Four tips and tricks to make your windows look bigger and your ceiling look higher. A short post to help you choose and hang curtains.
My motivational book of the month
My life continues to be extremely busy with two jobs and two houses with seemingly full time projects. My evening reading continues to be motivational books and since I am a lover of Fixer Upper and Chip and Joanna Gaines (who isn’t!?), I finally read Chip’s book “Capital Gaines.” Leave it to Chip to have a chapter called “Fearless,” but it’s truthfully the chapter that hit me the hardest and that I remember the most of. Brief recap: make decisions for you and don’t let the fear of what other people think interfere. Always a good reminder. You do you!
I will admit that hitting the “publish” button on each of these posts is the scariest thing I do every month, so, in response to his book, I publish this post with confidence. Because I want to! 🙂
If you haven’t followed me on social media yet, please do! I post more photos of the progress at the Ski Chalet!
Curtain tips and tricks
I decided to share some of the tips and tricks that I have learned over the years about hanging curtains. Curtains are one of those things that can make or break a space because they tend to look a little awkward if they aren’t done right. As with all decorating, there are definitely exceptions to the “rule”. So, if your curtains don’t follow these guidelines, but you love them, that’s what matters most! (My dining room curtains don’t follow these rules exactly, and I love them anyway! Follow your heart!)
But….if you’re struggling with curtains, maybe these ideas will help 🙂
Hang the rod higher than you would think
In order to make your ceilings look higher, hang your curtain rod above your windows, not at the top of the window. Go at least a couple inches higher, or close to the ceiling if you want to! This will draw your eyes up and raise the ceiling visually. I like to hang mine 3 or 4 inches from the ceiling, or below the crown molding since I don’t want to hide that!
Hang the rod wider than you would think
To make your window look bigger, hang the curtains wider than the window so they aren’t covering the window pane. This allows in the maximum amount of light. The curtain rod should be at least six inches wider than the window on either side (minimum-can go wider!)
Buy curtains wider than you would think
For curtain panels that hang on either side of the window, each panel should be at least as wide as the window. Buy panels that are 1 to 1 1/4 the width of the window (each).
Buy curtains longer than you would think
Curtain panels should extend to the floor. They may drape on the floor for a romantic look or they may be no more than one inch above the floor for a clean look (and easier to keep clean). Curtains come in several standard sizes but sometimes the longer ones are harder to find. Typical sizes are 84 inches and 96 inches.
I hope these tips help with your next decorating adventure!
