Picking the Perfect Curtain Length For Your Home

By Mahak Arora - Updated: October 31, 2018

In this Article

What is the Standard Curtain Length?

When shopping for curtains, you need to consider their length. How long floor-length curtains should be and what to choose for what room can be the deciding factor that defines your home. Find out what you need to know to make the right choice.

Curtains not only keep glare and excess sunlight out, but they also give a home identity. There are many designs and colours as well as fabrics to pick from. Yet what matters most is accurate length. Curtains skimming the floor look awesome in some rooms and for others, shorter lengths are better.

What is the Standard Curtain Length?

There’s no strict rule to what length curtains should be. As long as they look good and don’t drive you crazy, that’s all that matters! However, there are some tips you can follow to have curtains that look fabulous.

1. Go for Long Curtains for the Bedroom, Living and Dining Rooms

In some rooms like the dining room, you can experiment with floor-length curtains. You can even romanticise your living room with them. For the master bedroom, darker colours with embroidery are perfect while light tones are ideal for kids’ rooms. As for how long floor-length curtains should be, that’s up to you!

2. Floor-Grazing or Curtains that Puddle

Curtains grazing the floor look really beautiful but they require more maintenance. If you still want to have them, opt for ones that hang a few inches above the floor. Do keep a note of curtain dimensions like length by width. Curtains that are long should be sufficiently wide as well so that they create beautiful folds. You can even have curtains that puddle a little.

Floor-grazing or curtains that puddle

3. Keep the House Clean

Whether long or short, you must make sure the room the curtains are in is kept clean. Otherwise, the edges will soil. Alternatively, you could adjust the length of the curtains by adding frills to shorter curtains and longer curtains can be cut and re-stitched.

4. Short Equals Practical

For utility-based rooms like the kitchen and bathroom, the standard curtain length for the windows should be short, ideally around the length of the sill. It will keep them from getting dirty quickly and coming in your way. Install short curtains in home offices too. Of course, you can always get long-length curtains, but if you spend a lot of time in your office or entertain clients a lot, it’ll be tougher to keep them clean.

5. Fabric Job

Material acts as a deciding factor when deciding how to measure curtain length. Fabrics that are light and flowing like crepe, chiffon and satin should ideally be used for floor-length curtains. They fall beautifully. On the other hand, curtains in linen and cotton look best when they’re short as they’re stiffer. However, try to use sheers under curtains to give rooms an airier feel and to increase privacy.

Curtains are simple window treatments that pack a punch! They reflect your personal taste. Printed or solid, and long or short, choose and measure them with care. You’ll be amazed at the style they bring to any room.

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