Too high, too low, just right? (curtain rod height issues!)
(Note: please excuse the not-great photos...it was a dark and stormy day yesterday!)
Sonia and Zoe's curtains arrived two days ago, so yesterday, I put them up. I was pretty sure I was gonna need to raise the rod height, and once I put the curtains up, that was confirmed.
I think this looks awkwardly low.
Having read in multiple places that curtains should be hung high, high, high, I did just that.
Oh dear.
While this might work if you had roman shades or bamboo blinds to cover the empty wall space, in this application, I did not feel like it worked.
So, I tried something more in the middle. I think this is much better, and it does make the room seem to have more height without looking completely ridiculous.
I'm wondering if these are still too high, though. Or are they too low? I don't know! What do you guys think?
While I was busy hanging curtain rods, I decided to tackle the ones in my living room, which I felt were a little too low.
Scarred from my too-high attempt in the girls' room, I opted to play it a little safe here and raise them just a few inches, and I actually really like this height!
The curtains are now too short, but this doesn't matter because they are completely hidden behind the sofa.
Eeeeeexcellent.
Also: I am totally giving myself props because I filled, sanded, and painted the old holes in the living room wall within a few hours.
(This is a job I might be tempted to procrastinate on!)
And in Sonia and Zoe's room, I did fill in all the old holes, but I ran out of time to sand and paint 'em. That'll happen today.
And because I painted their chalkboard wall yesterday, I can take after pictures of their room very shortly. Yay!!!
So, decorating-savvy people! Give me your thoughts on curtain height. Do you think the higher, the better? Is the height I hung the curtains at ok?
__________________________
Don't be a slave to other people's opinions. Hang them where YOU like them - after all, you have to live with them! I once read an article that said curtains should drag the ground. I think that's absolutely ridiculous looking and a pain to keep clean, so I don't. I hang them where I like them!
I know "everyone" says to hang curtains high. But I have 10-foot ceilings and I think it would look ridiculous for my curtains to be hung by the ceiling. I do think I could go a little higher and it would look nice, but I haven't experimented with that yet. Besides, any time I buy curtains, they are just the right length to hang right above the window (because of my tall ceilings, I think).
I like where you have the curtains hung now. Looks about right to me, but I'm no expert. 🙂
Thanks for this post - very helpful for me! These are the little things of homemaking that I'm still working on after 15 years. Your living room curtains look lovely.
Looking at your pix, I'd say that the rods need to be high enough that the curtain hems (the ones on the rods) are above the window frame, but definitely not all the way up.
I think this gets to the heart of it - with semi-transparent curtains, things look 'crowded' if the hem is on top of any of the window molding, but it flows nicely once they're up and out of the way. I think that the rods look nice in their current location, but I also really like using this as a guide for any future curtain rods that we'll put up!
(The only window of ours with curtains has the shades drawn most of the time, so we just went up to the ceiling, but I'm keeping this in mind if we ever get around to fixing up the rest of things.)
I agree, don't be a slave to others opinions, hang them where you like them, me I like in the middle 🙂
Blessings
Rhonda
Hi there. The last one looks the best. Are the curtains touching the floor? It also depends on how high your ceilings are. On the three windows that I have drapes, there is about a 6" gap from the top of the window to the rod. The living room looks good to.
Patti
Hi Kristen - Proportion of window to curtain and the style of the curtain might be some factors to consider. The LR curtains are covering a larger amount of window space and so the height of the rod helps in balancing out the proportions. Given the shorter curtains in the LR and the fact that they are hidden by the couch, they don't give the same visual impact as the ones in S&Z's room. Smaller window, window blinds, and long curtains - there's a lot happening in a small space. Since the curtains in the LR are similar in style, maybe swap a set to see if shorter is better. That's my 2 cents worth!
I keep reading in design mags about hanging the curtains high to make the room feel bigger, but you're right, without the shades it just looks a little strange. I suffered significant angst over the length of the curtain (I decided I hated "puddles" but getting it exactly to the floor is tough). There was a lot of mending.
Yes. I also think that if you have a larger, emptier room, the high curtains also seem to fit better.
One thing is certain--you can rest assured that wherever you put them, in a few years all of the "rules" will have changed. I would never have noticed they were low to start with. Not sure what that says for me and my home decorating skills! Go with what you like best; after all, it all just comes down to taste.
Well, that is true. And also, wherever you hang them, you get used to them!
I'm no expert, but I love them in the middle just where you put them (both rooms). That is visually appealing to my eye and I would have done the same thing. The important thing is that YOU like them. Great job!
If you like them where they ended up - leave em. (it looks quite nice) I never even knew the curtain rule. The ones in my front room are flush with the top of the window. Since it's an odd config of one tall window and two shorter ones, it seems to "work". The most important thing is how it looks to you.
I like the first look. I have never understood why curtains are hung more than a little above the trim unless it prevents having to hem said curtains...then I'm all in:)
I agree, I like the first look. Do not like the high up idea especially for a child's room. You have the ask the question: who are you making the room "look larger" for?
