All things Curtains — Henley Real Estate

By Max Birkin for House of Henley

Curtains began life as a practical way of keeping draughts out and heat in, before becoming an early way to demonstrate wealth and style in the more enlightened era of sash windows and shutters. Since we all welcomed double glazing into our homes and chucked out the chintz, they have been somewhat relegated to the interior design scrap heap, beloved only by grannies and the nouveau riche. However, this ignores the power curtains have to transform a room from drab, boring and soulless into something more welcoming. As the nights get longer and we spend more time in our sitting rooms with the curtains drawn, now is the perfect time to bring a little more fabric-based excitement into your life. This is not a total call to arms – leave the heavy drapes, swags and gold tie-backs to the WAGs – but it is a gentle push to move away from the thin, half-height curtains you hung as a ‘temporary measure’ upon moving into your house seven years ago. Try not to panic; we aren’t suggesting you ring up the nearest seamstress and spend a fortune on custom-made curtains. IKEA is once again your friend here, offering fully-lined and joyously coloured curtains at unbeatable prices. Try the HEMA online shop if your ceilings are tall and you like a more relaxed look, or turn to eBay to pick up discontinued Laura Ashley toile du jouy designs for mere pennies if you fancy a bit of homely charm. The only rule is that you must let your curtains drape all the way to the ground – there is no sight more jarring than a metre of fabric hemmed at window-sill length.

In a slight departure from the usual format, some rather brilliant examples of curtains ‘done right’ have been selected and are listed below. Hopefully these might serve as inspiration.

This room shouldn’t work, but it does – to tremendous effect. The brown fabric walls are warm, the furniture is smart but funky and those curtains give just the right amount of colour and pattern to stop the scheme from becoming too ‘70s.

Pelmets are often seen as the height of fuddy-duddy interior design, but this is a fresh and playful take. The castellation is surprising and rather fun, whilst the red piping and plain fabric ensures these curtains stay on the right side of tasteful.

Curtains in a kitchen are unusual, but curtains in a contemporary, steel-framed kitchen feel downright shocking. Nevertheless, the inimitable Phillip Hooper shows us that curtains work in any context – the brightly coloured fabric gives life to the minimalist bones of the room, but the relaxed drape and simple poles keep the look slick.

Another more modern take on curtains; the double-track hanging means that the owners of this London flat can maintain privacy with a voile curtain, and shut out the light with a thicker, cream fabric that pulls back into luxuriously deep pleats. The only acceptable way to do net curtains.

Make like the Georgians and combine shutters and curtains for maximum light elimination. This example keeps it modern by using a plain fabric in a neutral colour and hanging it from bare poles. It lets the architectural features of the room (and those gorgeous windows) speak for themselves.

If brand new curtains are a financial stretch too far, dig out a needle and thread and pimp your existing hangings. Here, a lining of pom-poms has been sewn onto the inner edge of the curtain, giving them a pleasing addition that chimes well with the natural fabric and washed-out colour tones.

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