DESIGN HACK: How to make inexpensive curtains look custom!

Decorating your living room with curtains is a simple yet impactful way to enhance its appearance and create a more comfortable atmosphere.

Curtains are typically a less expensive way to add to your interior design versus buying a spendy piece of furniture which could be thousands. Right now we are seeing a huge trend in tall, sprawling curtains.

In this blog post I'll show you how to achieve this without breaking the bank!

*My Inspo Look*

Benefits of having curtains that aren't so aesthetically obvious:

1. Temperature Control: Curtains can help with the temperature regulation of a room. Thick, insulated curtains can keep your living room warmer during colder months by preventing heat loss through windows. During hot weather, they can help block direct sunlight and keep the room cooler by avoiding a greenhouse effect.

2. Sound Absorption: Certain curtain fabrics can help reduce noise levels in your living room by absorbing sound. This can make your space more peaceful and comfortable, especially if you live in a noisy area or if you have kiddos playing.

MUST HAVES FOR THE HACK

• Curtain Rods

• Curtain Rings with Eyelets

• Pleating Hooks

• Curtains (I find doubling the panels gives a more expensive look)

CHOOSING A CURTAIN ROD:

Make sure to choose a rod that extends well past the sides of your window pane. The drapes should hang so that when they are open the inside edge of the drape aligns with the window casing. Having the drapes extend well past the window opening gives the illusion of a larger window. When I measured my window sizing, I took this into account and sized up!

*Here are the rods I ended up choosing for my living room*

https://amzn.to/3tvx4as

CHOOSING CURTAIN RINGS:

When doing research on this hack, I saw over and over again that the curtain rings that had attached eyelet holes, had a much more luxury look than those that had clips or secondary rings. They allowed the pleats to hang more neatly so I would say this is a MUST to achieve a seamless look. See below for reference!

*Here is the link to the eyelet curtain rings*

https://amzn.to/45rkcQ5

CHOOSING THE PLEATING HOOKS:

There are many types of pleating hooks out there and I found that the least expensive and actually the easiest to use, were the ones from IKEA (RIKTIG Curtain Hook). The were very easy to put into the curtains! See below of the Image of the hooks.

*Here is the link for the IKEA hooks*

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/riktig-curtain-hook-40212203/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=surfaces&utm_campaign=shopping_feed&utm_content=free_google_shopping_clicks_Home_textiles

CHOOSING YOUR CURTAINS:

I wanted a heavier curtain style for our living room to give it a lux feeling and to frame our walls of windows. The most important part in choosing a curtain is to make sure it has the pleating option already sewn into the curtains. See the photo below! I decided to use IKEA's TIBAST Curtains for this. They definitely are not the cheapest option ($50 for two panels) but in comparison to other brands/stores they are a steal!

*Here is the link to the IKEA curtains*

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/tibast-curtains-1-pair-white-50396758/

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

I would say this project took me about an hour. We had 4 rods to hang, one of which was double long and needed 3 support brackets. The time to put all of the hooks into the drapes does take some time so be prepared for that. Once you get the hang of getting them into the holes, it goes quicker than expected.

Make sure to check out my reel on Instagram to see my videos from the entire process!