Curtains

How to measure for curtains

Almost every curtain that gets returned was measured against the window rather than the pole. The width you need is the width of the pole or track, not the glass, because curtains hang past the frame on both sides so light does not leak down the edges. Measure the pole between the finials, ignoring the decorative ends, and use that figure.

The drop is measured from the top of the pole down to wherever you want the fabric to stop. For a sill-length pair that is the sill itself; for a floor-length pair, measure to about 1cm above the floor so the hem clears the carpet. Curtains that puddle on the floor look deliberate in a photograph and gather dust in a real house.

Why curtain width is not the width of your window

A curtain that measures exactly the width of the pole hangs flat and looks thin. To gather properly it needs surplus fabric, and the usual rule is one and a half times the pole width across the pair, or two times for a fuller, more generous look. So a 150cm pole wants roughly 225cm to 300cm of curtain across both sides together.

Our sizes are quoted per curtain and sold as a pair, which is where the arithmetic catches people out. A pair listed at 117cm x 137cm gives you two curtains of 117cm each, so 234cm of fabric for that 150cm pole. That is a fullness of about one and a half times, which is right for most rooms.

Eyelet or pencil pleat: which heading suits your room

The heading is the top edge of the curtain and it decides both how the fabric falls and what you hang it from. Eyelet curtains, known as grommet curtains in the United States, have metal rings punched through the fabric that slide straight onto a pole. They form deep, even waves, they are quick to hang, and they suit a plain pole in a room with clean lines.

Pencil pleat is the traditional British heading: a gathered tape along the top that you draw up with cords to whatever fullness you want. It works on a pole with hooks and rings, and it works on a track, which matters if you have an existing track you would rather not replace. The gather is softer and more informal than an eyelet wave, and because you control the draw, one pair can suit two different windows.

If you are choosing between them and have no track, eyelet is the easier hang. If you have a track, or you want the fullness to be adjustable, pencil pleat is the one.

What lining actually does

A lined curtain is two layers of fabric sewn together, and the second layer earns its place three times over. It gives the curtain weight, so it hangs in a straight fall instead of billowing at the hem. It slows the heat leaving through the glass on a winter night. And it protects the face fabric from sunlight, which is what fades a curtain over a few summers.

Lining is not the same as blackout. A lined curtain filters daylight and takes the edge off a street lamp; a blackout lining is a separate, denser layer designed to stop light almost entirely, which is what you want in a nursery or for a shift worker. Every pair we stock is lined. Where a pair is also room-darkening the product page says so, and where it is not, it will not pretend otherwise.

Fabric, weave and how a curtain hangs

Weight is the quiet variable. A heavier fabric hangs straighter and blocks more light and sound; a lighter one moves more and lets a room feel airier. Jacquard weaves have the pattern woven into the cloth rather than printed on the surface, so the design catches the light differently as you walk past and it does not fade off the face the way a print eventually will.

Chenille and velvet have a pile, which gives depth of colour and a soft handle, and they are the warmest option for a cold room. Plain woven polyester is the most practical: it resists creasing on the pole, it holds colour well and it costs less to replace when a room changes. None of these is better than the others in the abstract. A north-facing sitting room and a child's bedroom want different things.

Looking after them

Most lined curtains want dry cleaning rather than a machine, and the reason is the lining rather than the face fabric. The two layers shrink at different rates in a hot wash, and once they do the curtain hangs unevenly and cannot be corrected. The care instructions on each product page are the supplier's own and they are worth following.

Between cleans, the useful habit is vacuuming with an upholstery attachment on a low setting, working from the top down. Curtains collect far more dust than people expect, and a pair that is vacuumed twice a year needs cleaning far less often. Draw them fully open during the day so the fabric is not creasing in the same fold for months, and shake the hem out after hanging so the fall settles.