Room-length curtains are a bold choice, and only really work for rooms that have windows along most of one wall. They seem excessive, strong, and a bit to gaudy. So consider this a defense and a plea for using room-length curtains as window treatments. It’s a bold choice that can bring together a room that stubbornly resisted coherence.
Using room-length curtains as window treatments in St. Petersburg FL can really bring a whole room together, without using contrived paint schemes or excessive wall art. The room-length curtain is what it sounds like: a curtain that runs across a single bar that spans the space of a whole wall in a room. This might be the back wall of the living room, or the wall behind the headboard in a master bedroom.
Bedroom Room-length Curtains
One of the more obvious places to use room-length curtains as a window treatment would be in a bedroom, particularly the master bedroom of a house. Because the bedroom already has a heavy usage of fabric on the bed, using a complimentary color for the carpet and the room-length curtains can really draw together the whole room. Plus, fabric is just cozy. Using fabric along an entire wall can provide the feeling of greater privacy but can also make you comfortable in the room.
White
White room-length curtains in a bedroom space will resonate with a feeling of regality and power, but they are also hard to use correctly. You will want shades that are slightly lighter or darker than the walls, and you don’t want to match the curtains and the walls. Avoid using white room-length curtains if there are also white walls in the room.
If there are gray walls, the white curtains can provide a nice point of contrast, matching automatically with any art that you elect for the walls. For example, if there are gray walls and white curtains, you could use white frames to add pops of color with the artwork.
If the walls of the room are white, then you could opt for a slightly cream or eggshell curtain that is a bit darker. Having a curtain that is lighter than the surrounding walls will make the wall pop a little bit, while a darker curtain will recede a little bit. Lighter curtains make the space feel a little tighter and cozier, while darker curtains will make the space feel a little more open and spacious.
Dark
You’ll have to work hard to prevent a dark maroon or dark purple from turning tacky really quickly. Room length curtains that are dark will only pair well with walls that are equally dark, otherwise you’ll risk putting up a black curtain against white walls which will look odd by contrast. In order to float room-length curtains of a darker color scheme, you’ll have to work hard to generate both light and darkness in a chiaroscuro that supports the large curtains. If you have darker carpeting, however, the curtain can help blend the dimensions of the walls and the floor.
Yellow/Mustard
Yellow and mustard curtains are an excellent, bold way to add color to a bedroom. Yellow always functions well as a window treatment in St. Petersburg FL, because the colors play well with both the glass and the reflection of the sunlight. As a curtain, it is both dreamy in the night and vibrant in the sunlight. They work well in artificial light coming from the room and the natural light coming from the outdoors.
Other Colors
Pastels can be an excellent choice for bedroom curtains. A room length pastel needs to match the bedding and carpeting well in the room.
Patterns
Patterns can really make a bedroom pop. For example, you could set up a room-length orange curtain with waves of white and cream going through it, matching it with the comforter on the bed. The key to doing patterns well is getting the curtain to blend into the blank walls well. Because you’ll have so much of the room covered in a pattern, like lines or a paisley, you’ll need to use artwork near the blending spots to keep the curtain grounded in the theme of the room. Also, while you won’t want bedding that simply matches, you certainly will want bedding that compliments the pattern.
Living Room Curtains
In many ways, setting up room length curtains in the living room is easier than doing it in the bedroom. When you’re setting up in the bedroom, you’ve also got to consider the bedding. While you can certainly match the two in certain ways, it can create a fabric overload. In the living room, the room-length curtains will easily be the focal point of the room.
If you put up curtains, you can draw the eyes of the whole room to the curtains. Plus, room-length curtains in a living room can cover a sliding glass door or a room length window easily. You can bunch them at the sides to frame the outdoors.
Block Color
Any minimalist or modernist living room will look amazing with room length curtains that frame the windows, and they will look even better if you go for a single block color. Yellow is always a good choice, although a variety of blues, reds, purples, and even pinks are at your disposal here. Really any color that matches the room.
Playing with Patterns
If you are going room length with a pattern in your living room, you’ll need some art on the walls that provides complimentary patterns. For example, putting up a Kandinsky with a herringbone window treatment pattern could be an excellent look, if combined with other silver furniture.
Other Uses
Room length curtains go great in bedrooms and living rooms, but they are also appropriate for some dining rooms, offices, and libraries. Putting full length curtains in a room will act like two vertical pillars when they are open, adding prestige. When closed, they add a lot of color to the room, closing the window without making the room feel impersonal.
