as well! They are cordless too.
We used these shades in my sisters family room makeover.
FAQ about Woven Shades–
- Can you see through them? These are light filtering, so when you are up close, you can see through them. For this purpose, I will sometimes pair them with a blackout roller shade behind for more privacy or light control. (Find blackout roller shade HERE)
- My window is too wide for the largest size? I have found that if you pair two blinds side by side it works nicely and saves you money from having to get custom shades!
- How do you shorten the shades? I don’t! I just bunch them at the bottom when they are pulled closed (which isn’t often). The bulk of the full the length look cute on top when fully open. All my windows are shorter than the length of these shades.
You can see how much woven shades add to a room…before and after!
We recently added roman shades to our kitchen windows. I wanted to keep them natural with all that we have going on. But it felt like they needed something to cozy it up, especially in our dining space. I ordered them here and did them in the white linen. (since they were so big I had to do custom, you can find them ready-made other stores like Pottery Barn).
I will be adding more on this blog post with favorite window treatments!
- Black Curtain Rod
- Warm Gold Curtain Rod
- White wash bamboo shades from Walmart and Overstock
- Blackout Roller Shades (we have deep windows so we put these behind the bamboo shades in our bathroom and closet for privacy)
- White Cotton Curtain Panels
- Velvet Panels 84″ – Velvet Panels Longer Length here
- Blackout Curtain Panels
