Lounge Curtains - the Biggest Decision

The windows in your lounge are often the largest in the house and therefore curtains for these windows can be the biggest investment of all.

I know this as I have been there - I have a large bay window in my lounge and it was quite a thought shelling out a lot of money on fabric and curtain-making for one window.

As soon as the order was made I had huge doubts. Had I chosen the right color? Would it go with the carpet we were not replacing? What would the design look like over such a large area? Had I ordered the right size.

By the time they were delivered the curtains had become hideous in my mind. Yet, once they were hung up, all was well.

I think if I was ordering curtains for those windows again I would do things a bit differently and start with the design of the whole room.

You know those boards that interior designers use - I would put one together too with samples of the things in the room - the curtain fabric, the carpet (remember to save the off cuts if you are getting a new one laid), pictures of the sofa etc. And I would plan everything out very carefully with measurements noted down and so on.

Plus I'd go through the pros and cons of the various styles of window curtains so that I knew I'd made the right decision for the room.

I know these things are not easy but having gone through the whole curtain decision making process systematically at least you can set your mind at rest once you order and won't be having nightmares until the things arrive.

The Trouble with Windows

The trouble with windows is that they need covering or dressing in some way if your house is to look lived in and you want any privacy especially in the evening.

And window coverings cost money - lots of money.

If it were that simple you could just save up, buy your window coverings and be done with it but the fact is that there is a huge amount of choice in the way you cover your windows which can affect

• whether your room color scheme adds together
• how much your window treatments cost
• whether your window coverings are practical to maintain
• how much light they let into the room
• how much privacy your curtains or blinds will provide for you
• the whole mood of a room

So it can be quite daunting to choose window coverings and curtains, shelling out shed-loads of cash and wondering if you have got it right.

I have windows - lots of them and so I thought it would be good to blog my choices for curtains and blinds and hopefully that will help you too.