Curtains ... they are so different. A successful design of curtains for the hall is the creation of a unique, inimitable interior that fills the house with warmth and coziness, comfortable for relaxing and welcoming for friends. This is a big, responsible business, which requires careful consideration of different options, the choice of stylistic solutions, fabrics, finishes, cornices. Which curtains to choose? How to combine window decoration with the interior? How to combine beautiful design with functionality?
When it comes to curtains, the window design automatically pops up. The design of curtains in the interior should be understood much more widely.In addition to the decorative function, the curtains protect from cold, drafts, bright sunlight, delimit the room, hide from prying eyes.
In the design of curtains, there are several functional, overlapping directions:
Window decoration - light curtains, heavy curtains, lambrequins;
Zoning of space;
Registration of doorways, entrance groups;
Zoning and dressing of a berth - bedside canopies, canopies;
False windows, drapery walls in the halls and bedrooms.
Each of these areas has its own characteristics, but there are basic principles for the design of curtains, which we will successively consider.
Fabric selection
Original high-quality curtains can be made from different materials. Modern designers manage to adapt threads, beads, wood, plastic, cords, film, bamboo and leather for these purposes. But still, the main material for curtains is fabrics. Their softness, volume, variety of textures, colors serve as the basic component of interior decor. Fabrics have an amazing property to bring comfort to the room. Even a simple fabric will give the interior individuality and sophistication.
Do you want to make the room cozy, stylish but financial means are limited? Take your time choosing furniture, chandeliers and other expensive interior items. Sew good curtains in your chosen style and lay a suitable carpet on the floor. The room will "accept" your chosen style, you can enjoy the coziness and comfort even without furniture.
Natural or synthetic?
The more natural the fabric, the better. This is not just a fashion trend, natural materials are another quality of life. If you compare the sensations in a room with natural curtains and synthetic ones, for example, in a bedroom, then these will be two different rooms. The contrast of synthetics and naturalness in small rooms is especially felt.
Natural fabrics give freshness, lightness to the interior, do not electrify. They are breathing. Artificial fabrics are easier to care for, do not crease.
When choosing between natural linen, cotton, synthetic polyester, the price issue is decisive. Natural canvases are expensive, but a lot of material is needed for beautiful curtains. For windows, the use of synthetic materials is quite acceptable. But it’s better to refuse a bedside synthetic canopy.
Color and its effect on the interior
Beautiful, stylish curtains “require” voluminous draperies, heights, widths, which means they occupy a significant place in the interior. The fabric surface of curtains sometimes exceeds the surface of open walls, and the color of curtains becomes dominant.
Choose the color of the curtains, based on the overall color scheme of the room. The color palette is selected in combination with the color of the ceiling, floor, walls, furniture. The choice of color affects the illumination of the room in the daytime and evening, the location of the windows relative to the cardinal points - south, north, west, east.
For dark, dimly lit rooms, choose light curtains.
The northern windows are decorated with curtains of warm, soft shades - beige, light brown, sand. The southern windows well "receive" blue, turquoise, light green, neutralizing the bright rays of the sun.
The color of the curtains can be chosen contrasting with the color of the walls, emphasizing the difference in decoration and, conversely, in tone with the walls, leveling, smoothing the transition between the window and the walls. The color unity of curtain fabric, upholstery fabric of upholstered furniture in the hall or bedspreads on the bed in the bedroom is harmoniously combined in the interior.
Flowers, stripes, cage?
A win-win version of the curtains is plain. Curtains in one color will fit any room, but a bright pattern, an interesting print on the canvas, for example, a Roman curtain, will bring zest, dynamism, chic to the interior.
Floral prints are appropriate in "women's" interiors, ladies' living rooms, girl's bedrooms or interiors in the "Provence" style. Large bright flowers give the room elegance, movement. Small floral drawings relax, soothe.
For "male" interiors, stripes and a cage are appropriate. Using vertical bars, you can visually increase the height of the room. Horizontal stripes "expand" the window opening, reduce its height. A cage on curtains is used as finishing strips. A diagonally located cell will give the room a pronounced rhythm and dynamism. The combination of stripes, colors, cells with a monophonic base allows you to create expressive interesting compositions.
