How to Choose Curtains for Living Room: A Complete Buying Guide

Pro-Tip: In order to avoid one of the most frequent mistakes people make when buying curtains, which is selecting a design they like in a showroom, but which is not suitable for their home, it is worth taking a few minutes to assess the above factors.

When picking curtains, it’s not about picking the color that you like. Follow these 8 tips to create style, control, and privacy while keeping your living room functional.

1. Choosing the Right Curtain Fabric

The most important factor in a curtain’s performance and aging is fabric, more so than color or pattern. Two curtains of the same color can have very different effects depending on their weight and weave.

• Lightweight Fabrics for Softness and Light

Linen, cotton voile, and sheer polyester allow light to pass through and diffuse hard edges around the window. They are perfect for spaces with plenty of natural light and for those who want a more casual atmosphere than a formal one. The price of sheers is privacy, though; sheers provide little privacy when used in the dark with interior lights on.

• Medium-Weight Fabrics for Everyday Living Rooms

The practical middle ground is the cotton-linen mixes, mid-weight polyester, and brushed cotton. They drape well, don’t curl up too easily, and don’t appear too dark for controlling medium light. This weight class is the safest to begin with for most living rooms, as it offers both softness and structure.

• Heavy Fabrics for Drama and Light Control

Velvet, heavyweight jacquard fabrics, and lined cotton blends reduce light penetration. These fabrics provide noise and draft resistance and add weight to any room that opens onto a high ceiling or large windows. They are a beautiful picture taker, but can make a small or low room very crowded and require a larger floor area to collect and hang.

The general guideline: use a medium-weight material that is lined or lined with a blackout material if in doubt. It will give you control over the light without restricting you to a certain look.

2. Selecting Curtain Colors That Work With the Room

Bad taste is a rare issue in color decisions; poor sequencing is more common. Once the big picture items in furniture and wall color have been decided, it is best to select the curtains afterward rather than before, as they are more flexible to change when compared to a sofa or a paint job.

In the living room, there are three successful methods:

• Use a similar color, but a shade lighter or darker, so that the curtain will stretch to the wall, not cut it off. This makes a room appear taller and more connected.
• Choose a neutral tone that connects the wall and the biggest piece of furniture, like a neutral beige or gray that is found on both pieces. In rooms where there are multiple colors competing, this is the most secure choice.
• Add one accent color that is included in a cushion, rug, or art, and in small enough amounts in the other colors, so that the curtain does not seem the only place having that color.

Don’t pick a single curtain color based solely on the store’s lighting. Take a swatch of fabric home and look at it by a window at a time of day when you use this room most, as the light changes color more than many realize during the day and evening.

3. Matching Curtains with Furniture and Wall Colors

Matching doesn’t have to be one-for-one. Using a fabric that matches the sofa can create a flattened appearance and make it difficult to define the room’s edges and boundaries. Instead, look for a relationship with a different texture or shade of the same color family.

One of the useful tips that you can use, which is taken from professional staging, is the sixty-thirty-ten rule. About 60% of the color scheme goes into walls, 30% into upholstery, and 10% into curtains and smaller accents.

If curtains move only about 10 percent, they help the room, rather than vie with the sofa for attention. If curtains are the statement piece, you should limit patterns and colors in other parts of your room so your curtains have room to stand out without competing.

4. Correctly Choosing the Length and Width of Curtains

The most readily seen errors in any living room are mistakes in length and width, and they are usually more detrimental than a slight color error.

Living Room Curtains – How to Measure the Height.

There are virtually three lengths to solve all problems. Custom Made curtains that reach the floor fit in a room with a lot of activity, whether from pets, kids, or people moving around near the floor. Break-length curtains pool a little on the floor, about 1/2 to 1 inch, and seem more formal and tailored. Puddles are suitable for formal or rarely used areas of your home, as dust collects on them rapidly in your living room.

The point measured is either the top of the rod or the track from the selected point, whichever is chosen, not from the window frame. If the curtain is too short for a tall window, it can make the room look unfinished.

How Wide Should Curtain Panels Be

When closed, the panels should be approximately half the window width for a soft/gathered appearance. The narrowest panels available to purchase are not the best choice for the window, because they will appear stretched and flat, no matter how well the fabric is made. Hang the rod 6 to 12 inches wider apart on both sides of the window than the frame and as close to the ceiling as possible, as this will make the window and room look larger and the ceiling look higher.

5. Planning for Light Control and Privacy

Light control is not an on/off feature but a continuum, and most living rooms require sliding along it throughout the day. The most flexible is the multiple-layer approach with two tracks: one sheer during the day to provide privacy, and the other heavier or blackout-lined for nights for privacy and complete light block.

If unable to do double-track, the next best option would be a single mid-weight curtain with a removable blackout liner. It allows you to get it right seasonally because winter light and summer light fall very differently on most rooms. Don’t let color choices be your only consideration; if they are difficult to control, think about a fabric with a tighter weave than you would otherwise; it will be more comfortable to use every day because of its glare control.

