High-End Designers Swear by This One Very Important Decor Detail
The heart of your home, your living room should be equal parts cozy and chic. While shopping for furniture and soft goods may be the priority, window treatments should never be overlooked. The best living room curtain ideas provide both privacy and style without distracting from the room's overall design. Curtain options are seemingly endless, and since they're available in every style and at various price points, you can truly craft a look that fits your aesthetic and budget.
From semi-sheer white curtains to blackout ones with patterned trim and lively botanical drapery, there are countless living room curtain ideas to get you started. Curtains and drapes are a great way to highlight—or hide—architectural details. When hung from the ceiling to the floor, window treatments can also create the illusion of higher ceilings and a more spacious room.
After exploring these interior designer–approved living room curtain ideas, you’re sure to find inspiration and a clear vision for your space. Once you've decided on the direction, you can start shopping for the best places to buy curtains. For a professional and custom look every time, refer to our guide on hanging curtains for quick and smooth installation.
More inspiration for your windows:
Match Your Paint Color
Choose a drapery color similar to your paint hue for a subtle living room curtain idea that still adds impact. In our 2023 Whole Home, designer Rasheeda Gray of Gray Space Interiors opted for a slate blue that adds texture and warmth but doesn't distract from the view it borders.
Tie In an Accent Color
In this Cate Dunning–designed living room, the drapery helps to round out the color palette by pulling in the accent hue: a bright, cerulean blue that's also seen on the armchairs.
Do Double Layers
If you need privacy but don't want to completely block out the light in your living room, consider giving yourself options. Dane Austin chose to double-layer the window treatments here, using both a cafe curtain and a full-length blackout shade. This setup allows homeowners to customize the light exposure to their exact liking.
Frame Your Windows
While most people agree that curtains should fall to the floor, that's more of a suggestion than a rule. Take inspiration from Rita Chan's California home where the drapery stops at the bottom of the window frame. This also prevents them from getting stuck behind the sofa.
Pop a Pattern
Curtains are a great way to highlight a colorful pattern without the print overtaking the room visually. The trick, as seen here in our 2023 Whole Home studio apartment designed by Jenna Gross of Colordrunk Designs, is to use pleated curtains to help confine the pattern.
Only Block Half
If your home is short on natural light but still needs privacy, opt for a pair of cafe curtains instead of a full-length set. This option is best for rooms and apartments that are above ground level.
Align Your Corners
The best way to get the custom curtain look without the price tag is to precisely align the corners. Be sure to match the heights of your curtain rods and leave enough of a gap so your curtains don't bunch together and overlap.
Flatter Small Windows
Narrow windows are still deserving of chic treatments. Use thinner fabrics and tight pleats in your drapery to help frame the window without overwhelming the smaller proportions.
Incorporate a Pattern
Drapery is a great way to infuse patterns and prints into your living room without the costly investment of wallpaper or custom upholstery. A wavy stripe in this Nashville home blends all the hues in the room's existing color palette for a cohesive look.
Lighten Moody Furnishings
If you're a pattern lover, it can be tempting to place a print on every surface you can. However, to balance the space (and help focus your eye), solid curtain panels can be a strong design choice. Take inspiration from HGTV stars Ben and Erin Napier and their calming living room.
Accentuate Towering Ceilings
If you've got it, flaunt it. Towering windows are hard to dress, but matching, floor-to-ceiling curtains are rarely a mistake. Opt for a complementary color rather than a neutral to help draw the eye upward.
Soften Sculptural Furniture
If you're drawn to modern furniture, hard edges, and sculptural pieces, utilize drapery to help soften the edges. Billowing pleats can make even the most museum-worthy living room feel like a cozy, family hangout.
Try a Contrasting Color
In this Corey Damen Jenkins–designed space, the plaid ceiling is the true star of the show. To help ease the transition to the solid walls below, a coordinating rust curtain ties together the warm and cool tones of the room.
