curtains
rods & finials
Note: All sets include mounting hardware, and
all rods are extendable (dimensions in brackets).- Curtain rod in Gold (180cm-320cm), $79,
Freedom, freedom.com.au. 2. Umbra ‘Enz’
curtain rod in Walnut (182cm-366cm), $100,
Spotlight, spotlightstores.com. 3. ‘PB Standard’
curtain rod (152cm-274cm) and finial, $134,
Pottery Barn, potterybarn.com.au. 4. ‘Mid-Century’
curtain rod (112cm-274cm) in Carbon/Brass, $159,
West Elm, westelm.com.au. 5. ‘PB Standard’
double curtain rod in Pewter (127cm-274cm),
$214, Pottery Barn, as before.
123MIXED BLESSING If you can’t
make up your mind whether
to pick curtains or blinds, try
a hybrid such as Luxaflex Veri
Shades. These chic vertical
blinds are made of a soft,
hand-washable fabric, have
no bottom weights and you
open the blades with the usual
pull-chain. Visit luxaflex.com.au.pre-made
Buying off-the-rack curtains doesn’t mean
compromising on quality. Many pre-made
options have a bespoke look and feel.
The first thing to consider is the size of
your window and the drop of the curtain.
The issue here is that pre-made curtains
often come in standard sizes – and if your
windows don’t fit these measurements, you
may have to be flexible in how they’re hung.
Our picks for pre-made curtains are
Spotlight (spotlightstores.com), which is a
top budget option; IKEA (ikea.com.au), which
offers curtains featuring various ways to
hang them; and West Elm (westelm.com.au),
which has a beautiful design edge with
a range of styles and fabric options.custom
Apart from fabric’s decorative role, the main
consideration here is pretty simple – is it for
privacy or for filtering light?
With the latter, think about the room’s
purpose and how much light it receives at
different times of the day. Blockout curtains
are often double-lined and an easy way to
darken a room, while dim-out curtains filter
up to 98 per cent of light. With privacy,
sometimes all you need is a sheer fabric.
Want a bit of both? “Try a double track with
sheers and a blockout behind,” says Cam
Warwick, joint managing director of Warwick
Fabrics (warwick.com.au). “Sheers give you
privacy during the day but allow in soft light.”
Let’s think about style. The trend in fabric
curtains right now is luxe, with rich velvets
and thick linens leading the way. Patternedfabrics can date, but if you fancy something
a bit different, two-toned and block colours
can make a striking impression.
What’s important is to choose a fabric
that your curtain maker can work with. Just
like paint, a fabric that stars in the showroom
can look very different in your home. To
get the right choice, be sure to take home
samples and consult with the curtain maker.tracks & hanging
How will your curtains hang? Rods are
coming back into fashion, but keep it clean
with elegant, minimal finials at the ends. Also
consider how the curtain attaches to the rod- whether it’s hooks or looped through the
back of the fabric, this affects how it hangs.
If you want to hide the rod, a pelmet is a
great way to conceal curtain hardware.
The tracks that the curtains hang from
will also affect how they fall. A favourite of
architects is a simple ‘S’ track, which will give
you an organic yet uniform shape.
The advantage of renovating is that you
can plan all this with your builder and even
recess the track system into the ceiling, to
give you a cleaner, modern line.
Finally, the length of the curtain. Fabric
pooling on the ground can be dramatic with
a high ceiling, but it’s harder to do in smaller
spaces. “The current style is to go higher
than the window frame with tracking and to
touch the floor,” says Penelope Mitchell from
Marlow & Finch (marlowandfinch.com.au).
Mounting curtains higher helps to elongate
a room in the same way a vertical tile does.
If you can’t manage a big drop or don’t
have the height to pull off a dramatic look,
the main recommendation is to make sure
your curtains touch the floor.
Don’t be afraid of a curtain rod,
“If there are no bulkheads or if
it is an older home with ornate
cornices, a decorative rod will
finish the room,” says Penelope
Mitchell from Marlow & Finch.2354118 / Inside OutINSIDE renovation
PHOTOGRAPHY: (OPPOSITE) MICHELLE WILLIAMS. LUXAFLEX IMAGE (THIS PAGE) COURTESY OF LUXAFLEX, LUXAFLEX.COM.AU. STYLING: (OPPOSITE) HEATHER NETTE KING. ARCHITECTURE: NICK HARDING, H-A.COM.AU. BUILD: DANIEL PULITANO, D&A PULITANO CONSTRUCTIONS, PULITANOGROUP.COM.AU