tori donahue design

One of the most common questions I get about my home is about the window treatments. For a lot of homeowners, dressing their windows properly can seem like an overwhelming task when there are just so many routes one can take.

Drapes // Trim // Rods

I’m a “more is more” gal by nature, so there was never anything appealing about blinds to me. Functional? Sure. But function over form is rarely my chosen path. And I love the look of roman shades, but to do them right (customization), they’re fricken expensive for what I believe to make smaller impact on a room’s overall design. And shutters, forget about it. They’re just not my style, and has always come across as a little farmhouse or cottage-y to me and again, to special order shutters to fit your windows can be $$$$$.

Cue the curtain. The curtain is a functional treatment, and the options are limitless. But where to begin? This option can of course get expensive too, BUT, if you do it the right way, you can achieve a beautiful, custom look on a budget.

Before I dive into customization, a few rules I always follow when hanging curtains:

1.) Curtains must always always always touch the ground. Actually, most of mine pool. I like the look I think it gives it a richer feel, but it’s not for everyone I know. They don’t have to pool, but good Lord please, please, make sure they at least TOUCH the ground. If you have to, order a longer length, and slap some hem tape or fabri-tac on there and “hem” them to size, or consider adjusting your curtain rod if need be, but just MAKE SURE THEY TOUCH THE GROUND.

Drapes // Trim // Rods

2.) I always take my curtain rod as high up on the wall as I can. All the way up to the crown moulding or if no crown, then the straight ceiling. This instantly gives your room height and can totally transform the look of your room.

Drapes // Trim // Rod

3.) No panel is complete without some trim. I’m pretty sure at this point, every panel in my home has had a decorative trim to it. Gimp trim, tassel trim, even just plain ribbon; but for some reason no curtain panel looks “finished” to me unless it’s trimmed in some form. Again, this is totally personal preference, but if it’s something you’re interested in doing, it can be done affordably and without knowing how to sew.

Delaney’s Drapes are no longer available // Trim

Finding these ridiculously priced drapes on Amazon was literally life changing. They have faux velvet, linen and even dupioni silk options for a fraction of the price I paid for my CB2, West Elm and Pottery Barn curtains and you legitimately can NOT tell the difference. I would gladly place my bets that majority of you would guess wrong if I asked you to distinguish between the pricier and the Amazon dupes.

Drapes // Trim // Rod

I have started to add DIY roller shades, faux roman shades and box valances in alot of the rooms just to add more texture and pattern. Again, most are non-functional but they were all very inexpensive projects and ultimately gave me the look I was trying to obtain!

Curtain // Trim // Rod

In conclusion, drapes are, in my opinion always the way to go, no matter the shape or size of the window, you don’t have to spent a ton of money on them to make them look high end/custom, and when in doubt, trim it out! Oh, and FABRI-TAC FABRI-TAC FABRI-TAC!!!!

xoxo Tori