5 Ways to Customise your Curtains

With Christmas now a memory and the January blues firmly setting in, changing the decor in your home is a great way to cheer yourself up. A DIY project not only keeps you busy, it helps you look at your space in a new way.

Here are some tips on simple ways to customise your curtains and revitalise your life.

Dip Dye

If you’ve come across the word ombré, you’ll know it’s a hair and home decor trend involving graduated tones of delicious colour. Buying a pair of ombré curtains can be expensive, but it’s not that difficult to make your own by dip dying a plain fabric. The trick is to gradually lower more of the curtain into the dye over time, so you have a deep colour at the bottom that gradually fades out. Or alternatively, dye strips of fabric in a range of slightly different tones and sew them together.

Stencilling

Stencilling is another great way of jazzing up plain curtains. You can either buy stencils from a craft store, or make some yourself using stiff card and a sharp craft knife. Then simply fix the stencil in place with masking tape, and stipple paint onto the design with a sponge or brush. Make sure you use a paint and medium that’s suitable for fabrics though, so you can be sure they will be washable.

Finials and Midials

As well as the curtains themselves, you can customise your curtain poles with finials and midials. These are elements that fit onto the end or middle of the pole to add a little more style to the mix, and there are lots of different designs available. Choose from natural materials like bamboo and wood, or finish the rod with a sparkling crystal or metallic orb.

Appliqué and Embroidery

Appliqué is just a posh word for sewing cut out pieces of fabric onto something. With curtains, that could mean long strips and blocks, or smaller, more detailed shapes. Simple designs can be very effective. Wide, horizontal stripes are great for curtains, or you could attach chevrons and triangles for a more tribal look.

Embroidered curtains are all the rage as well, but readymade versions can be extremely expensive. If you have the time to do it yourself, embroidering curtains can make them extra special. Birds and flowers are particular favourites.

A New Curtain Track or Pole

If you love your curtains but feel like there’s still something missing, it’s probably the curtain pole that’s to blame. Old designs can look dated these days, or you might have a cheap corded version that’s never worked properly. A new pole is a great way to quickly update a room, and allows you to hang the curtains higher and wider for a more dramatic effect. You could even go for a corded or motorised version for the ultimate in luxury.

If you’re looking to update a room in your house, take a peek at the website for our range of curtain tracks, poles and accessories. With quality designs from the likes of Silent Gliss, you can’t go wrong.

Image courtesy of Hey Love (Flickr)