I'm showing you how to pick out the right length for your curtains, how to hang up drapes as well as a simple technique to make your curtains look like they were made and hung up by a professional.
I've been on this streak about the proper way to hang curtain and drapery and posting directions and resources that you can check out. For me personally, I just think that curtains can make or break a room!
When you hang curtains, there are a few tips that you should adhere to:
- Length: Make sure the length of your curtains is right
- Drapery Returns: Use them
- Train Your Curtains: So they lay properly
Tools and Materials To Hang Curtains and Drapery Like a Designer
- Drapes (see my favorites below)
- Drapery Hardware
- Hook and Eye
- Drill
THE PERFECT CURTAIN LENGTH
There are just certain things you shouldn't DIY without experience, and in my case, this would be curtains. This was the only image I could find of my DIY curtains. Notice how short the curtains were! Not only that, the pleats looked terrible!
If you find that your curtains are short by less than 2 inches, check out my secret hack on how to lengthen your curtains. It is definitely not the professional way, but it is hardly noticeable to an untrained eye. If you are trying to figure out how long curtains should be, check out this guide. I used to think curtains should just cover the window and potentially hang a little past the sill, but I was completely wrong.
DRAPERY RETURNS AND CURTAIN SIDE HOOKS
A "drapery return" is the measurement from the wall is to where the curtain hangs off of the rod. Imagine yourself standing looking to the side of the curtain. The measurement I'm referring to is of the side piece of it. See the left image below:
Most people will hang their curtains like the image on the left. However, a small little hack will take your drapery installation to a professional level. All you need is a hook and eye installed on the wall underneath your curtain rod. It should be place where the last pleat hook is!
SHOP THESE CURTAINS AND DRAPERY ESSENTIALS:
As a mom, I find this super awesome because my kids still take naps during the day and it blocks out a ton of light! And if you have invested in blackout curtains, make the most of it by installing hook and eye (which is also known as a screw eye bolt).
I've also found that traverse rods may already have the eye hooks installed - so make sure you use it if you have it! P.S. Traverse rods are AWESOME, but they require creating additional holes for the pulley.
There are places where you really don't need to do this. For example, an area like my living room where a return really isn't necessary because the goal for the curtains is to frame the room to create height rather than to block out light.
TRAINING YOUR DRAPES AND CURTAINS
Here's another tip on how to hang curtains and drapery like a professional: Train your drapes and curtains right after you hang them! When you first order your curtains, they may come packaged up with creases. Obviously, do the best you can to iron. Once you hang them, you'll notice that sometimes they do not "fold" where they should.
What you can do is just hand fold them and loosely tie a piece of fabric or yarn around the folds. Keep it folded for a week. After that, you should find that your curtains will sit perfectly!
Curtains: Easy Classic Pleat Panels in Gent Smoke | Rod: White Curtain Rod | Tie Backs: Wood Post Tiebacks
There you have it - three tips on how to hang curtain and drapery like a professional designer installed it!
If you have two story windows, here is a blog post all about how I chose curtains for my floor to ceiling windows. And if you made a mistake, here's an awesome quick hack on how to lengthen your drapes.
If you need more visuals, here's a video:
Love these tips on how to hang curtains and drapery? Follow me on Facebook, Instagram @sengersonhome and my Pinterest board on Rules on How to Decorate Your Home.
Curtain and Decor Posts
If you loved this post about finding the best two story curtains, check out these posts below:
BestCurtainsDecor
Good day. Thanks for the good idea, I was just thinking about how to make a closed corner in the living room with curtains. Now I know for sure)))
Jackie
Another tip is to try to hang your drapes as high to the crown molding or ceiling height as you can but always have them almost touch the carpet or wood floor or have th puddle on the floor. Don’t hang them the same height as the window or the window trim. I’ve never been a fan of or use a valance because it brings the ceiling height down and it also looks dated.
Sergio
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Cheers!
Deedee Lewis
This is such a great article for tips on how to hang drapes. I recently bought some gorgeous drapes for my living room but have been too scared to put them up for fear of doing it wrong. I love your tips on "training your drapes" because that is something I never even thought of. This article also made me realize that I bought the wrong hardware to hang my drapes and will have to go and consult a professional to make sure I get the right tools for my project.
Caden Dahl
It's great that you elaborated on how to train your curtains to get the folds in the right places. I'm going to be redecorating my living room, and I want to make sure the curtains I choose look right. If they're creased from the packaging, I'll make sure to iron them out, and then I'll yarn around the folds to keep them in the right place for a week before opening them up fully.
Lillian Schaeffer
These are some great tips, and I appreciate your advice to hang your curtains so they continue to the side to block out light. I'm redecorating my living room, and I'd like to put curtains in instead of blinds. I'll definitely make sure to hang them so they block out the light on the sides as well. Thanks for the great post!
Kendall Ryder
I like your idea of "training" the curtains. That seems like such a smart idea. I would hate to get curtains, and not have them look like they should. I would much rather have them look nice and neat, and how they should. That way I don't have to worry about finding new curtains to look better.
Loni Lichfield
P.s. what style/type of drapery rings are those that you used? I tried putting drapery rings on some curtains in my bedroom, but they look hideous- they drop too much and show too much of the clip.
Loni Lichfield
How does the eye hook work? How do you install it and how do you use it? What does it hook to?
Ethel
Thank you for the tips on hanging drapes! I really appreciate the insight! It is a great idea to train your drapes. Ironing out the folds was something I always did but I will make sure to let them be so they will fall the right way. Great tips!
Seng
Thanks so much Ethel for the comments!