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The windows of your home. No matter the shape, thickness or design they are often overlooked as one of the most comforting and functional aspects of your living environment. From letting in the natural, beautiful light, to circulating air flow to freshen up your space, a home can never have too many windows. We hope our ideas inspire you to accentuate your windows by getting creative with curtains to add privacy and an aesthetic touch. From simple close pins to curtain hooks and pipes, there are plenty of inexpensive items you can use for curtain window treatments. Always consider the amount of sunlight in each room when choosing your curtain color, and try to avoid using bright colors in rooms that get a lot of light to prevent them from fading.
To add more rhythm to your home, these curtain ideas and concepts can be applied to drawers, cabinets, cupboards, and other areas to achieve a consistent design from room to room. Albeit there are is a seemingly endless amount of curtain patterns and designs, the one common thread among all curtains is that they hang. So how will you hang them? Read on to pull back the curtain with these 7 ways.
1. Use Piping for an Industrial Look
Through a simple online search, you should be able to source metal piping and elbow joints to create a unique DIY curtain hanger. The major benefits of using pipes are that they can hold curtains of any weight. While most pipes are available in black or metallic color, you can use spray paint to achieve just about any color option you want. Pipes are a great choice for creating a set of two layered curtains (one behind the other), which is a recommended technique to use in bedrooms to keep as much light out as possible.
Think of layering your curtains as a way to create contrast between two different colors. Try placing a solid color curtain closer to the window or wall to make the design elements of the exterior curtain ‘pop’. Once the pipes and curtains are in place, you’ll enjoy a hassle-free experience of opening and closing the curtains thanks to the frictionless slide of the curtain holders onto the metal pipes.
2. Get Creative with PVC Pipes
To continue the concept of using pipes to hang curtains (yes, pipes are a curtains best friend), a great and more affordable option compared to metal pipes is PVC pipe. PVC pipes can be purchased from your neighborhood hardware store or even Amazon in a variety of diameters and lengths. Either measure out your window space at home and have the shop cut the pipes down to size, or do it at home with a saw and measuring tape!
The great thing about PVC pipes is their lightweight design, making installation a breeze. Spray paint also forms a long-lasting bond with PVC, making them a fantastic option for painting any color you want. Be sure to purchase matching grommets and a handful of curtain wall holders to keep the PVC pipes in place and looking so nice. Once installed, you won’t believe your creation is made of a simple PVC pipe! To create a thorough spread of curtains that extend over the corners of your walls, be sure to purchase elbow joints. They are perfect for giving off the look of a single pipe which supports all of the curtains.
3. Hang Drop Your Curtain with Cable
With the purchase of drapery clip rings, drop cloths, a few bolts, cable and a wire cutter you’ll be on your way to outfitting any space with a beautiful display of wire hanging curtains. This is a great option for decorating outdoor areas and providing shade to gazebos and patios, but cable hung curtains also look fabulous in the home. Start out by deciding how long you want your curtains to be hung. For a special touch that adds dynamic to the layout, fold the top part of the curtain.
The goal is to install the cable tight enough so that the curtains hang without bunching up together. Always factor in about 10 extra inches on each side of the cable so that you have slack to make a loop for hanging it. Once your cable is fastened, add the loop rings and attach your curtain and you’re all set.
4. Hang Your Curtains with Colorful Clothespins
Clothespins make for a cute and stylish method for hanging curtains but work best with lightweight fabrics. Measure the distance across the top of your window and drape a wire or thin cord from end-to-end. If you’re feeling creative, we recommend going with the classic wooden clothespins and painting them a color of your choice with acrylic paint.
Alternatively, you can choose from a colorful selection of stainless steel clothespins. They usually come in packs of 20-25 and are perfect for hanging heavier fabrics. One method for assembling the curtain is by clipping the fabric to a traditional curtain rod. In this manner, the clothespins are attached to the top of the rod, clamping down on the fabric – perfect for short curtains that won’t need to be slid back and forth. For a more dynamic curtain that you can open and close with ease, attach curtain hooks to the open end of the clothespins, allowing the clamp end to hang freely.
5. Incorporate Spacing to Let in Softlight
The way curtains are organized and hang is just as important as how they are assembled onto the wall. While each of the above ideas focused on how to hang the curtain, this creative concept is related to letting the light shine through. Try hanging your colored curtains in spaced out intervals in front of the windows to create an organized design that welcomes just enough natural light.
There are two easy ways to implement this design. The first is to install two curtain rods at the top, one in front of the other. Hang one curtain on the rod closest to the wall, across the entire window space, and then hang the colored curtains on the outside rod so that you can adjust them according to your desired layout. The other option is to hang each curtain on the same rod and to alternate the order of the fabric.
6. Hang Curtains in Different Dimensions
Break out of the normal vertical layout of hanging curtains and get creative with geometric styles. Just because curtains hang, doesn’t mean they have to be positioned upright from top to bottom. Try installing curtains at an angle by slanting them on walls to give the appearance that they are ‘falling forward’.
To achieve this effect, install the top curtain rod slightly in front of the bottom and be sure to properly measure out the vertical length of the curtain so that it doesn’t drape too much. This method works nicely in boho-styled lofts and artistic spaces by adding new dimensions and more depth to the room.
7. Use Contrasting Colors to Make Spaces Pop
This technique works wonderfully when used with two contrasting colors, but be sure to pick a colored curtain to use as the accent color. Go with curtains of bold colors like a deep cherry on a blue wooden door frame, or black curtains in front of a white window frame. Using contrasting colors draws the eye to the window space and turns up the energy in the room.
If you have colorful walls or wallpaper around your windows then you can pair it with a contrasting curtain. Try decorating a carpeted room with a contrasting colored curtain, like an accent of turquoise on a white carpet.
