Get tips and tricks for hanging curtains to make them look like custom drapes without the expense. Learn how high to hang curtains, tips about curtain lengths, and so much more!
This post was originally published on August 18, 2017 and updated January 9, 2021 with new details.
If money wasn’t a factor, I would have custom drapes made for every room of our home. I love the tailored, traditional look. When done right, they look so rich and effortless.
Unfortunately, custom drapes can be so expensive! Today I’m sharing tips on hanging curtains to get the look for less.
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Hang Your Curtains Like a Pro
A few months ago I was so frustrated with our curtains 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. These are the simplest 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! Keep reading to learn how to hang curtains, tips about curtain lengths and how high and wide to go.
The Benefits of Hanging Curtains
Like many of my favorite Designer Secrets, hanging curtains correctly can completely change any space in your home!
- Give you the appearance of higher ceilings
- Elongate your windows
- Bring in more light
- Help a room look finished
How to Hang Curtains
Your first step? Measure one, two, three times. You’ll measure so many times, you’ll be confident when ordering and shopping!
- 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.
TIPS: How to Hang Curtains to 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. In fact, many designers will suggest going all the way up to the ceiling. This lengthens the look of your windows visually!
- 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. Be diligent about your curtain lengths according to your window height. 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.
Curtains are sold in pairs or by panel, and are installed over blinds or shades. They hang from curtain rods, often extend to floor, often produced in lighter fabrics (although they can also be heavier room darkening or even blackout fabric).
Drapes are made from thicker fabrics and are generally lined, which gives them more of a structured, formal look and blocks out more light. They are often custom made and have a more high end feel.
Yes you certainly can, and should! This is actually one of the oldest designer tricks in the book, to make ceilings look higher and help a room feel more expansive.
Curtains are often a couple shades lighter or darker than the wall color for added contrast. In fact, they can be any color or pattern you’d like, and you can go as dark as you’d like, or even a bright white with any wall color!
Yes, generally speaking they should touch the floor. Skim, kiss, or puddle… any which way you want to approach it, they should touch the floor!
Tips for Curtain Length
Curtain lengths are certainly a point of contention in the world of decorating. Hanging curtains can be stressful and you want to get it right the first time!
Everyone has different needs for both practicality and aesthetics, but in my opinion, it’s important that your curtains reach the floor. Otherwise, you’re shortening the visual length of your walls. This forces the eye to believe that your ceilings are shorter and your windows are smaller- two things we’d like to avoid!
With that said, if you have radiators or something that impedes your panels from touching the floor, by all means do what you need to do! Curtain lengths vary greatly for a reason. Find the right length that works for your home, and if necessary consider taking them in for alterations- a little hem change can go a long way!
What are the Standard Curtain Lengths?
- 63 inches
- 84 inches
- 94 inches
- 108 inches
- 120 inches
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 hole into the rod and rather than tightening the screw to meet the rod, tighten the screw into the rod. It’s a game changer when it comes to hanging curtains!
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. (“after” photos coming soon)
I hope you enjoyed these tips for hanging curtains to look like custom drapes! Thanks for stopping by! You can see more of our home {decorated for fall} here! For more easy updates, click here.
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- How to Find the Source of an Image
- 20 Easy DIY Wall Art Ideas
- 5 Designer Secrets to Decorate a Room
- 7 Ways to Add Light to a Room
- 20 Easy Ways to Update a House
How to Hang Curtains
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!
Materials
- Drapery Hooks
- Drapery Clips
Tools
- n/a
Instructions
- Clips / pins should be hung on your curtain panels approximately 4″ apart to offer a beautiful fold.
- Add a screw to the wall and attach a drapery pin to the curtain and to the wall for a polished look.
- 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.
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Hi Julie, I’ve come back to this post often to admire those beautiful pink curtains! I have similar (white, cream, grey, buffalo plaid) curtains throughout our home, from Ballard. They say to dry clean them (they are cotton) but I’m wondering — do you dry clean your curtains or do you wash them? I never feel like things are really clean when they are dry cleaned, so I’d like to wash them but don’t want to shrink or ruin them! I thought maybe you wash yours? I’m “spring cleaning” before spring arrives, to it’s time to clean the curtains! Thanks for all the lovely inspiration!
Hi Karen! I prefer to wash mine and have had wonderful luck. I tend to feel that the dust that accumulates in curtains doesn’t come out with dry cleaning. However, it will depend on fabric. I do not dry and they require ironing after.
