The drapes in this Cardinal Point model home add a dramatic effect to the Dining Room.
The right choice of curtains or drapes can instantly transform a room from average to awesome! They add impact, enhance lighting and when hung correctly, can make a window look wider and give the illusion of height in a room.
We asked interior designer Jo-Ann Capelaci for some advice on the topic. “When hanging draperies consider the goal; privacy, accentuating the window or light/sun control for example.”
Keep in mind, you can pick the perfect fabric and pattern, the best colour and the ideal rod style, but if you don’t hang them properly – all that good taste has gone to waste.
Changing how you hang your curtains can easily freshen up a room. The key is to think wider and longer.
Width: To make the window feel larger and to let more light in, add 3 to 6 inches beyond the window frame on each side. Not only will you let more light into the room, but you’ll show off attractive moldings and picture perfect windows.
Extending curtains beyond the frame makes a window feel grander and allows extra light in the room.
Length: Ballard Designs offered up great tips on the length of your drapes.
From ceiling: To draw the eyes upward and to give visual height to a room, add 4 to 6 inches above the window frame. Or, you can measure halfway between the top of the window and the ceiling.
From floor: Curtains that just hit the floor or hover above no more than a half inch create a crisp, classic look.
For a more casual, romantic feel, let the drapes float down past the floor 2 to 3 inches, like Jo-Ann did when designing this Uptownes model home.
Letting the drapes hang past the floor adds a casual, romantic feel to the room.
“In the Great Room of the Uptownes model home (below), we wanted to bring attention to and not cover up the windows because they are so lovely. When you mount the rod at the ceiling and bring the draperies all the way to the floor it accentuates the height of the room,” explains Jo-Ann.
The drapes in this Uptownes model home accentuate the room’s beauty and let plenty of light in.