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New Window Curtains in the Living Room (My Thoughts)

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I love dressing up my windows with curtains. There is something about window curtains that make a room feel complete. 

curtains-for-window

I  don’t know where others find fabulous window curtains but let’s just say, that tends to be one of the home decor necessities that takes me a while to find. My search usually spreads over months and sometimes over a year. I always imagined having a great room with those luxurious curtains you see in movies or in magazines or in the lovely homes of others. Well, that’s that!! (Let’s stay with the reality here).

When we were first married, our home colors were beige, burgundy, and hints of gold. It took me a while to find the correct shade of window curtains to match my style. I wanted something floral, fancy, and luxurious. At one point, I turned to a friend who is quite talented in making curtains to see if I could pay her to sew and customize our curtains. She could not do it because her tiny young kids kept her busy. But her work is amazing!! So the search continued. After months upon months of searching stores like JC Penny’s, Sears, Bed Bath and Beyond, etc, I ended up settling on some beige curtains along with some pretty long floral shawls to throw over them. 

After a few years, my decor started shifting in another direction. I was not feeling the burgundy anymore. I wanted to add some fun colors and that burgundy was cramping my style. A few years ago, I did away with it and brought in shades of blue, pink, and some neutrals. That meant new curtains all over again. The previous curtains just would not work right. In my search, I ended up using temporary solutions and things I did not really love. Might I add that my curtains from our previous home were really mixed and matched. Each of the kids rooms had curtains according to their colors, plus our room. Also, our living and family rooms were different, too. It was my hopes to carry the color from the living room into the family room, but things just were not working out as planned. I kept the mixed and matched curtains until we moved and until I found the correct ones.

window-curtains

So when we moved here, I knew I had more windows to work with than I had temporary curtains to put up. One of the biggest blessings though was that every window already has a curtain rod. And some even have double rods (bedrooms, dinning rooms, front room, etc). And I mean, the rods don’t look cheap by any means. That my friends, saved me so much money because we all know that good curtain rods are not cheap. I mean, we are talking over 16 curtain rods here. Whoo!!

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Here is one set of windows with double rods in the front room. I do not have a second set of curtains for the inner rods. Not sure what I want to do – maybe I will add some sheer. But I still desire to keep a consistent look throughout the downstairs. I have to admit, that the white curtains work well with this shade of green. So shades of yellow, orange, green, . . . You’v seen my color dilemma here in this post

window-curtain-rods-doubled

It still was a few months before I chose curtains for this home. I kept looking at the windows and wondering what the curtains should look like and where I would buy them. I imagined white (maybe) that is not too sheer but at the same time, not too thick. Why white? I felt that it would compliment most color schemes and I would not have to keep on changing. Plus, I love love love a room that is bright and airy. It might be the Caribbean girl in me, but I love bright rooms. After searching a few stores like Home Goods, Amazon, and a few other places, I really had no desire to keep on looking. Eventually, I ended up settling on these sets of curtains from TJ Maxx. I knew Fall was here and there is just something about adding that extra layer of cozy. And then there was my Fall home tour

For the curtains, I chose a plain satin and a sheer with a design. I love mixing and matching curtains for a look of visual interest. Originally, I did not want any sheer and since it was Fall anyway, why wouldn’t I choose something thicker? But combining sheer with the semi-sheer seems to work out well. Also, the window blinds are still adding that privacy to our home anyway. 

window-curtain-design

When I brought the curtains home, they looked a bit too white. I wondered if I should have bought the beige combo. But then this house has that long yellow wall on the one side and orange on the next so maybe the white was the better choice to stand out??? I have no idea. 

The other thing that is bugging me to no end is that the curtains do not come down plush to the floor. They are 95 inches long but because these windows are very high, they are missing that few inches to give them that plush look. While I would have loved them to have that extra few inches (say around 110 inches long), it is difficult to find that length in something preferable. The standard 84 inches popular size is what I temporarily have in some of the rooms. But I think the height of the windows in the rooms comes down lower – so they don’t look too bad. But the length of the curtains downstairs is not really my preferred length.

In any event, I think I will still keep these curtains because I do like them. Even if I end up finding longer curtains, these could be used in the windows with double rods in the rooms. I could use them for the inner lower rods with different colors on the outer rods. I don’t think I could exchange them now that I have already ironed them. 

window-curtains-white

All in all, everything is not lost. I do have a few white pieces of furniture. I’ve showed you this room in our Fall home tour hop. Just a few days ago, I ended up moving a couple things around. That little white table and the decor on it were all in other corners of the home. The table was a thrifted find for $10, black in color, and very sturdy. It’s been a while since I’ve thrifted furniture. But a little chalk paint and gold spray paint and my table turned into a fabulous new piece. The curtains compliment the some of the white decor well.

window-curtains-with-design

So that is my curtain story that I ended up typing more than I originally planned. Who knew it would take so long to explain?! What do you think of the choice (other than the fact that they are not plush to the floor)?

choosing-window-curtains-for-the-living-room

Have you ever struggled with choosing curtains for your home and do you buy or end up making them? Let me know what you usually do and where you find them. Also, please feel free to share your awesome window curtain tips with me!!

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14 thoughts on “New Window Curtains in the Living Room (My Thoughts)

  1. The struggle is real with curtains for me too. When my baby girl was in college, she came home with new drapes for the living room and I was thrilled. We just changed them out last week and she is almost 30! I hate curtain shopping. I find myself wondering over to that department almost as often as I shop for pocketbooks and don’t buy those either, just in case something strikes my fancy. Some decisions are hard to make!
    I like all the light coming in your windows. It makes the room so bright.

  2. I love those curtains Zan, they look so pretty. We still have to buy curtains for our house but we just can’t decide what we want exactly. It is such a struggle sometimes.

  3. I really like white curtains for their simplicity. I have a set that is just a few inches too short, and it drives me crazy too 🙂 So I understand that. I have seen people add a contrasting color at the base, like trim, to lengthen them.

  4. Picking out curtains is SO hard! We ended up having the same (IKEA) curtains in two rooms, cause they’re a darker grey and pretty much match anything. Kinda boring, I guess. 😉
    I love the sheerness of your curtains – makes it look much brighter and more open!
    XO! Vanessa

  5. Curtains can be tough, for both style and length. I have tall windows, so I usually have to order mine online. Generally though, I go back and forth between having curtians up and taking them down, it really changes the look of a space! Love the white airy feeling of yours!

    1. Thank you for the link Colette!! I have seen some at IKEA but never really looked at them closely. I will check these out!! About the paint, I think we will have to paint it back in the original color if we decide to move out.. And it’s a big house so probably not happening:((

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