Please help in painting 100 year old picture frames. I want to paint gold leaf paint and do I need to glaze after painting? Appreciate any tips you can give me.
Have you tried this? Turn Anything into Beautiful Brass
Hi. Thanks for the tips. Any insight for a room with one asymmetrical ceiling AND electric baseboard heat. I’ve been stuck on my next move. I’ve installed roller black out curtains but can’t figure out what to do next. Thanks! Love your style. I’m obsessed with Serena & Lily too
Hi Kristina! I’m happy to offer help, but it’s always easier with photographs. I have a free Facebook group, Celebrating Simple, where you can share your photos and I provide ideas if you’d like to share there.
Cheryl Vaught…we all can be envious of other people’s homes. You work with what you have and think out of the box. You just start in one small area and idea’s will come. Shop your own home for things. If you try to copy “exactly” somebody else’s home, it can get pretty pricey and would not be unique to you and your own idea’s or likes. A lot of bloggers homes are staged for the photo and don’t actually look like that in their real life. (Obviously Julie’s curtains aren’t staged. ). But, they can give you wealth of information to give you a good starting point to put your own spin on it. Sometimes it’s hard taking that first step. Start with one room, and just stand back and look at it and try and picture how you change the look of it. Even just moving the furniture around is a good starting point. Give it a try….you may surprise yourself.
Such an excellent point! Our home is far from perfect and I love it – it feels lived in…like home. It’s amazing what little changes and tweaks can do over time.
These are good tips! Who knew, huh? I really love your blush shade of curtains. Hubby and I aren’t into drapes at all. Have never been. We like our roller shades and had them custom made for every window in our new home. For me, I find drapes are too formal and we aren’t..lol…Most of our blinds are black and white and I think look very chic.
There’s nothing wrong with that! I grew up with roller shades. I use blinds as well, but with diamond windows i found that they weren’t a fit. One of my favorite quotes is if you stick to things you love, they’ll never go out of style. Never apologize for your style! ?
Love this! I see a new project for the weekend!
I like the tip about hooking the first part to a screw in the wall. My most concerning problem in my house is the 7’6” ceiling height. I don’t want the puddled look so the 96” are out and the 84” can’t be hung too high. I did hang them wide which I like, but they seem too low.
Julie, if I may chime in. Buy the 96”, raise your rods high to make your ceilings appear higher, and turn under extra with tape you iron on, if you don’t sew.
Hi Julie, it’s been a good while since I last visited your sight, sometimes I feel so incapable of making decisions about my home and so far away from what I think I like that seeing the success of others it to hard instead of being motivating. I really like your choices of color, furnishings, simplicity, etc… but can’t translate them to my 3 small bedroomed, 1 bath, square foot home with very little wall space. Anyway, I looked up the pink drapes and discovered RH has several, could you be more specific about yours, are they silk, velvet or other? Next time I write I hope to be in a less discouraged mind set. Thanks for listening… Cheryl
Hi Cheryl! Comparison is the thief of joy. I along with many others feel the same. I try to embrace our home even though I’ve never loved it by tweaking it the best I can. I understand it can be discouraging, but I’m here to help!
I believe they’re cotton blackout drapes…they’re 3 years old, I hope they still carry them!
what color is that wall i love it
You can read about our paint colors here.
Great tips!! Did you attach clip on rings to your curtain hooks please?
Thank you, yes, we did!
Wow genius! And loving the blush colored curtains with the brass rod! Gorgeous friend!
Thanks, Deb!
So pretty! Great tip on hanging it to the wall first! Curious, where you found the curtains and clips?
Thanks! Curtains are RH Baby and Child and clips are in my shop, but available at Bed Bath and Beyond. Enjoy, friend!
Great tips Julie!
Always a pleasure having you share at AMAZE ME MONDAY…thank you!
Blessings,
Cindy
These look great! Where are those curtains and rods from?!
You can shop them {and our home} here. Enjoy!
Unlucky for me I had no idea about the high and wide rule so when I first installed my curtain rods the who thing looked wrong. Next time I will definitely do it this way. But for now I am stuck because those curtain rod screws do not want to come out. Thanks for all the great tips.
Sorry Mary! Glad you enjoyed them! Curtain rods do leave big holes, don’t they!