How do your curtains hang?

Chances are they are too low, too close together and not the right length. I go into homes all the time for both real estate staging and home redesign and 8 out of 10 times the window treatments do not follow the basic rules of curtain hanging. Don't worry. You are not alone. The general rule is height and light. You can see how the rule applies itself from the image here (taken from HomeGoods design HAPPY ).

Believe it or not, these are the same size windows.

• On the left is low and close. Less light, less height.

• On the right is up and out. More height, more light.

Go Room By Room Window Treatment Rules

Length: Go with the 95" length panels.

Style: Choose the right top treatment. I prefer a grommet top or back tab top. These styles are current and allow for maximum light.

Fabric: Your call, but textured solids and geometric patterns (fretwork) are in.

Rod Style: Thick, simple and longer. The color/finish of the rod should match your room decor. Go with a diameter of at least 1" and get the longer size. Remember your rod should be least 10" wider than your window trim.

Hanging Height: Put the curtains on the rod to determine how high the mounting bracket should be. Mount rod as high as you can so the bottom for the curtain just touches the floor.

Hanging Width: Let in the Light! Place the hanging brackets at the height determined above and out 4-6" from the window edge on both sides. You should place 3-4 grommets, or tabs, on the outside of the mounting bracket. The panel should cover a lot of the wall and a less of the window.

The other misconception is that window treatments have to be expensive and custom. These days I find this not to be true. There are so many wonderful choices at all price points: lined, unlined, sheer, room darkening, top tab, grommets, rod pocket, pinch pleat, and many more. The same goes for curtain rods. So many sizes, lengths, finishes and hanging styles.

Still confused? Give me a call. I can help you and work in your budget.