Matching Curtain Inspiration

When Matching Curtains, What Do You Match To?

DIY Blogger Stefanie Schiada of Brooklyn Limestone tells Glidden^® how to pull it all together with your window treatments, no matter what your style.

The topic of matching curtains to your decor may seem like a trivial decision but when you consider the sheer expense of window treatments, it’s one that causes a bit of stress for many homeowners. That would explain why this is one of the more popular topics in home decor and on the list of questions I get a lot. So how exactly do you decide to go about picking out your draperies? There are essentially 3 ways to go.

Glidden paint on wall

Match Your Walls

Choose a shade similar to your walls. This option is the least visually intrusive so it works well when you absolutely love your wall paint color, when you have a lot of other competing visual elements in your room that you don’t want to upstage, or if you just want a serene, monochromatic look in your decor. This option seems to be the most overlooked because the idea of matching your wall color may come across as too “matchy-matchy,” but when done correctly it is a perfect, elegant solution. The downside of this approach is that if you decide to repaint your walls later on, you may need to replace your curtains.

Neutral Complements

Select a print or solid color in a neutral palette that will be versatile enough to work with a variety of wall colors. This is the most popular approach, which explains why beige curtains are so prevalent. This is certainly the safest bet and likely also the cheapest in that you can find a variety of affordable ready-made options. While this isn’t as seamless of a look as matching your wall paint color, it’s still a very attractive choice when you want to leave your options open. The downside is that this look can come across as bland. You can offset this by adding simple embellishments to your draperies via ribbon trim or hand painted details.

Strong Contrast

The last and most bold approach is to use a bright pattern or color to contrast your walls. It certainly makes the biggest visual statement so it works well in smaller spaces where you only need one or two curtains to act as a centerpiece. You would want to save this approach for a pattern or color you really love and can live with day in and day out.

Still not certain about which option to pursue? What kind of room are you hoping to make? How much visual weight do you want to give to the curtains? How much of your budget are you willing to devote to them? The answers to those questions along with the 3 categories above should help in making the selection of your matching curtains a little easier.