Well, I'm mainly thinking of my girls. They're at an age where they want their room to feel more spacious and grown-up, so I'm doing my best to make that happen, given the fact that I can't make their room larger. I'm definitely not decorating this room for me (I'd have painted the walls gray! Ha.)
In the middle of the space above the window to ceiling is perfect!
That's what I've been thinking, too! It's a nice look and exactly what I would choose if I were doing it.
Since I have absolutely no decorating skills and seem to lack all sense in these matters, I will just say they look great where you put them. I do like the midpoint for the girls and the living room. Also, major, MAJOR props for all the switching around and sanding and painting -- in one day!! The finished results really are lovely so yay you!
The key is high and wide. If you make them wider it will trick the eye and they will look more proportional like the ones in the living room.
Ahh, gotcha. Sadly, the other window in the room is smack dab next to a wall, so there's no room to go wide. Oh well!
As an interior designer, the rule is "high and wide." It makes your ceiling look taller and your windows look bigger. Personally, I don't think the second picture looks bad, especially if you had placed the brackets about 6" outside of either side of the window. You could also fluff the curtains a little bigger. However, where you hung them looks nice too.
I wanted to hang them wider, but sadly, there's only so much space on that window, and there's nooo wiggle room space on the other window.
I just need to make the room bigger, obviously. Ha.
I have the exact same problem in my living room. There is only 3" between the edge of the window and the corner. Makes it really tight. Oh, well. First world problems, right?
Is that your STEP ladder Kristen? Did you ever know your real ladder? 🙂 Smile.
Haha! Well, I DO have a step-ladder, but I was too lazy to get it out of the shed. So I used a stool. 😉
We just moved and I've been struggling wih the same thing! Thanks for the post and all the other commenters. I feel better about just making the decision and being happy with what I think looks best.
For thee record, I like the tall ones and middle hight. The girls room looks nice! You've encouraged me to paint my daughters room, no fear!
Yay! Glad my curtain-hanging adventures are helping someone else.
I love that paint color for the girls' room, by the way! Looks like the perfect compromise. And I agree: figuring out the whole curtain thing is weirdly difficult! Personally, I think the ones in the girls' room look better a bit closer to the window frame. I think just a LITTLE bit lower than the lower of the two new photos you have of them in this blog post would look best, while not being quite as low as they originally were (which I agreed with you, that height did seem somehow to be awkwardly low . . .). Good luck figuring it all out! Bet the girls will be LOVING their newly made over room!
My vote is for exactly where they are now, but then my house has no curtains at all, so consider the source... I can't wait to see the after pictures!
I'm not a decorator or a home-maker type so take this with a grain of salt. Our walls are white and have not been re-painted in 15 years. . .but here's my comment about curtain rod height. The curtain rods that we DO have I got at Target for like $10 and the curtains cost even less than that. I put the rods RIGHT on the top of the window frame. It never occurred to me to put the rod on the wall! I guess I took my lead from our dining room (where my mother in law made our curtains) and they are on the front door and two side windows that open OUT, thus the curtain rods HAVE to be ON the window frame itself for the door and windows to work properly.
Oh, interesting! I've never seen a window designed like that, but yeah, that would seriously limit your window covering options.
Actually, what Millicent describes is the way all our drapes and curtains were installed - made to order and put up by the "experts". Mind you, that was 25 years ago, so the "in" thing is probably different now. But that leads to another point, one that numerous commenters have made: there really is no "right" way, just the way that looks nice to you. For the record, I like the way you ended up leaving them, right in the middle. It just looks right to my eye (and that's the criteria I'd use, what looks right to your eye).
By the way, you are a powerhouse at getting things done, Kristen! You are inspiring.
Just to clarify (because I read Millicent's comment again and thought it could be taken two ways), our rod brackets are on the face (front) of the window frames, but they are toward the top edge. And definitely not on the wall at all 🙂
Ah yes-the "expert" opinion does change over time, doesn't it??
Whenever I have a decorating or design dilemma, I head to a couple of different places--thistlewoodfarm.com and missmustardseed.com. They are both down-to-earth people and brilliant at coming up with beautiful design solutions that are economical and do-able. Along those lines, here's another thought for you--it might be wrong for your home, but it's something to think about. http://www.thistlewoodfarms.com/what-about-that-space-over-the-window
Karianne at Thistlewoodfarms is very good about getting back with you regarding questions you may have. I haven't tried it with Marian at Missmustardseed.
Oh wow...what a BEAUTIFUL way to cover up that space. A little fancy for my girls' room, but I love it!!
I know, it wouldn't work in my ranch-style home, but I absolutely love her house. She has some fabulous ideas on her blog.
My curtains are hung at about the same height you decided on, so I think you have made the best choice!
I like the last position, right in the middle! The living room looks great too!
Love how the living room looks. As for the bedroom, I think I'm with most of the other commenters: do what works for you. I think I'd go for the middle one.