How much fabric do you need?
For beautiful curtains, fabrics need a lot. Lots of. Lots and lots. The main mistake in the design of the curtains is not in the color or shape of the curtains - but an attempt to save on fabric. Expensive luxury curtains are easily ruined by "narrowness" and "shortness." From the cheapest, simple fabric, you can make a real masterpiece without stinting on the fabric.
The width of the cornice should be overlapped by fabric two, two and a half times with classic medium and heavy curtains, i.e. a two-meter wide curtain rod will need 4-5 meters of fabric with a given height. For light translucent curtains without a volumetric pattern, in our example, the width will increase to six meters, i.e. three times the width of the cornice. Only with such a consumption of fabric can you get the perfect drapery.
The length of the classic curtain should be such that 11-12 cm of fabric remains on the floor. This is due to perception - long curtains visually increase the height of the ceiling, - and with the use of pickups - when assembling the curtains with a pickup, its length is significantly reduced.
Economical in terms of consumption of fabric Roman curtains, roller, Japanese. Their design features make it possible to dispense with a small amount of fabric corresponding to the size of a window or even one glass.
Types of Density Curtains
light translucent curtain fabric;
chintz and linen curtains;
heavy dense curtains;
lined curtains;
curtains with an insert.
The density of the curtain determines its sun- and heat-shielding properties. To give the room a feeling of light, openness, use light translucent curtains made of nylon, cotton or linen. Such curtains are magnificently draped in classic interiors, in Provence, rural interiors, on the contrary, they use shortened, straightened “stretched” options.
Light calico or linen curtains slightly shade the room from sunlight, but completely preserve natural light. Such curtains will be appropriate in the nursery, in the kitchen, in the hall with a balcony, in the interior of a light ethnic or rural style.
Heavy dense curtains are made of curtain velvet, tapestry, jacquard fabrics, are used in elegant, solemn interiors of halls, in warm, comfortable bedrooms. For the bedrooms and windows facing the southern sunny side, the modern textile industry manufactures blackout curtain fabric, fabric with a dense light and sun coating on the wrong side.
A variety of heavy curtains are lining curtains, it improves the decorative and functional properties of curtains and protects the underside of expensive curtains from burnout, improves the quality of drapery, makes curtains heavier, gives it solidity, enhances heat-shielding properties.
The lining is made from cotton or synthetic fabrics color to color with the main fabric or in contrast, like finish. For example, a combination of green, olive taffeta and milky white is often used. When assembling, drapery, the lining becomes visible, it sets off the main fabric, emphasizes its luster, depth of tone.
Curtains with an insert are rarely used due to material savings. These are very functional, beautiful curtains. Inside, between the main fabric and the lining, a volume insert (from synthetic winterizer) or warming insert (from batting or any other warm fabric) is sewn.Curtains with an insert are very beautifully draped; they protect the room well from the cold, drafts from windows and doors.
Additional finish
The finished look, harmony, sharpness of the lines of the curtain composition gives an additional decorative and functional finish:
fringe, braid;
contrasting stripes;
pickups, decorative cords, brushes;
use of curtain tape, weighting agents;
decorative elements - lambrequins, swagi, frill, flowers, fabric bows.
For expressiveness, sharpness of the edge of the curtains, the lower parts of the lambrequins are trimmed with fringe, braid, and contrasting strips of fabric of the same texture. Dark fringe or braid, darker than the main color of the curtains will make the outer edge heavier and make it sharper. Light fringe, emphasizing the line of the curtains, will make it easier, more elegant.
For decorative assembly, curtains in the middle or a little lower use hooks. They can be made of the same fabric or contrasting. For luxurious classic options, brushes with twisted decorative cords are used, for light, air curtains, you can use ready-made magnetic pickups.
