Can curtains make a room look smaller?
Curtains absolutely can make a room look smaller or larger, depending on their design. Thick curtains and dark curtains are known for making a regular room look slightly smaller, while sheer curtains made of lightly-colored fabrics are ideal for helping to visually expand a room's size.
Yes, curtains should be long enough to touch the floor. With a few exceptions, the longer the curtains are the more stylish and elegant it will look. This is why most standard ready-made curtains are lengthy.
When you hang your curtain rod higher than the window — almost to the ceiling — the window will look bigger, and the curtains themselves will look much more high-end. But hanging the curtain rod higher than the window requires curtains that are longer than your typical curtain.
Length can also be an indication of tone or style of the room – long draping floor-length curtains can look more formal than short above the sill style, so reflect this across different rooms, where a study is less formal than a dining room, a bedroom more relaxed than a lounge.
Plain white, silvery gray, or beige are the safest options. They allow the light to illuminate the room, giving it an open and inviting feel. For a similar, yet mellower effect, go for an off-white shade, such as greige or eggshell.
Using blinds will almost always make a room look bigger than it would do with curtains, both because curtains protrude into the room more and have a fussier appearance than blinds, and they generally cover more of the walls around the window too.
So should curtains touch the floor? The short answer is yes... usually. But when making any decision about your window treatments, whether they're drapes, blinds, or shades, it's important to consider every aspect of style and function so you can choose the best option for your windows and your home.
We've found that curtain panels look best when they drape into the window space about 2-3”.
While fashion once dictated a “flood level” bottom line for curtains—one that hung just past the window sill, short enough that it would not get wet in a flood—today, style calls for curtains to either hang down to within ½-inch of the floor or even puddle slightly.
Classic panel curtains make a room look more spacious when you mount the curtain rod close to the ceiling instead of at the window frame. Sleek, floor-length panels draw the eye upward along the entire length of the curtains, creating an illusion of height.
What colors make a room look bigger and brighter?
So, what colors make a room look bigger? For an optimum effect, go with soft tones like off-white, blues, and greens, and always remember that brighter rooms feel bigger and more inviting. And here's another hack: Try painting your wall trim and moldings in a lighter color than your walls.
For the ideal middle ground, curtains should hover just above the floor. To find the right curtain length, measure from the floor to where you'll hang the rod (usually 4 to 6 inches above the window frame).
![Do curtains to the floor make a room look smaller? (2024)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/u3535u_-03o/hq720.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEcCNAFEJQDSFXyq4qpAw4IARUAAIhCGAFwAcABBg==&rs=AOn4CLAdqIck9FCnP9AV-aOidaVwF_smJA)
You should aim for your curtain hem to be about 3/8" to 1/2" above the floor. Not only is this an easier length to measure for, but it also makes it simple to vacuum and sweep. It's a great option if you plan to open and close your curtains a lot since you won't need to rearrange them each time.
There is enough material to fan out on the floor, but it will mostly fall underneath itself rather than take up room like a dramatic fan might. Add around 2 to 4 inches of material to your drapes to achieve this style. A true puddle is, as it sounds, the original puddle.
Dark-colored curtains work best against light walls (eg. warm white, cream, gray, light tan and even smoky blue walls). Dark walls plus dark curtains is too oppressive. 'Dark' doesn't have mean black, brown or grey; dark curtains can also come in hip, modern colours such as blue or even certain shades of red or purple.
- Hang them high—and wide. Mount your curtain hardware as close to the ceiling as possible for a high-end look. ...
- Use statement hardware. Upgrade basic panels by adding thicker, more substantial hardware to your window treatments. ...
- Weigh them down. ...
- Train them.
Curtains offer better insulation and soundproofing.
In warm weather, however, blinds beat curtains in energy efficiency. Because blinds leak more heat from a room, they also decrease indoor heat gain more efficiently in the summer, by around 45 percent, which can lower your AC bills.
Curtains will give better light control but blinds may be more practical in a smaller space. If you decide on a blind, have it made longer and wider than the window to minimise light drift. Curtains are best installed close to the ceiling or better still, with a pelmet above to stop light from escaping.
Neutral Shades
Black, white, grey, brown, and beige are all neutral colours. Neutral curtain colours as per Vastu are considered the best.
Floor length: Long curtains that go from above your window frame all the way to the floor to create a traditional, formal look. Typical curtain length for this style is 84 to 96 inches; these curtains will fall about 1/4-inch above the floor. They are ideal for living rooms, bedrooms and dining rooms.
Do short curtains look good?
Short Curtains
Visually speaking, high-water style is not the most appealing way to hang curtains. The shorter length can appear dated. Also, it can cut the visual height of your room in half. From a purely practical standpoint, however, short curtains are sometimes the best option.
Standard curtains come in three lengths—84 inches, 96 inches, or 108 inches. "Generally, you want to stay away from the 84 inch standard curtains unless you have very low ceilings.
In this case if you hang a curtain too high it could look a little off, especially if there is a lot of bright light coming through showing where the actual window is. In that case you should hang them about 8 inches or less above the window frame.
The drapes should cover as much of the wall as possible to create the illusion of space, so aim to position the rod a few inches from the ceiling.
We've found that curtain panels look best when they drape into the window space about 2-3”.
- Dark Blue. Dark blue has the transformative power to make a statement. ...
- Earthly Ochre. Earthly Ochre is a deep, warm color that creates a calm environment. ...
- Off-White. ...
- Clean White. ...
- Dark Grey. ...
- Pale Blues. ...
- Sea Green. ...
- Light Green.