Windows could always benefit from a bit of fabric, but while we torture ourselves over the pattern and wrinkles, we very rarely ask ourselves another important question: Should curtains be long or short?
Not too long ago I would have died on the hill that your curtains should touch the ground. Short curtains, or I thought, were reserved for café styles and instead of cabinet doors. But when I asked interior designers about the debate about the long against short curtains, the answers came back more divided than I expected. While the interior designer Bradie Fisher says: “Nine out of ten, long curtains are the right way,” says Sophie Rowell, founder of Côte de Folk, “in short – every time.”
So should your curtains touch the ground? Or make short curtains a long -awaited comeback? Or were you all the time in “in”? Below I go on the bottom of the long against short curtain air and find out what works best and where.
When to use long curtains
“Long curtains don't have to be expensive, but they Do I have to be long enough (kiss the floor), “says Bradie.
(Photo credit: Nicole Franzen. Design: Jessica Gersten)
It is no secret that curtain trends almost always prefer a long, dramatic drape. Something on a light pool of the fabric only screams luxury – I don't make the rules. This means that there are certain ways to get involved in longer lengths.
For example, the interior designer Bradie Fisher says: “A long length will always increase a room immediately, the blankets feel larger and bring a polished, finished look into the room.” So if you want to increase the drama, long curtain panels pull your eye up and emphasize the size of the room.
The interior design based in Virginia, Cathleen Gruver, adds: “They are particularly effective in rooms with larger ceilings or as a curtain idea for large windows, which contributes to creating a feeling of size and stretching.” You can also “stretch” a room, which it feels bigger and more expansive.
From a functional point of view, full length curtains offer better acoustic damping in the signifier in rooms with hardwood or tile floors and improved insulation.
It all depends on what your space needs and of course your taste. “Even if the window is short, I will still put the curtain onto the floor,” says Bradie. “It is an easy way to prevent the balance and prevent things from feeling chopped off.”
Bradie has completed over ten years with a degree in printing and graphic design. On the whole way, Bradie's true love was always at home design and decoration. Since then she has created Bradie Fisher Interiors, one in Franklin, Tennessee, local interior design.
anthropology
Woven semi-army cotton plaid curtain
A bold pattern on a long curtain length ensures a chic statement in every room.
Next
White washed cotton linen hidden tab -top curtains for the hidden tab
The best way to make long curtains is to easily bundle them on the floor. These curtains from the next are about six feet long and have either a hidden tab top or an eyelet top.
Secret linen business
Butterflowers 100% linen loop top curtain
Linen is a great material to keep long -lasting curtains light and airy. The Secret Linen Store offers over 10 different colors, but this butter yellow feels like this in 2025.
When to use short curtains
Short curtains can also be a certain design selection, e.g. B. how this bedroom used curtains in a brave, visual way.
(Photo credit: NGoc Minh NGO. Design: Avery Cox)
But with all the dramatic attraction that long curtains promise, what space remains for short curtains indoors?
As a rule, short curtains refer to the French Café curtain style, which mainly hangs in small windows in kitchens, bathing rooms or breakfast corners – wherever you want a bit of privacy, but still need natural light. Or you can choose short curtains in rooms in which fields in full length simply do not make sense, as if there is a built -in bank, a cooler or other architectural function under the window.
However, this type of curtain does not have to be saved for practical purposes. Cathleen says: “Short curtains make a quiet comeback in interior designers, but in one very specific path. “
“I love to see short café curtains that lay in unexpected places above the eye, such as in formal dining rooms or bedrooms, which give softness and privacy without covering too much natural light,” adds Cathleen.
If it is well done, short curtains can feel nostalgic and even slightly European. But scaling and placement are the key. “If there is no architectural or functional reason for you, you will almost always look like a mistake,” says Cathleen.
Cathleen has her MA in interior design from Marymount University, where she worked as an extraordinary professor. She received Asids “Ones to Watch” Award and NKBAS prestigious “30 under 30 award”. Her thesis received the best award for her research and her evidence -based design. She received several Chrysalis Awards from Qualified conversion And Kitchen and bathroom design messages. It was presented in The Washington Post And Forbes.
anthropology
Mindra striped cotton café curtains, 2 -set of 2
Café curtains are the easiest way to include short curtains without being afraid of dating them with their space. This striped set of anthropology is a timeless model selection.
John Lewis
Cotton strip flop via Voile panel in Kitt
This curtain measures just over four feet and is the perfect short curtain length for most high windows. The fold-over field above adds exactly the right amount of ruffles.
anthropology
Cafe Cafe Cartain from Cotton Weber Strip, 2 -set of 2
Anthropology has a number of café curtains to choose from, and this Sage Green Plaid pattern is a subtle way to give your space both texture and color.
The interior designer Sophie Rowell, founder of Côte de Folk, says: “From the point of view of the materials, shorter curtains require less fabric, which makes it easier to invest in her dream textile without excessive expenses,” she adds. “And they have a quiet nostalgia, an echo of the clean, targeted styling in the 80s and 90s.”
(Credit picture: Chris Snook. Design: Folk Coast)
The long and short curtains debate depends on the fact that different curve styles have different purposes and aesthetics. Where short curtains usually feel unique and playful, long curtains tend to give a room elegance and drama.
“It's all about styling and styling and sure that you feel intended, not like a hurry,” says Bradie.