Design Tip: How High to Hang Curtains

September 17, 2019

Today’s Design Tip: How High to Hang Curtains piggybacks on my previous tip: How High to Hang Art. Once again it’s something I see done incorrectly so often, yet it’s really quite simple. And once again it’s a numbers game.

When it comes to how high to hang your curtain rod, a good rule of thumb is 2/3 of the distance between the top of the window and the ceiling. This creates the illusion of height. In rooms with standard 8′ ceilings, that can mean mounting the rod at the ceiling, which is perfectly fine!

For the width, 8-12″ beyond the window casing on either side helps to create the illusion of a larger window. And lastly, for the length, I like to run curtains so that they just kiss the floor. But this isn’t a hard and fast rule, if you prefer the casual look of curtains that pool at the floor, that’s totally cool. Just so long as they aren’t too short, you can play with the length for the exact look you’re going for.