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Ideas for curtains (with all the terminology you need to recreate them)
In his book Elements of Style, the American interior designer Michael S Smith makes an excellent point about curtains: ‘They should enhance the room not overwhelm it.’ There have been many fads and fashions for dressing windows over the centuries, from ornate swags and tails to pared-back minimalism.
‘The triple pleat, which is both classic and contemporary, is our most popular heading now,’ says Sheri Downer of London-based specialists Downers Design, which makes curtains for designers including Max Rollitt and Carden Cunietti. Our advice is not to worry too much about so-called rules and take your lead from the architecture – as interior designer Veere Grenney says, ‘Absolutes don’t matter so much any more. Sill-length curtains were once thought of as ugly, but I just did some with a scalloped edge and they looked divine.’
Start with our pictorial guide to curtain headings (thanks to The Shade Store), move on to our indispensable guide to window dressing, according to curtain consultant Chris Tebay, and then scroll down for our selection of design ideas.
The House & Garden archive is curtain heaven: scroll down for some of our favourite options by leading interior designers – from elegantly tailored pelmets to elaborate Italian strung curtains. And, once you've determined your style and fabric, find out how to measure curtains via our all-encompassing guide.