The upper edge of the panel is conveniently treated with a special curtain tape of different widths. Using a curtain tape, it is convenient to create beautiful draperies in the form of bow folds, puffs on the top of the curtains. The tape gives the canvas rigidity, prevents its sagging.
For beautiful drapery on the bottom of the panels, special weighting cords are used or the bottom hem is wider than usual. Under the weight of the voluminous bottom, the folds of the panels fit smoothly, do not deform.
Lambrequins remain very popular, their varieties with swag, frill, and chill. Lambrequins can be soft, voluminous, hard, straight. They allow you to form a beautiful upper window line, complement curtains with elegance, set the tone for the interior.
Do not use lambrequins in low ceilings.Even a narrow strip of lambrequin visually reduces the height of the ceiling, "flattening" the interior.
Types of cornices, mounting methods
A beautiful curtain is a beautifully hung curtain. It’s not enough to choose the right fabric and sew the curtains properly, you need to hang it well. A device for hanging, attaching curtains is called a cornice.
Types of cornices:
Rod cornices;
Rods with an additional strap, one or more;
With cornice board;
Ceiling cornices;
With moving tracks.
In choosing a cornice, the main thing is its strength. According to statistics, curtains change, on average, every 10 years, curtain rods change even less often. The cornice, durable, but not suitable in style to the interior, can be decorated, covered with a lambrequin, decorative trim.
The way of attaching curtains to it depends on the cornice. Curtains with grommets and decorative loops look spectacular on metal rod cornices. Rod cornices with additional slats allow you to mount multi-layer curtain structures from several types of paintings.
Eaves with a cornice board are convenient for fastening curtains with lambrequins. They allow you to firmly fix bulk multilayer draperies, hide the movable mechanisms of fasteners. Ceiling cornices are indispensable for rooms with low ceilings. Hanging curtain panels to the ceiling allows you to visually increase its height, the volume of the room as a whole.
Eaves with moving tracks, rigid, moving levels are used for fashionable Japanese curtains. They allow you to move the stretched stretched panels, without deforming them. Which cornices to choose - metal, plastic or wooden? Metal cornices are the most durable and durable, wooden eco-friendly, plastic cheap. The choice of cornice depends on the volume of the proposed curtain structure and the overall interior design.
Using the correct selection of the cornice, it is really possible to visually change the proportions of the window:
to expand the window will allow a longer curtain rod, a meter and a half longer than the width of the window, heavy curtains can completely go on the wall.
You can increase the height of the window by fixing the cornice as high as possible, if necessary, fix the ceiling cornice, to enhance the effect will allow long curtains lying on the floor.
a high window can be “trimmed” with a cornice with a lambrequin.
Like arched windows, but in your apartment are only simple rectangular? You can change a simple rectangular window to an arched one using an eaves with a hard lambrequin in the form of an arch. In the same way, you can change the shape of the doorway.
Types of style, method of manufacture and mounting
Classical curtains in combination with a light curtain fabric, tulle; The most common version of the design of curtains for the hall, bedroom. Light translucent tulle gives airiness to the composition, side shifting curtains protect from bright light, cold from the window, frame the window opening, combining it with the interior. Classical curtains include French and Austrian curtains. By their design, they belong to lifting curtains, luxurious assemblies are formed when lifting the curtain due to the cut, fastening and lifting mechanism. Use French and Austrian curtains in a classic interior on their own and in combination with classic curtains and lambrequins.
Roman curtains - simple and strict. In the raised position they form soft folds, in the lowered position they are flat, even, covering only the glass surface of the window. It is convenient to hang these curtains near the glass itself as an addition to the classic sliding curtains in the hall. Made of thick fabric, they protect well from sunlight, especially in hot summers.
Roller blinds are a one-piece piece of fabric the size of a window that rises with the help of a lifting mechanism. They can be hidden behind a lambrequin or disguised under a cornice, lowered if necessary.If the interior allows, roller blinds can be used as stand-alone, plain or with bright decor.
Japanese curtains are an interesting version of curtains for the hall, rectangular panels are rigidly fixed at the top and are equipped with a weighting bar from the bottom. Japanese curtains move along the ledge with one-piece panels. From several translucent paintings, you can create original exquisite compositions.
