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  4. Curtains 101

Curtains 101

By Joyce Butterworth
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Spruce Up Your Space With Curtains
Credit: Southern Living
Use window treatments in stylish and functional ways to pull a room together.
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Spruce Up Your Space With Curtains

Spruce Up Your Space With Curtains
Credit: Southern Living

Draperies do more than block out the sun. Window treatments can transform a room, adding personality and character. With endless patterns, dimensions, and hardware options available, it’s easy to let your style shine through.

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Try Reversible Panels

Neutral Window Treatments

These custom-made drapery panels, with the green-and-ivory plaid visible from both inside and outside the house, help tie together the room’s color palette. The curtains pool at the floor with a few inches of extra fabric, offering a look that’s consistent with the room’s formal decor.

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Let Curtains Define a Space

Gingham Window Treatments

These gingham curtains frame the desk area, setting it apart from the room. Slightly pleated at the heading, the curtains break at the floor by a few inches, creating a relaxed feel that softens the look. The added length also allows for imperfect measuring.

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Keep It Casual

Cafe Curtains

Café curtains, hung at or near a window’s midpoint, are perfect for kitchens or anywhere you’d like to create an informal atmosphere. They’re also a great way to add a pop of color when full coverage isn’t needed. These are hung using rings with clips, so any piece of fabric can be used as a curtain.

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Customize Ready-Made Panels

Ready-Made Panels

Wide bands of fabric at the headings of these draperies turn ready-made into a bolder statement. Get this look for your home by purchasing inexpensive solid curtain panels and adding horizontal bands of fabric or ribbon in decreasing widths. Try strips in 1-, 2-, and 4- inch widths, evenly spaced. You’ll achieve a custom look without the custom price tag.

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Add Style With a Pelmet

Pelmet Window Treatments

These curtain panels are hung behind a pelmet (also known as a cornice), so the hardware doesn’t distract from the elegant fabric. The structured frame, used to enclose the top of a curtain, adds a touch of formality. With this installation, you don’t have to worry about what kind of curtain rod to buy; it’s hidden from view, so an inexpensive stock one will do. Custom-made pelmets offer a cohesive look when built to match crown molding.

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Soften Your Space

Linen Window Treatments

Linen draperies hung corner to corner at the top of the wall give the illusion of higher ceilings and bigger windows. Finished with a pocket through which the curtain rod slides, the draperies soften the room by flanking the window with unbroken expanses of fabric.

Note: What this fabric hides might surprise you: audio equipment that’s mounted to the wall. Linen is a good choice because sound can flow through without being muffled.

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Choose Curtains That Fit Your Needs

Cafe Curtain Window Treatments

Café curtains are a great way to keep glare off your computer without cutting out all light. The metal grommets are a simple alternative to fussy rings, which would overwhelm this small nook.

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Update a Classic

Window Treatments

For a look that’s clean and streamlined, hang panels with a matching valance. This curtain’s simple dot pattern updates the traditional-style treatment and, hung against white walls, gives a modern edge.

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Have Fun With Borders

Colorful Window Treatments

Bright colors and whimsical borders can enhance a room’s playful style. Here the drapery’s scalloped, bright pink edge completes the color scheme and adds a touch of femininity.

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By Joyce Butterworth

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    1 of 10 Spruce Up Your Space With Curtains
    2 of 10 Try Reversible Panels
    3 of 10 Let Curtains Define a Space
    4 of 10 Keep It Casual
    5 of 10 Customize Ready-Made Panels
    6 of 10 Add Style With a Pelmet
    7 of 10 Soften Your Space
    8 of 10 Choose Curtains That Fit Your Needs
    9 of 10 Update a Classic
    10 of 10 Have Fun With Borders

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