If there's crown molding between your wall and ceiling, where should you put your curtain rod so you can hang your curtains? This is what we'll talk about today. We asked the experts' advice and we're sharing it with you.
Hang your curtains right below the crown molding or up to 3 inches below it. Measure the distance of the floor to the curtain rod so that you can buy the correct curtain length to achieve the floor-to-ceiling look.
Keep on reading to know more about the proper way of hanging your curtains when you have crown molding in your room. This article will also answer if you should hang curtains to the ceiling and give you tips on how to make your curtains look good when they are closed. Let's get right into it!
How close should the curtain rod be to crown molding?
Crown moldings are lovely embellishments on your wall. They are used to give your room a polished look where there are transitions between the wall and ceiling or floor. These decorative moldings can cover imperfections if there are any.
They can be made of wood, plaster, or polyurethane foam and they come in different shapes, designs, and patterns ranging from simple to ornate.
But having these moldings installed on your wall means that it won't be even as you'll have these protrusions above.
Thus, when you mount your curtain rods, they might get in the way. That's why you need to place the rods strategically so that you can still hang your floor-to-ceiling curtains properly and beautifully.
Experts recommend that you mount the curtain rods immediately below the crown molding or up to 3 inches below it.
This way, the decorative crown moldings will still be displayed and won't get in the way when you hang your curtains. It allows the fabric to fall fully and gracefully as a fitting background for your room.
Hanging Floor to Ceiling Curtains
The next thing you have to do is to measure the distance from the rod to the floor so that you can purchase the appropriate curtain length. You have three options on how the curtains will drop to the floor.
- Float. Your curtain can fall 1/2 to 1-inch above the floor.
- Break. The curtain seems like it is kissing the floor.
- Puddle. Add 3 or 6 inches to your measurement so that the extra fabric will form a puddle on the floor.
Hanging your curtains from the ceiling all the way to the floor makes your room look bigger and taller so go ahead and do it. It also follows the current interior design trend of having long curtains in homes.
Plus you still get to flaunt your lovely crown moldings to add to the overall charm of the room so it's a win-win from all angles.
Should you hang curtains on the ceiling?
Curtains, aside from their functionality, are used to enhance the look of a given room. Indeed, they can change how a room looks and feels with the interplay of colors, design, and texture.
There are no definite rules to follow when hanging curtains. But homeowners tend to follow interior designers' advice and recommendations so that their homes would look like they also came out of the pages of a home magazine.
In other words, they follow fashion trends, and nowadays, hanging curtains from the ceiling is one of the preferred ways of styling homes.
This makes the room look taller since the eyes are drawn all the way to the ceiling. This is especially helpful for homes with a low ceiling. Hanging the curtains this way gives the illusion of space and visually stretches the windows and makes the room look bigger.
Rooms with High Ceiling
However, for homes with a high ceiling or rooms with a height of 9 feet and above, it would be awkward (and impractical) to hang the curtains so high up. Just imagine the amount of fabric you would need to cover that space!
When you pull the curtains to the side, it would reveal that there's a vast space between the window and ceiling. This will further dwarf the look of the window. In this case, it is recommended that you mount the curtain rod 8 inches above the window frame at most.
But if you have tall windows that stretch to the ceiling, you can mount the curtain rod on the ceiling itself since there's probably not enough room between the window and ceiling anyway. There are mounting brackets specifically made for this.
How do you make curtains look good when closed?
We close our curtains when we want to block out the light coming from the sun, when we want some privacy, or when we want to prevent drafts during chilly weather. But hanging them this way makes them the focal point of the room.
Their length, color, and design can easily capture one's attention. In other words, it can make or break the look of a room which is why it is important to know how to make your curtains look good when they are closed.
Here are different ways to achieve this.
Hang Them Properly
We're talking about their length and width. As mentioned earlier, it's best to go with floor-length curtains to give a contemporary feel to your home.
So now, let's talk about the right width. Beautiful draperies have fullness in them so don't skimp on the fabric.
As a guide, experts say that the combined width of the standard curtains that you're going to use should be 2 to 2.5 times the width of the window. This way, when the curtains are closed, they would hang luxuriously against the wall.
You can see them evenly folded or pleated and not stretched out thinly.
But if you have French pleats, tailored-pleat style, and ripple fold style curtains, you can just buy the width that fits the length of your curtain rod. These curtain styles already have built-in fullness in them so you can achieve the ample look without the added measurement.
Find these pleated curtains on Amazon.
Weigh Them Down
Sometimes it is hard to keep the curtains in place, especially when the curtains are made of light fabric. This means that you won't be able to flaunt them in their fullness. This can even make your room look messy or disorganized.
To attain a clean look, you can put added weights on the bottom of your curtains so that they will stay down. You can sew the flat weights into the corners of the curtain panels to make them stay in place.
Check out these magnetic curtain weights on Amazon.
Keep Them Closed
Another area that you need to take note of is those gaps in between panels. If they aren't tightly shut, light and drafts would still be able to pass through these spaces. It also doesn't look good since it doesn't look solid.
You can attach hook and loop adhesive tape, clips, or magnets along their seams, evenly spaced from the top to the bottom, so that you can keep the curtains together.
Click this link to find this hook & loop adhesive tape on Amazon.
Follow these tips to show off the beauty and elegance of your room curtains especially when they are closed.
Final Thoughts
Hang the curtains just below the crown molding so you can achieve the luxurious look of floor-to-ceiling curtains.