Design curtains for the home is an option when someone else's experience will be very useful. Before deciding on curtains, look at the photo of curtains in various interior styles, visit fabric stores, consult a professional designer. Large fabric stores provide design services for free.
When choosing curtains for the home, be sure to think about ways to care for them. Will it be gentle washing or dry cleaning acceptable. Most curtain fabrics do not like frequent washing, be sure to consider this if there are small children and animals in the house.
Do not forget about the seasonal change of curtains. Choose thicker, heavier curtains on the lining for the cold season, and sew lightweight bright curtains for the summer.
Design of curtains is a whole art bordering on interior design. Given the properties of fabrics, compositional, decorative features, it is possible to create a real masterpiece that fills the house with beauty and comfort.
Curtains ... they are so different. A successful design of curtains for the hall is the creation of a unique, inimitable interior that fills the house with warmth and coziness, comfortable for relaxing and welcoming for friends. This is a big, responsible business, which requires careful consideration of different options, the choice of stylistic solutions, fabrics, finishes, cornices. Which curtains to choose? How to combine window decoration with the interior? How to combine beautiful design with functionality?
Content
For windows and not only
When it comes to curtains, the window design automatically pops up. The design of curtains in the interior should be understood much more widely.In addition to the decorative function, the curtains protect from cold, drafts, bright sunlight, delimit the room, hide from prying eyes.
In the design of curtains, there are several functional, overlapping directions:
Each of these areas has its own characteristics, but there are basic principles for the design of curtains, which we will successively consider.
Fabric selection
Original high-quality curtains can be made from different materials. Modern designers manage to adapt threads, beads, wood, plastic, cords, film, bamboo and leather for these purposes. But still, the main material for curtains is fabrics. Their softness, volume, variety of textures, colors serve as the basic component of interior decor. Fabrics have an amazing property to bring comfort to the room. Even a simple fabric will give the interior individuality and sophistication.
Natural or synthetic?
The more natural the fabric, the better. This is not just a fashion trend, natural materials are another quality of life. If you compare the sensations in a room with natural curtains and synthetic ones, for example, in a bedroom, then these will be two different rooms. The contrast of synthetics and naturalness in small rooms is especially felt.
Natural fabrics give freshness, lightness to the interior, do not electrify. They are breathing. Artificial fabrics are easier to care for, do not crease.
When choosing between natural linen, cotton, synthetic polyester, the price issue is decisive. Natural canvases are expensive, but a lot of material is needed for beautiful curtains. For windows, the use of synthetic materials is quite acceptable. But it’s better to refuse a bedside synthetic canopy.
Color and its effect on the interior
Beautiful, stylish curtains “require” voluminous draperies, heights, widths, which means they occupy a significant place in the interior. The fabric surface of curtains sometimes exceeds the surface of open walls, and the color of curtains becomes dominant.
Choose the color of the curtains, based on the overall color scheme of the room. The color palette is selected in combination with the color of the ceiling, floor, walls, furniture. The choice of color affects the illumination of the room in the daytime and evening, the location of the windows relative to the cardinal points - south, north, west, east.
The northern windows are decorated with curtains of warm, soft shades - beige, light brown, sand. The southern windows well "receive" blue, turquoise, light green, neutralizing the bright rays of the sun.
The color of the curtains can be chosen contrasting with the color of the walls, emphasizing the difference in decoration and, conversely, in tone with the walls, leveling, smoothing the transition between the window and the walls.
The color unity of curtain fabric, upholstery fabric of upholstered furniture in the hall or bedspreads on the bed in the bedroom is harmoniously combined in the interior.
Flowers, stripes, cage?
A win-win version of the curtains is plain. Curtains in one color will fit any room, but a bright pattern, an interesting print on the canvas, for example, a Roman curtain, will bring zest, dynamism, chic to the interior.
Floral prints are appropriate in "women's" interiors, ladies' living rooms, girl's bedrooms or interiors in the "Provence" style. Large bright flowers give the room elegance, movement. Small floral drawings relax, soothe.
