My dining room has two weird windows, and while they provide beautiful natural light, they aren’t all that aesthetically pleasing. While the dining room is coming together well, there are a few missing pieces, including curtains!
Truthfully, I grew up in an old farmhouse, and most of the curtains in my house looked like these. If you’ve seen The Sound Of Music, you’ll know that these looked much better as matching outfits on the kids than they ever did as curtains.
The other option in our house was blinds…and not cute ones. I knew I wanted to filter some of the sunlight in our home, but I was pretty nervous about making the room look dated.
I wanted to add as much height as possible because our dining room isn’t huge, and the ceilings aren’t very tall. I wanted to play around with colour and pattern, maybe… but the idea of having a Sound of Music moment where my curtains would be better off as costumes makes me cringe.
I started by looking on Pinterest, which continues to be a fantastic go-to for all things related to design in my home. This is a helpful resource I came across.
“Curtain Tips by dominomag.com.” Pinterest.com, 26 Nov, 2023.https://pin.it/4uRDdw9
Based on the above graphic, I knew I wanted a ‘lived-in’ style and for my ceilings to soar. While custom curtains would have been amazing, they aren’t in the budget. Has anyone done custom curtains/blinds? We did custom light filtering shades in our bathroom and office, and wowza–they are an investment! I wasn’t looking at having any investment pieces in our dining room because we’re hoping to have a family, and I know any curtains I choose will likely be covered in food at some point.
I took some measurements and knew that I should be shopping for 84″ curtains in a set with two panels. Our dining room is also across from our living room, which oddly does not have its own light source (a bizarre design choice in a lot of houses from the 80s). Therefore, I felt I needed to choose a sheer curtain to keep as much natural light in the house as possible. Also, after discussing the possibility of a patterned or coloured curtain with my husband I decided to go with a solid colour; the poor guy is still getting used to the colour on the rug…and the walls.
So, here’s what I bought from Amazon:
I think it’s fair that I chose the most neutral option. The only colour that I really played with is that the curtain rod is gold to play off the gold paint on the light fixture and the curtains themselves have a bit of a sheen to them–but, my husband is happy. I do that they add a lot of height to the room and help to balance the space better. I still need to steam them, but then I think aside from decorating my shelf this space is pretty much done!
If I had gone with a different sheer colour, which one would you have chosen?
Hey Sarah! This post is such a delightful read! The way you navigate the challenge of making your dining room look chic with curtains is so relatable. The Sound of Music curtain reference made me smile! 😄
It’s clear you’ve turned your dining room into a stylish and inviting space. Kudos on the great choices!
Wow! I have loved watching this transformation. I also like the idea of choosing something for its aesthetic purpose and functionality. As someone who as hung up her grandmothers old curtains, I have much respect for how you came to this decision. If you ever decide to go a different route, or need a little darkness in the space, I have heard of people layering darker blinds of their sheer ones, I like the look of that.
I’ve loved seeing you transform your dining room through your blog. It just goes to show that you don’t have to have a mega renovation budget to change the look, feel, and flow of a room. I love all things interior design and am excited to use some of your tips and tricks and resources (like Mixtiles) for my first home.
Because of the description of the window situation in your house, I think you made the right decision in going sheer, and I probably would’ve chosen white like you did.