A guide for hanging curtains correctly to make windows appear larger and ceilings appear taller + favorite blackout curtains, shades, and rods for less.
I wanna know something… why in the WORLD did it take us this long to discover the magic of blackout curtains in our kids’ rooms?
Since we’re in the middle of summer and the sun is up past 8 pm (which I’m not mad about), getting our kids to sleep has been a struggle. And around 5:30 am, they’re usually up and at ’em. (That part I AM mad about.)
We’re believers in white noise machines cranked up loud and super soft, cozy pajamas, and every bribe imaginable to get them to go. to. SLEEP!
And then I realized the other day huh… gee, Lauren, blackout curtains would probably be a solution here, ya know? Doy.
We swapped out their flimsy-ish curtains for thick, beefy pitch black blackouts and OH MY GOSH! Sweet sleep, I missed you!!! At bedtime: zero arguments (well, fewer anyway).
In the mornings: we’ve been getting an extra hour of snooze time!
I mean… hallelujah.
Little side note: When hanging curtains, I like to choose ones that are 96″ long for our 8′ ceilings to softly “puddle” at the floor (or you can quickly hem with hemming tape).
Hang them “high and wide” so that they’re about 2″-6″ below your crown molding and leave about 12″-18″ on either side of your window to have room for the curtain panel.
I thought it’d be fun to pull together a bunch of my favorite blackout curtains, shades, and curtain rods while we’re on the subject. Lots of them are “budget conscious” options to their designer counterparts.
Favorite Blackout Curtains
Favorite Window Shades
Favorite Curtain Rods
Want more ideas for dressing up windows?
- DIY Window Trim – The Easy Way
- 3 Must-Do Tricks to Upgrade Plain Windows
- DIY Window Boxes from Repurposed Scrap Wood
- DIY Window Seat from a Kitchen Cabinet
Love this post & perfect timing because I’m stuck on which curtains to buy for my new home office. Are you able to link the curtains you display in your daughters room? They are lovely!
Thank you !
Sarah Beth
My husband works nights so we have a blackout shade and blackout curtains (well, pretty curtains that I add blackout fabric to). They are brilliant. I actually had curtains in the bedroom that went to the floor. The window is on my side of the bed and so is the dog’s bed and every night he rubbed up against the curtains until they were a mess. Off went the bottom 12″ or so and now they look fantastic. I even hemmed both of them even. I was pretty proud of that!
Do you have any favorite curtains/drapes for living room that you recommend? Thanks
Sorry, that are non-black out!
Hi Lauren, progressing through renovations to point where i can begin to hang things on the walls and consider curtains in a few rooms! Hallelujah! Problem: I want to add high wide drapes or maybe sheers to 2 very large tall walls/windows but the hot water baseboards are directly below each window. So technically I can’t go to the floor. Really bummed. Ideas?? Ty!!
Thank you Lauren! All of this is great! What suggestions do you have for when the only window in the room is shoved up against the corner of the wall (about 3 foot wide window with about 3 inches between window and corner). All of our bedrooms are like this. Thanks!
where did you get the roman shades above the baby’s changing table/dresser?
They’re from Blinds.com. Here’s a link: