Made to Measure Curtains – When Off the Shelf Just Won’t Do
We all know the usual reasons why people decide they need curtains on their windows. The most common reason is to block out the light. Sunlight is very healthy for you, in moderation, and you should definitely make sure that your body is getting enough of it, but when you’re in your home, and the sun is shining right through the window, it can be hard to concentrate. Of course, with the light of the sun comes the heat, and this is another reason people need curtains. In some places the heat can be unbearable through an uncovered window.
Unfortunately, for many people, the task of covering your windows is made harder by the fact that they are not a standard size or shape. If this is the case, then you are probably going to have to look at made to measure curtains, rather than buying straight off the shelf. Going this route is going to end up costing you more money, but unless you are able to make your own, there really is no other alternative. If you are spending that amount of money, you want to make sure that you are getting it right, as there is nothing worse than getting a made to measure curtain, only to find that there are gaps that let the sunlight through, or that the color you chose doesn’t match your decor.
To help alleviate this problem, you are going to want to make sure that you measure the size of your window properly. Many professionals recommend that you measure in three different places, both horizontally and vertically. So you would measure from above the top of the window frame to a couple of inches off the floor, on the left side, the right side, and right down the middle. You may be surprised that these measurements differ from each other, as quite often a house will shift over time, causing your windows to not be square. Likewise, you need to measure from left to right, keeping in mind that the curtains should cover not just the window, but a few inches either side.
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Many people, when measuring their window for curtains, totally forget about the gather in their curtains. Unless you want a totally flat curtain against your window, you are going to need to add more material to allow it to gather together and give it fullness. The rule of thumb is to multiply the width of your window covering by 1.5 or 2.
Another reason people need curtains is for simple privacy. For many of us, home is somewhere we don’t get to spend enough time in. We spend the majority of our days running around trying to get work done and interacting with all sorts of people. When we get home, it’s our only chance to shut all that hustle and bustle out and concentrate on enjoying silence and a bit of alone time. When you are in your home, you don’t want passers by looking through your window to see what you’re up to. If you live next to a busy path or road, this is particularly a problem. Unfortunately many of us live way too close to our neighbours as well, and in many cases you can look out one window and into another just a few meters away.
If it’s just the privacy aspect that is a concern, then your options are fairly open as to what type of curtain you get. If, however, you need to block out that light and heat, then you will probably want to get fabric that is lined with blackout or thermal material to give it more protection. Although this is an added expense to an already costly process, in the long run it will be well worth your while to get something that is going to do the best job possible. There’s nothing worse than getting cheap made to measure curtains, only to find that they don’t give you the level of protection you were after.