For "male" interiors, stripes and a cage are appropriate. Using vertical bars, you can visually increase the height of the room. Horizontal stripes "expand" the window opening, reduce its height. A cage on curtains is used as finishing strips. A diagonally located cell will give the room a pronounced rhythm and dynamism.
The combination of stripes, colors, cells with a monophonic base allows you to create expressive interesting compositions.
How much fabric do you need?
For beautiful curtains, fabrics need a lot. Lots of. Lots and lots. The main mistake in the design of the curtains is not in the color or shape of the curtains - but an attempt to save on fabric. Expensive luxury curtains are easily ruined by "narrowness" and "shortness." From the cheapest, simple fabric, you can make a real masterpiece without stinting on the fabric.
The width of the cornice should be overlapped by fabric two, two and a half times with classic medium and heavy curtains, i.e. a two-meter wide curtain rod will need 4-5 meters of fabric with a given height. For light translucent curtains without a volumetric pattern, in our example, the width will increase to six meters, i.e. three times the width of the cornice. Only with such a consumption of fabric can you get the perfect drapery.
The length of the classic curtain should be such that 11-12 cm of fabric remains on the floor. This is due to perception - long curtains visually increase the height of the ceiling, - and with the use of pickups - when assembling the curtains with a pickup, its length is significantly reduced.
Economical in terms of consumption of fabric Roman curtains, roller, Japanese. Their design features make it possible to dispense with a small amount of fabric corresponding to the size of a window or even one glass.
Types of Density Curtains
The density of the curtain determines its sun- and heat-shielding properties. To give the room a feeling of light, openness, use light translucent curtains made of nylon, cotton or linen. Such curtains are magnificently draped in classic interiors, in Provence, rural interiors, on the contrary, they use shortened, straightened “stretched” options.
Light calico or linen curtains slightly shade the room from sunlight, but completely preserve natural light. Such curtains will be appropriate in the nursery, in the kitchen, in the hall with a balcony, in the interior of a light ethnic or rural style.
Heavy dense curtains are made of curtain velvet, tapestry, jacquard fabrics, are used in elegant, solemn interiors of halls, in warm, comfortable bedrooms. For the bedrooms and windows facing the southern sunny side, the modern textile industry manufactures blackout curtain fabric, fabric with a dense light and sun coating on the wrong side.
A variety of heavy curtains are lining curtains, it improves the decorative and functional properties of curtains and protects the underside of expensive curtains from burnout, improves the quality of drapery, makes curtains heavier, gives it solidity, enhances heat-shielding properties.
The lining is made from cotton or synthetic fabrics color to color with the main fabric or in contrast, like finish. For example, a combination of green, olive taffeta and milky white is often used. When assembling, drapery, the lining becomes visible, it sets off the main fabric, emphasizes its luster, depth of tone.
Curtains with an insert are rarely used due to material savings. These are very functional, beautiful curtains. Inside, between the main fabric and the lining, a volume insert (from synthetic winterizer) or warming insert (from batting or any other warm fabric) is sewn.Curtains with an insert are very beautifully draped; they protect the room well from the cold, drafts from windows and doors.
Additional finish
The finished look, harmony, sharpness of the lines of the curtain composition gives an additional decorative and functional finish:
For expressiveness, sharpness of the edge of the curtains, the lower parts of the lambrequins are trimmed with fringe, braid, and contrasting strips of fabric of the same texture. Dark fringe or braid, darker than the main color of the curtains will make the outer edge heavier and make it sharper. Light fringe, emphasizing the line of the curtains, will make it easier, more elegant.
For decorative assembly, curtains in the middle or a little lower use hooks. They can be made of the same fabric or contrasting. For luxurious classic options, brushes with twisted decorative cords are used, for light, air curtains, you can use ready-made magnetic pickups.
The upper edge of the panel is conveniently treated with a special curtain tape of different widths. Using a curtain tape, it is convenient to create beautiful draperies in the form of bow folds, puffs on the top of the curtains. The tape gives the canvas rigidity, prevents its sagging.
