How Long and Wide Should Your Curtains Be?

Stand where you use the room. Do you need privacy while sitting on the sofa, less glare at a desk, or a fabric border around a window you rarely cover? Write down the main job. Decorative side panels and curtains that close every evening are different orders, even when the saved pictures look similar.

Next, open the window and move any nearby furniture as you normally would. Note what occupies the wall beside the frame and the floor below it. A desk against one side can leave nowhere for a thick curtain to gather. You may prefer a shorter curtain or a separately specified blind with decorative side panels, rather than squeezing two full panels into an unsuitable space.

Use an existing pole or track if its position and specification suit the new curtains. For a new fitting, mark a proposed line on a room sketch and record its height. IKEA's measuring guide starts with the mounting choice because it affects the curtain length. Raising a pole changes the order drop; it is not a free adjustment after the curtains arrive.

Check the hardware's instructions for wall or ceiling suitability, supports, fixings, and permitted load with the chosen fabric and lining. Get landlord permission for new holes or changes to a supplied fitting. If the mounting surface or concealed services are uncertain, have a qualified installer assess them. A picture cannot identify a fixing that will carry the order.

These are three different entries. The fitting width is where curtains travel. Fabric width describes the panels before or after gathering, depending on the seller. Stack-back is the space the folded curtains occupy when open. Ask whether a listed width refers to one panel or the pair, and whether it is flat fabric or a finished gathered heading.

Do not apply one fullness multiplier to every product. A ready-made eyelet pair and a made-to-measure pleated curtain may use different ordering conventions. Give the seller the measured fitting width and selected heading, then obtain its required panel width or finished coverage. For a track with returns or an overlap, ask which parts belong in the order measurement.

Before extending a pole, compare available wall space with the proposed stack on each side. Request a stack-back estimate for the actual fabric, lining, and heading. If it will still cover more glass than you want, consider a different fabric or draw arrangement. Extra pole length cannot create wall space where a cupboard already stands.

Name the heading before measuring. Dunelm distinguishes the top of the pole for its eyelet measuring method from the ring eye or track reference for pencil pleats. Other headings and suppliers need their own instructions. Record that start point on the sheet so a second person can reproduce the measurement.

Choose the hem endpoint in the real room: at the sill, below it, or near the floor. Measure left, center, and right to reveal a floor or fitting that is not level. Agree with the supplier how the final drop will handle those differences. If using ready-made curtains, check whether the nearest available length can be altered and what the care instructions require before hemming.

A hem near the floor gives a different outline from one stopping at the sill. Pooling fabric adds a floor-level task: it must be moved for cleaning and kept out of a frequently used route. Try the endpoint with a fabric sample held in place at an accessible height. Pick the version you can live with rather than copying a floor gap from a photograph.

If there is equipment beneath the window, identify its type and model. Obtain its current instructions and ask the manufacturer or a heating professional to confirm the proposed curtain path in both open and closed positions. Keep that requirement on the measurement sheet. We cannot give a single curtain-to-heater distance for an unidentified unit, including the one in the pictured example.

Where young children live or visit, use CPSC's current Window Covering Cords guidance when selecting a system. CPSC recommends cordless coverings and moving cribs, beds, furniture, and toys away from windows and window-covering cords. Inspect the existing covering as well as the proposed curtains. A pleasing rendering does not verify accessible cords or a child-safe installation.

Handle a fabric sample beside the furniture and window. Check its appearance in daylight and under your lamps, then read its care and lining information. The sample can help you choose color and texture; the specifications and supplier's measuring method still control the order. A screen cannot approve exact color, shrinkage, or light-blocking performance.

For a visual comparison, name the window and equipment that must stay and the fitting line you have measured. Ask to compare your shortlisted hem positions without changing the room proportions. Review the frame and fabric edges first. Once you prefer a direction, return to the completed sheet and get the supplier to confirm the order dimensions before paying.