Frame a Doorway
If you have a balcony, curtains can help make the doorway (which is usually in the middle of the room) look more intentional. Opt for a thinner curtain rod, as Kate Hodges did here, to not distract from the architecture.
Move With Lighter Fabrics
Coastal spaces and transparent curtains go hand in hand, especially when there's a great breeze to help them sway. Place a panel between each door or window in the living room for maximum air.
Add Luxe Velvet
Make your living room feel grand with floor-to-ceiling curtains, like the soft pink ones from Élitis in Carice van Houten and Guy Pearce's Amsterdam home that was designed by Nicole Dohmen of Atelier ND Interior. The colorful Kooij coffee table and opulent sofas boost the room's overall energetic yet lush feel.
Create Height With Stripes
For a cohesive look, match the pattern of your curtains to some of the furniture and accessories in your living room. In this space designed by Ashley Whittaker, thin striped curtains complement striped chairs and throw pillows with a similar line design and color combo.
Avoid Windows Altogether
Liven up your windows—or walls—with a bustling botanical print. Eliza Crater Harris, the chief creative officer of Sister Parish Design, did exactly that in this living room curtain idea. Plenty of these patterns come in various colors to match your aesthetic, including the Titania fabric seen here.
Stay Subtle With Sheers
The easiest way to give your living room an airy, bright look is with transparent or semi-sheer white curtains. The breezy treatment can even help soften the line between the indoors and outdoors, as it does in this space decorated by David Mann.
Try a Subtle Pattern
Instead of a solid color, consider getting curtains with a simple abstract design. In designer Ariene Bethea's North Carolina home, she incorporated these blue and white curtains with what looks like brushstrokes of watercolor paint from Martha & Ash. It's intriguing but not overwhelming.
Warm Up Your Walls
Warm up stark white walls and bold furniture with off-white curtains, as designer Andrew Brown did in the living room of this Alabama home. Make them work twice as hard by placing sleek bookshelves in from of them so that the curtains also act as a backdrop to enticing decor.
Mix and Match Prints
Linen fabric with teal and gold accents makes an exceptional option for curtains in a colorful beach home. To ensure the owners of this Nantucket cottage could enjoy some privacy while basking in natural light, designer Kevin Isbell hung them about one-fourth of the way down and inside of the window frame.
Fade Into View
Ombré curtains allow for a very smooth transition from one color to the next, which can give your living room the pop of color it needs without being too in-your-face. The curtains in this Los Angeles home designed by Peti Lau nearly mimic a rushing waterfall.
Opt for Elegance
Set against classic blue grasscloth wallpaper and white trim, the soft blue curtains in this room by designer Heather Hilliard add elegance. The floral sofa and the green lucite coffee table are reminiscent of the California home's natural surroundings.
Try a Texture
Cream curtains with fringe trim make the living room in this Bahamian home by designer Matthew Carter feel extra cozy. The pale pink walls in Benjamin Moore’s Precocious and botanical prints boost the room's tropical yet elegant atmosphere.
Pack a Punch
Make a bold statement with bright orange curtains and patterned trim, like the ones hanging in this room by that Chenault James designed for House Beautiful's Whole Home in 2019.
Calm Your Space
Light gray curtains make the perfect backdrop for a living room filled with sleek furniture and sprinkled with metallic and velvet accents. Add a bit of checkered trim on either end of the curtains for a distinctive touch.
Create High Contrast
Dreamt up by designer Thom Filicia, this room features black curtains with a cream trim along the bottom. This helps create a moody, modern look in any space.
Try Color Blocking
If you're having a hard time deciding between two curtain colors, why not try both? A color block design allows you to feature one main color and another as a smaller border along the top or bottom, like this subtle option with neutrals in a small living room designed by Studio DB.
Go Monochrome
Make a subtle impact on your living room with curtains that match the color of your walls, as designer Phillip Thomas did in this Upper East Side apartment. The bright red curtains perfectly match the walls painted in Benjamin Moore's Ladybug Red with a high-gloss finish, giving them a slight softness.
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