For beautiful drapery on the bottom of the panels, special weighting cords are used or the bottom hem is wider than usual. Under the weight of the voluminous bottom, the folds of the panels fit smoothly, do not deform.
Lambrequins remain very popular, their varieties with swag, frill, and chill. Lambrequins can be soft, voluminous, hard, straight. They allow you to form a beautiful upper window line, complement curtains with elegance, set the tone for the interior.
Types of cornices, mounting methods
A beautiful curtain is a beautifully hung curtain. It’s not enough to choose the right fabric and sew the curtains properly, you need to hang it well. A device for hanging, attaching curtains is called a cornice.
Types of cornices:
In choosing a cornice, the main thing is its strength. According to statistics, curtains change, on average, every 10 years, curtain rods change even less often. The cornice, durable, but not suitable in style to the interior, can be decorated, covered with a lambrequin, decorative trim.
The way of attaching curtains to it depends on the cornice. Curtains with grommets and decorative loops look spectacular on metal rod cornices.
Rod cornices with additional slats allow you to mount multi-layer curtain structures from several types of paintings.
Eaves with a cornice board are convenient for fastening curtains with lambrequins. They allow you to firmly fix bulk multilayer draperies, hide the movable mechanisms of fasteners.
Ceiling cornices are indispensable for rooms with low ceilings. Hanging curtain panels to the ceiling allows you to visually increase its height, the volume of the room as a whole.
Eaves with moving tracks, rigid, moving levels are used for fashionable Japanese curtains. They allow you to move the stretched stretched panels, without deforming them.
Which cornices to choose - metal, plastic or wooden? Metal cornices are the most durable and durable, wooden eco-friendly, plastic cheap. The choice of cornice depends on the volume of the proposed curtain structure and the overall interior design.
Using the correct selection of the cornice, it is really possible to visually change the proportions of the window:
Types of style, method of manufacture and mounting
Classical curtains in combination with a light curtain fabric, tulle;
The most common version of the design of curtains for the hall, bedroom. Light translucent tulle gives airiness to the composition, side shifting curtains protect from bright light, cold from the window, frame the window opening, combining it with the interior.
Classical curtains include French and Austrian curtains. By their design, they belong to lifting curtains, luxurious assemblies are formed when lifting the curtain due to the cut, fastening and lifting mechanism. Use French and Austrian curtains in a classic interior on their own and in combination with classic curtains and lambrequins.
Roman curtains - simple and strict. In the raised position they form soft folds, in the lowered position they are flat, even, covering only the glass surface of the window. It is convenient to hang these curtains near the glass itself as an addition to the classic sliding curtains in the hall. Made of thick fabric, they protect well from sunlight, especially in hot summers.
Roller blinds are a one-piece piece of fabric the size of a window that rises with the help of a lifting mechanism. They can be hidden behind a lambrequin or disguised under a cornice, lowered if necessary.If the interior allows, roller blinds can be used as stand-alone, plain or with bright decor.
Japanese curtains are an interesting version of curtains for the hall, rectangular panels are rigidly fixed at the top and are equipped with a weighting bar from the bottom. Japanese curtains move along the ledge with one-piece panels. From several translucent paintings, you can create original exquisite compositions.
Design curtains for the home is an option when someone else's experience will be very useful. Before deciding on curtains, look at the photo of curtains in various interior styles, visit fabric stores, consult a professional designer. Large fabric stores provide design services for free.
When choosing curtains for the home, be sure to think about ways to care for them. Will it be gentle washing or dry cleaning acceptable. Most curtain fabrics do not like frequent washing, be sure to consider this if there are small children and animals in the house.
Do not forget about the seasonal change of curtains. Choose thicker, heavier curtains on the lining for the cold season, and sew lightweight bright curtains for the summer.
Design of curtains is a whole art bordering on interior design. Given the properties of fabrics, compositional, decorative features, it is possible to create a real masterpiece that fills the house with beauty and comfort.