Net curtains are nothing new, although you don’t hear them mentioned all that often. In fact, they have been around for hundreds of year, originating in Europe where they were manufactured using thin materials such as silk, or for those that weren’t affluent enough to afford that, cotton. The main idea of net curtains is to provide a level of privacy in your home while still benefitting from the natural light of the sun.

The name comes from the fact that the fabric is created using an open weave (or net) type pattern. Nowadays, the majority of net curtains for sale in retail shops are made of synthetic materials, however, if you shop around a little, you can still find specialist shops out there that supply the old fashioned net lace curtains. Keep in mind that you will be paying more for the real thing, but in my opinion, the extra expense is well worth it.

You may have heard these curtains referred to as “voile curtains“, and there is a common misconception out there that these two are one and the same. This is not the case, the difference lies in the way the fabric is manufactured. The fabric used in voiles is usually woven together, which makes it a fair amount stronger than traditional nets, which are, in most cases, knitted. The other feature that distinguishes one from the other is that violes come in a variety of colors and shades, whereas nets are usually white or creamy colored. Keep in mind that these curtains are usually exposed to the sun for most of their life, and being that the material is so thin, it will tend to fade over time. For this reason, most people choose the lighter colored fabric, as the fading is not as noticeable.

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Most people will have two levels of curtains when using a net curtain. There are not many situations when you can use just a net curtain by itself, as more often than not you will want to insulate yourslef from the cold of winter or the heat of summer, and these curtains will not provide that level of insulation. Instead, you would put your lighter curtain underneath and a heavier curtain on top, allowing you to draw the heavy curtain back allowing the light to filter throug, but still giving you the provacy you need.

As mentioned previously, the better the material costs more money, but will give you a much better effect for your windows. If you are on a tight budget then the best place to get cheap net curtains is online. When people go to buy net curtains online, there is one common mistake that they make. They measure the size of the window, the width and the length, and allow for a bit of overhang down the bottom, and they figure that this is the size of the material that they need. What they don’t take into account is something called “gather”. This term refers to the folds in the material. If you buy your material at the exact dimensions of your window, then it will lie flat. A much better way to go is to buy two or three times the width. Then, when you hang your net lace curtains, you will get this pleasing wavy effect, which also adds to your level of privacy.