Ever fallen in love with the most gorgeous curtains online only to receive them and have them look NOTHING like the picture? Or have you found the prettiest curtains at the store only for them to look awful in your room? Or maybe you found the right curtains, but they never stay in place the way you’d like them to. Well, I’ve tried it all, from discount stores to bougie high end. Curtains, drapes, valences, rods, drapery hooks, rod pockets…you name it. And after years of trial and error, I finally cracked the curtain code and found the universal curtain and rod set up that will work in any home with any style. So are you ready to go on a curtain journey? Because we are taking it back, once again, to our old house in Connecticut…
One of the most overlooked accessories in a room is curtains. Some people don’t think they’re necessary, especially if they already have shades. Some think they’re “old fashioned”. And then there’s the sticker shock once you add up the panels, rods and other hardware. It can get scary pricey really fast. So what is the deal with curtains? And why are they such a difficult part of decor design?
First off let‘s talk about the difference between drapes and curtains. Drapes are a heavy, often lined fabric, that commonly are installed using drapery hooks. Curtains can range from sheer to near solid and are not lined. Drapes are usually more expensive and are sold per panel and curtains are typically sold in pairs.
I had drapes in our old home- the custom ones that the former owner left, and then some new ones I had bought from Ballard Designs.
The drapes I had bought from Ballard Designs were gorgeous, and helped work with the green walls that were already in our dining room that I was trying to “make work”. But while it was brighter than the drapes our home came with, it was still a heavy look and ultimately left me regretting the pricey purchase.
I had been using curtains from our old home that were pretty neutral in our living room, and put them on these custom rods from the former owner. The quality of the rods was amazing, but it wasn’t our style. And the curtains were really too short for the ceiling height. But like I’ve learned to do, I was living with it and giving it a chance while I took my time to find the right thing. Even though I loved the neutral pattern on these curtains, I was beginning to question the entire concept of patterned curtains. It was too much for the eye to take in and almost looked messy.
Eventually, I was sick of looking at it all. Sick of the different patterns and textures, and wasn’t at all pleased with the disconnect from room to room. And something simple hit me that I hadn’t considered before.
What if I treat my downstairs like one big space, instead of each area like it’s own?
So I went to Amazon and started searching. I wanted highly rated and affordable. We already had a black rod from the previous owner in the dining room, and the drapery hooks were on rings that glided nicely across the rod. I loved how easily I could open and close the drapes, and how easily I could position them the way I wanted.
I searched and found these square finial rods in black and these ring clips, and set to task finding curtains. (affiliate links- other finishes will be linked at the end of this blog.)
I knew I didn’t want just white, and I didn’t want completely plain. And I wanted curtains, not drapes. So I searched for linen-look curtains and hit the curtain jackpot.
They’re the H. Versailtex Light Filtering Linen Look Curtains in the color Natural. I went with the 52” x 96” length so they would hang nice and high above the window the bring the eye up. Best part? They were just over $30 a pair. And why linen look? Well, linen is wildly expensive and difficult to launder- but the look of linen has a simplicity to it, and the subtle texture and variation in the threads gives interest. Linen has a wonderful way of transitioning from a casual feel to a very upscale and elevated look in a space.
Here they are in our former dining room.
Just walking through the house and seeing the airy-ness that these curtains added to the space made me so happy. In fact I loved the look so much, I knew when we decided to move that I’d be using this exact combination. It didn’t even matter what house we bought; new build, existing home, farmhouse style, colonial, modern- this combo was universal. And I don’t mean the color combo- I mean the actual curtain and the rod/ring setup. I had already washed and dried these curtains and knew they had minimal shrinkage and came out beautifully. If I wanted to change the finish on the hardware, I easily could. Or even get different finials. And the amount of neutral shades these curtains come in- from pure white to beige and grey, I could find any tone I needed.
Which brings me to the next question many people have- do you even need curtains? Short answer- on every window? No. But on the right windows? Absolutely!!
Here is our new (messy) living room sans curtains and rods. Now we could have just hung up the art and called our decor complete. But take a look at this…
Same room (minus the toy mess😅) but with curtains. Now it’s obvious something is needed above the sofa- but just look at the difference! The curtains soften the window edges and diffuse the light coming in. They also elongate the window, making it appear bigger. And the rods are like jewelry pieces for your room. We chose to stick with the black to continue the black of our fireplace and the black stair balusters, but could have easily used brushed nickel rods and rings, too. (Different finishes will be linked below) And just like in our former home, we put the same ones up in our dining room. I even repurchased all the rods since we had left the original ones for the new owners.
And I even ordered the curtains in Off White for our current bedroom. Same rods and rings to keep that continuation from room to room, but a bit brighter and crisper look with the white bedspread.
And while our bedroom still has a bit of Farmhouse flare, the decor in our new home is very different than our last home, and yet the exact curtains and rods work perfectly. If we had bought a contemporary style home or gone with a more modern decor feel, I think the only thing I would have changed is to go with a rod with a more streamlined finial, and possibly gone with a different finish- like these End Cap Rods in Warm Gold. But as for the curtains- they are IT.
They literally pull any room together with just the right amount of light filtering, a beautiful drape, easy care and high end look.
And spoiler alert: I bought more for the bay window in my eat in kitchen. Be sure to check back to learn about how we hang them and how I use the clips and rings.
And check out my reel on Instagram for a closer look at everything shown in this blog: Let’s Talk Window Treatment Reel Tag me on Instagram if you use this curtain combo in your own home!! @awellintendedhome
Not a sponsored post. None of these companies know who I am. I have bought everything and used it all and can attest for the quality. I truly believe in these products.
Items in this post (all links are affiliate unless otherwise marked):
Curtain Rings with Clips:
Curtain Rings with Clips in Satin Nickel(I used these in my daughters room)
Bedspread: Lush Decor Farmhouse Bedspread
I think these curtains are just what my open concept home needs, so I've ordered them. Question: since they are rod pocket curtains, how do you decide where to clip the curtain rings? Sorry if that's a dumb question -- I've been using just grommet top curtains and putting the rod through. I'm liking the look of the curtain rings though.