Feature article
How curtains can elevate your space and your life
Curtains enhance your interiors and serve practical purposes, improving design and contributing to wellbeing.
26 September 2024
The following are a few ways in which you can use curtains to elevate your spaces to create beautiful interiors that are also practical.
The Sheer Curtain
First and foremost, curtains are designed to provide a level of privacy. Sheer curtains are a great way of achieving this while also maintaining high levels of light and cutting down on glare, such as can be seen in this project by Karen Kelly Interior Design (KKID).
The light-filtering effect of sheer curtains creates a more even balance of light, which in turns enhances the sense of spaciousness, particularly important in open-plan spaces.
The Layered Curtain
Neutral curtains and modern furniture bring elegance to this cozy living space.
While sheers will afford you some level of privacy during the day, at night, you may need curtains of a heavier fabric. A good option for getting the best of both worlds is to go with a dual-curtain solution. This allows you to layer two different kinds of curtains — sheers and block-out, for example — so that you can alternated between which set of curtains is best suited to the situation at hand.
When it comes to hanging layered curtains, look to install them as close to the ceiling as possible, and use either a valance or a flush-fit track to minimise any bulk. This will have the double benefit of making your windows appear larger and your ceilings higher. This effect is particularly successful in this project by Kanat Studio.
The acoustic curtain
Soft curtains and guitars create a cozy music corner with a Fender amp.
While getting the aesthetics of any room right is the end goal of any interior design scheme, as mentioned, curtains can also have a number of practical applications. This first of these is sound dampening.
While many of us enjoy the vibrancy of an inner-city lifestyle, noise pollution is an unfortunate side-effect of a bustling urban environment, and unwanted sound can be a major disruptor to the enjoyment of our day-to-day lives.
That’s where quality curtains constructed from thick, dense fabrics can help to muffle noise by acting as sound barriers and absorbers resulting in a more peaceful interior environment — particularly beneficial for bedrooms and spaces where concentration or relaxation is a goal.
And it’s not just external noise that can be an issue, as seen in the music room of this house by Hulena Architects, acoustic curtains allow the resident musician to ‘rock out’ while the rest of the family enjoys a quieter existence.
The Dividing Wall Curtain
A dark curtain divides this wood-paneled home, revealing a private reading nook.
Perhaps in a past, more bohemian life, you channelled your inner hippy and installed a beaded curtain across an open doorway. Well, as it turns out that wasn’t such a ‘far out’ thing to do, in fact, architect Michael O’Sullivan is a proud proponent of the curtain wall as a dividing element, such as has been employed to great effect in this house by Bull O’Sullivan Architects.
Says the architect: “Doors just take up too much space. And they make a horrible noise when they close or somebody shuts them in anger. It’s just dreadful for the whole essence of the home. And, if it’s a family home, then nobody needs to hear that sort of stuff. Curtains are a much more graceful thing to move through spaces with.”
Author
Clare has spent the last 16 years working across Australasia as a journalist, editor and writer. Her work has appeared in books and publications around the world. Clare has led editorial teams for numerous architecture and design publications. In 2020, she was appointed Editor in Chief of HOME magazine, before taking the helm as publisher in 2023.
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