You do not need much interior design experience to note how greatly window treatments influence the atmosphere and aesthetic appeal of a room. Curtains, in particular, have stood the test of time as the primary window-treating option in most modern homes because of their versatility. Curtains can be customized endlessly. They come in an array of fabrics with different textures and different patterns. Their lengths and lining will vary depending on your individual tastes. Their thickness and layering- key factors in the number of natural light curtains that will allow pouring into a room – are entirely up to you.
So, where to begin?
By assessing your needs and tastes, of course. In this guide to tasteful curtain selection, you will read about how to establish your preferences and requirements based on your home. Thus, you can expect to make a relatively easy, informed decision on the best curtains for your windows with only minimal assistance from home interior designers in Dubai.
How To Organise Your Thoughts
Inspiration is likely to strike early on in your decoration journey. However, these thoughts are often a jumble of disjointed ideas, sometimes in great conflict with the realities of your home. Certain coloring, for example, will fare fantastically in your mind but may have unexpected effects based on lighting. Naturally brightly-lit rooms, for example, will “bleach out” the color of curtains as strong sun rays poke through the fabric. On the other hand, colors like white, beige, or grey may look sophisticated against bright windows but dull in darker rooms.
Therefore, you will need to answer the following questions about each feature category listed below to make a decision you will find satisfactory in the long run:
- What Are Your Relative Tastes?
- What Are Your Relative Home Needs?
- What Is A Reasonable Compromise?
Your tastes in factors such as color, texture, lining, etc may vary based on your exposure to decoration trends. You will need to hire a professional to help you discover your design flair by suggesting inspirations, blogs to follow, and magazines to check out. The more knowledgeable the designer you employ, the more information you can expect to be given prior to your decoration journey. Therefore, we advise that you look through this resource of the best interior design companies in Dubai before choosing a designer.
Your home’s needs will be distinct with just minimal skilled assessment. You will need to take pictures of your rooms in different lighting. You will also need to visualize yourself using the room. Based on this assessment, you are likely to have ideas on how thick you wish for your curtains to be, whether you want them to be layered, and the aesthetic themes that would best suit each room.
You may find, for example, that large curtains are oppressive around common living spaces but comforting in your bedroom, or that thin layering allows you to wake up earlier. With the help of interior designers in Dubai, you can complete your full assessment within an afternoon.
Factors To Consider
The 3 questions listed above should be applied to each of the following factors:
1. Color
You will need to think less of your favorite colors, and more of the color palettes you like in certain rooms. For instance, you may be a fan of bright pastels but find a sophistication or flair to earthy undertones in curtaining.
You may also struggle to know your home’s coloring needs if you only have amateur expertise in decoration. Often, an interior designer’s take on the color theory will define how they go about matching shades and tints. Once you know the basics of color theory, you will have to visualize your home in its every lighting (natural-bright, natural-dim, artificial-day, artificial-night). With your newfound technical knowledge, you can be certain to envision your home’s needs at least approximately.
Finding a reasonable compromise between your instinctive desires and your home’s needs may require the guidance of Freelance interior designers in Dubai. Our selection of professionals, with their ample experience in design consulting, will know how to ease a client into a decision fulfilling both their needs and wants.
2. Fabric
While you should apply the questions listed above to this feature category, you should also know how to select good textiles. A fantastic curtain-picking tip from renowned interior decorator Lana Lawrence is to hold the fabric against showroom windows during your selection process. This will help you assess how the fabric reacts to sun-rays. Good curtaining also heavily depends on the quality of the fabric. Therefore, you will want to be certain of its fluidity. Lawrence’s advice is to “Pleat it like an accordion at the top and let it drape”. If it flares outwards at the bottom, it is unlikely to have a naturally aesthetically pleasing flow.
3. Length
Let’s face it, curtain selection often involves adding some drama to the room. Therefore, long curtains are said to be a good option to make windows appear more imposing. They are also known to suggest opulence and luxury. However, the longer the curtain, the higher it will have to be placed above the window. The closer it gets to the ceiling, however, the lower the latter will appear.
Curtain fullness is, however, always encouraged. Therefore, you may want to add a few inches to your window-width measurements when selecting a fabric.
4. Cleaning Requirements
This is potentially the one category where your relative tastes may matter the most. If you do not like to have your curtains dry-cleaned, it is imperative to look for a material that is washing-machine friendly. The accumulation of desertic dust plagues even the UAE’s most fanciful curtaining. For this reason, you will want to have curtains with cleaning options you find comfortable.
5. Prints
Prints have become incredibly popular in home decoration. Admittedly, they offer both the unique appeal of art and the demure complementation of standard fabric coloring. Choosing a curtain print – or establishing a basic idea (Flowers/polka-dots/stripes/animal print/tribal print/geometric, etc) – will require the most reasonable compromise between taste and needs. If you are looking to dress up an otherwise plain room, for instance, you may need to opt for a bolder print, even if the thought initially scares you. You will need to be willing to make informed sacrifices when choosing your curtain prints.
A Concluding Note
Curtain selection is about knowing what you want and what you need. And the team is better to help you decide on that than an interior design professional with ample expertise in decoration consulting? Our team of freelance home interior designers in Dubai is versed in decoration for all tastes and budgets. They will turn your inspirations into unique decor with highly competitive pricing. Join our community today to benefit from the services of the most skilled professionals in the UAE market.