A Moore House Curtain Q & A

---

This all started with a simple Instagram post question asking about curtains—and boy did you deliver! It turns out that curtains can be a really confusing but necessary part of decorating. So we put our problem-solving abilities to the test and tackled some of your toughest curtain questions. Plus, we’re spilling some of our favorite retail sources for you to shop!

What are some of your go-to resources for affordable curtains of all types—drapes, roman shades, cafe curtains, if you have any specifics on the Newport Pavilion curtains, I’d love to hear about them!
We’ll be straight with you, as designers we go custom for our curtains, however, we’re more than happy to share a few of our go-to retail sources if we’re in a pinch. 

For rods, we like this minimal Umbra version that’s an oil-rubbed bronze it looks softer than a stark black. If you’re looking for brass rods, there’s West Elm’s brass external mount cafe rod and we also love this simple take from Ballard Design that comes in brass and bronze. 

For curtain rings we like the West Elm brass café rings and clips (in petite), Ballard Designs drapery rings, and these inexpensive Target curtain clip rings. 

We have a couple options for cafe curtains! Here are three options: If you want a striped set with a little flair, a set for people who want something super simple, and a heavier weight version if you want to block small drafts. 

If you’re looking for shorter curtains, like you’d need to hang if you have radiators underneath your windows, here are three styles: a tab-top linen, a tab-top option that comes in a rainbow of colors, and a mid-length style with clips.

So much better than blinds sometimes, these roman shades have two options, one that feels a little looser and organic and one that’s more modern.

We’ve got a lot of ideas for long-line semi-sheers, so you’re in luck! We’ve got these linen curtain with loops, some affordable linen sheers with more whimsical loops, linen curtains that are made for clips, and then some heavyweight linen options. 

Help! What curtains should I do in a cabin? My husband won’t paint the 1950’s paneling. 
Oh no! Well, you can tell your hubs that we think the paneling should be stripped and that you should go even darker. As for curtains, this heavily depends on your ceiling height and the overall aesthetic of your home. We love semi-sheer linen curtains and think the classic kind with fabric loops often work really well in more historic homes. If you end up going dark in your space, we love pairing that with a sheer beige curtain. 

What are some curtain width and size guidelines based on size of a window?
Our rule of thumb is that the curtain rods are placed 6" below the ceiling and are 9-12" wider than the windows depending on the other windows on the wall.

---

My biggest concern with curtains is what they do to the light from the window. When I go with shades, they typically block the top portion of the window and knock out some of my natural light! But if I go with curtains, I feel like they tend to dominate a room…what do you think?
We have mounted roman shades well above the top of the window frame—this makes the room feel larger and allows for every bit of natural light to be let in. Curtains can be subtle, you can try tone-on-tone so they blend in with the walls, sheers are also a really great option for this kind of situation too. They’re light visually and let light in. It depends on the room and what it needs. We tend to lean towards curtains because they make the ceiling look taller and add an element of drama and softness to a room. When we want the light to enter but we still need a bit of privacy, we go with sheer curtains. But if you want them closed all of the time, we always go with gathered or flat cafe curtains. 

How do you handle a window treatment with radiators? Do I just accept them and let the long curtains fall where they may?
If it's water radiators instead of electric baseboards, we always let the curtains hang long and drape over the radiators. That bit of quirkiness is what we get giddy over and gives a level of interest to the design—remember perfect is boring! For electric baseboards, we love a good high-water drape. Stop them either right below your window sill or 4" longer than your window sill. Just make sure they’re a high-quality fabric. When you play with proportions you want to put your best foot forward and fabrics are the way to do this. Additionally, skip a print unless you want it to give off a 70’s vibe (which we also sometimes love)!

If you have a frosted window in a bathroom, would it look weird to still put up a cafe curtain?
Absolutely not, you officially have our permission to go for it! 

Do you do long curtains on a bay style window with the half-moon window on the top of the middle section? 
This is where we used cafe curtains in the Newport Pavilion apartment! But yes, you can absolutely do long curtains to frame and add softness to this space.

Header and bottom images: Erin McGinn 
Middle image: Erin Little Photography

---

Get Moore House directly in your inbox [ SUBSCRIBE ]

---