Get tips and tricks to learn how to hang curtains and make them look like custom drapes without the expense. Learn how high, how wide to hang them and so much more!

If money wasn’t a factor, I would have custom drapes made for every room of our home. I love the tailored look. When done right, the look so rich, yet effortless. Unfortunately custom drapes can be so expensive! Today I’m sharing tips on how to hang curtains to get the look for less.

A few months ago I was so frustrated that I enlisted help. I had spent a small fortune on ready made curtains for the girls’ rooms and they just looked blah. A friend of mine put me in touch with a gentleman who came over and showed me what I was doing wrong. The idea was there, but my execution fell short. We had used drapery hooks and clips, but to my surprise a few too many.

I learned a lot of tips and tricks to hang curtains – like a professional. Such simple tweaks that make all the difference making these ready made curtains look more like custom drapes. I’m so excited to share them with you.

How to hang curtains:

• Clips / pins should be hung on your curtain panels approximately 4″ apart to offer a beautiful fold. The first pin on each side doesn’t hang on the rod though…
• It hangs on the wall! There’s no better way to get a custom feel than to wrap the ready made curtains – around the window! Just add a screw to the wall and attach a drapery pin to the curtain and to the wall for a polished look. See how with step by step photos below.  
• Once you have placed all of your pins and clips 4″ apart, and secured the ends to the screw as shown above, thread them on the rod.
• Insert your fingers into the fold as you would gloves and pull away from the wall for a pretty fold. 

These tips made all the difference in the world.

Make Curtains Look Like Custom Drapes:

• When in doubt, go high. I like to hang my rod 6 inches above the window. Use a stud finder and wall anchors to ensure your curtain brackets are secure and won’t tilt.
• Have the rod extend beyond the bracket. I tend to do 2-3″ not including the finial.
• Add at least 10″ to each side of the window. It will make your window appear larger.
• Use wide panels. A good rule of thumb is at least 50″, but for large windows I like to use 100″ wide panels. This will make them feel full. A common rule for curtains is that their finished width should be at least 2 times the width of your window for heavier fabrics such as velvet and 2 times for sheer fabric though this often applies to formal spaces.
• Skim, kiss or puddle. Hang curtains to skim 1/2″ above the floor for a casual look, 1″ longer than the floor for a kiss or 8+” longer for a puddle {I tend to puddle mine}.
• Steam. This is my least favorite rule, but it makes a world of difference in how curtains lay and can offer a more custom appearance.

Stop Curtain Rod Shift

Do you ever get frustrated with your curtain rod shifting? If you have working curtains (meaning that you open and close them), you have probably experienced this. Most curtain rods use a screw to merely brush up against the rod to secure it in place.

Drill a hold into the rod and rather than tightening the screw to meet the rod, tighten the screw into the rod. It’s a game changer! (photos coming soon)

If you look at the curtain rod above it had shifted several inches. Now they’re securely in place with just 2″ on each side.

I hope you enjoyed these tips to hang curtains to look like custom drapes! Thanks for stopping by! You can see more of our home {decorated for fall} here!

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