6. Investigate the Different Styles of Curtains and Heading Options

The manner in which the fabric is attached to the rod and the manner in which it folds at the top can dramatically alter the character of a curtain, even if the fabric remains the same.

• Pencil Pleat: tight and traditional; works with most rod types and is ideal for classic or transitional rooms.
• Eyelet or Grommet: fabric loops directly onto the rod, making clean, even folds. Works well in contemporary and clean living rooms.
• Pinch Pleat: Pleats that are created at regular intervals with a pleated edge, for a structured, formal appearance, typical of higher quality interior finishes.
• Wave or Ripple Fold: zigzag folds – in a line, it is a very popular style at the moment for a fresh, modern look with minimal bunching.

Before selecting a fabric pattern, consider the overall level of formality of the room. Headings are more of an accent than just a piece of ribbon added to a plain linen curtain, as they can make simple fabric look more refined when installed in a structured, pleated curtain.

7. Choosing Patterns and Textures

The choice of pattern is heavily influenced by the other activities that may be taking place in the room. Solid or slightly textured curtains are generally a better choice for a living room with patterned upholstery, a busy rug, or an accent wall. Neutral furnishings and plain walls make way for a patterned curtain to make a statement without cluttering.

If a pattern is the right solution, it is more important for it to be scalable than anything else. Large windows can accommodate large prints without them appearing overwhelming, and a smaller window will generally look better with a fine print or a solid with texture, as an oversized print on a thin panel will feel out of place and appear more like a mess than a design.

Texture is a quiet choice for a pattern. Subtle weaves, like herringbone weight or slubbed linen, give a room depth and light reflective qualities throughout the day, but aren’t so strong that they need to be changed frequently with other items in the room.

8. Layering Curtains for a Designer Look

One of the simplest ways to make the living room look professionally designed rather than just decorated is to use layering. This system combines a sheer panel with a heavier one for the same window. In addition to the day-to-night window-control advantage described above, the heavier layer’s color and texture create a frame around the window at night, and the sheer softens the window during the day.

If you want a layered effect that sounds planned and not cluttered, you can have the sheer in a true white or off-white, with the added weight of the curtain doing the work. To hang two layers together, try hanging them on the same wide-spaced rod, or use a double track with the sheer hanging closer to the glass and the drape in front, so that the bottom edges line up cleanly.

The following flaws recur, no matter the budget or design style.

• Purchase curtains that are shorter than the window height to reduce the perceived height of the room.
• Using panels that are too narrow, and not neatly tucked” into place when closed.
• Without first testing the fabric sample in room light, before matching the curtain’s exact color to the paint color on the wall.
• Not considering the weight of the fabric and asking for sheer curtains for a window that opens to the street and needs nighttime privacy.
• Choosing a dramatic print without considering its color scheme with the current coverings and carpets in the same space.
• Hanging the rod at the window frame’s width and height, rather than at the window’s width and height, makes the window seem smaller.

The common theme across most of these errors is the use of the curtain as a last-minute design detail, rather than as an item treated and selected as carefully as a sofa or rug.

If you’re looking to make your living room look more cohesive and balanced, here are some expert tips to help get the job done.

However, when selecting curtains, it is not enough to just choose the right one. There are lots of little details that can make the difference between a well-designed living room and a room that feels unfinished. Follow these pro tips to create a well-designed and balanced space.

1. Test Fabric Samples in Natural Light

Don’t buy curtain fabrics without ordering a sample first. Place the sample near your window and watch it all day. Light makes a huge difference in the color, texture, and pattern that is defined in your living room.

2. Coordinate Curtain Hardware with Existing Finishes

Curtain rods, rings, and finials should match the other metal finishes in the room. When paired with other items like lamp bases, picture frames, or coffee table accents, they can create a more cohesive and thoughtful look.

3. Choose Fabric Weight Carefully

When choosing between two different weights of fabric, you should take into account the size of the room and how much light is needed in that room. Medium to heavier fabrics can often have a more luxurious look and drape, but can also be layered for extra light control later on.

4. Avoid Over-Matching Colors

Curtains should coordinate with the color scheme of the room, but not match all the cushions, rugs, or throws. Incorporating some contrast and variation helps create a sense of depth and refinement in the space, making it more sophisticated and polished.

The best curtain fabrics for living rooms are not always the color and pattern combinations. They are always the fabric weight, color relationship, length, width, and the amount of light they allow through. The fabric’s weight will influence the curtain every day. It is then harmonized with other colors and patterns in the room. Window length and width will help determine the window’s look.

Just like with any furniture item, take measurements of the window; test the fabric under actual lighting conditions; and select the hardware and head style according to the room’s level of formality. With those basics in place, the curtains will do their job effectively for years, rather than being one point in the room that just doesn’t feel complete.