How To Hang Curtains Like a Designer
Hanging new curtains is an easy way to change the look of a room. Especially when making a more dramatic change like hanging them closer to the ceiling. It can also be a great way to add some personality and style to the decor. There’s no need to pay the big bucks for custom drapery when you can do it yourself — and save quite a bit of cash in the process! In fact, there are a few tricks you can use that will help you learn how to hang curtains like a designer would.
According to Michelle Taylor, Home Stager and Decorator, and owner of Home Appeal (a home staging and decorating company based in Portland, Oregon), “Depending on your ceiling height, hanging curtains above the window frame can have a different impact. It can make a room feel bigger, or help it feel cozier”.
How High Should You Hang Them?
If you’ve wondered what are standard curtain lengths, they typically come in 63″, 84″, 96″ and 108″ lengths. The general rule of thumb is to hang the curtain rods at least 4-6″ above the top of the window frame. But, in order to make your room look bigger, consider hanging the rods 12 inches down from the ceiling.
Since curtains are easily found in these measurements above, they’ve already done the math for you. This would mean purchasing 84″ curtains for a room that has 8 foot high ceilings, 96″ for a room with 9 foot high ceilings, and 108″ for a room that has 10 foot high ceilings. This is how to hang curtains professionally.
Michelle also gives advice on customizing the look a bit by moving the rod placement up or down a few inches from the suggested 12″. Placing the rod a foot from the ceiling will allow the curtains to just touch the floor, or “kiss” the floor, which is popular right now. However, you can move the rod placement down a few inches to give your curtains that “puddled” look. This is where they gather a few inches on the floor. Or raise the rod up a few inches so the curtains stop right where your baseboard begins.
How About Width?
Michelle goes on to offer this bonus tip for hanging your curtain rods. “Besides raising your curtain rod, consider widening it too! If you have room, place your brackets 8-18 inches past your window frame on either side”. This allows you to take in the full amount of natural light, as well as the view from your window when the curtains are pulled open.
Keep in mind average curtain widths are typically 52″, so you may need more panels on each side in order to achieve this.
You can use the same tips here for sliding glass doors as well as French doors. And, for a tutorial on how to hang curtain rods, like I did in my home office remodel, check out this 60 second video on TikTok.
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