How to Hang Curtains: A Professional Fitter’s Guide

Curtains can make a ceiling look taller, a window look wider and a room feel finished, or do the exact opposite. It comes down to a few measurements most people get wrong. Our designers specify curtains as part of nearly every room scheme, so these are the rules we work to on real projects. And for the fitting detail, we asked Nancy Panther, who runs a family curtain business called Panthers Puurfections in Kingston, Surrey with her husband, covering London and Surrey for 30 years and trusted with many of our own clients‘ homes.

How Do You Hang Curtains Properly?

Hang curtains high and wide: fix the pole around 15cm above the window frame and extend it 15 to 20cm past each side, so the curtains clear the glass when open and the window looks taller and wider. Curtains should reach the floor and be two to two and a half times the pole width for a full, gathered look. Get the height, the width and the fullness right and even a mid-price fabric looks expensive.

Here is how to hang curtains the right way: how high, how wide, how to measure, and the details only a professional knows. When a scheme calls for curtains, our designers specify them as part of the room, so this is the advice we give our own clients, backed by a fitter who has hung them for three decades.

How High Should You Hang Curtains?

Hang curtains around 15cm above the window frame, and higher still if the ceiling allows, up to halfway between the frame and the ceiling on a standard 2.4m ceiling, or two thirds of the way up on a high one. Hanging high makes the window look taller and the wall better proportioned.

Fix the pole or track above the window, never on it. As a guide, position it around 15cm above the top of the frame, and higher if the ceiling allows. On a standard 2.4m ceiling, aim for the midpoint between frame and ceiling. With a high ceiling, go up to two thirds of the way, which keeps the wall in proportion. Where a window sits tight to the ceiling, mount as close to it as you can, or use a ceiling-fixed track.

In our projects, we almost always specify ceiling-mounted tracks in rooms with low ceilings because they visually add height without changing the room itself.

From our designers: one of the first things we notice when redesigning a room is that the curtain pole has been fitted just above the window frame. It is a small detail, but moving it higher often changes the proportions of the room without changing anything else. It is one of the simplest updates we recommend to clients who want their space to feel taller and more balanced.

Hanging high draws the eye upward and makes the whole wall feel taller. Fixing the pole just above the frame is the most common mistake in British homes, and it quietly shrinks the room. The fix costs nothing: the same curtains, fixed 15cm higher, change the proportions of the entire wall.

How Wide Should a Curtain Pole Be?

A curtain pole should extend 15 to 20cm past the window frame on each side, so the curtains sit against the wall when open and clear the glass. The pole needs to be wider than the window so the curtains sit against the wall when open, not across the glass. Extend it 15 to 20cm past the frame on each side. When the curtains are drawn back, the inner edge of each should just cover the edge of the frame, no more, so the glass is clear and the full width of daylight comes in. It also makes the window look larger than it is.

One detail the measurement guides miss: the finials, the decorative ends, sit outside that span, so measure the full pole length including them before you order, especially when fitting between two alcoves where every centimetre counts.

In smaller UK homes, we often find people choose a pole that is exactly the width of the window. Extending it past the frame makes a surprising difference, allowing more natural light into the room and making the window appear larger than it really is.

How Do You Measure for Curtains?

Fix the pole first, then measure the width along the full pole between the finials, and the drop from the top of the pole (eyelet) or the bottom of the rings (pencil and pinch pleat) down to the hem. Measuring before the pole is up is why so many curtains end up the wrong length.

Fix the pole first, then measure for the curtains. Doing it the other way round is why so many curtains end up the wrong drop.

Measure the width along the full pole between the finials. For the drop, measure from the top of the pole for eyelet curtains, or from the bottom of the rings for pencil and pinch pleat headings, down to where you want the hem. Take the drop in three places across the window, because floors are rarely level, and in a period home they almost never are. Use the longest of the three.

How Long Should Curtains Be?

In a main room, curtains should reach the floor, either floating 1cm above it, kissing it, or puddling slightly. Sill length is for kitchens, bathrooms and windows above a radiator. Where the hem falls changes the whole feel of the room, and there are four standard choices.

• Float – hem 1cm above the floor. The cleanest, most practical finish, and the right call for any room where the curtains are opened every day.
• Kiss – hem just brushing the floor. The crisp, made to measure look, but it needs accurate measuring and a level floor, so it is the least forgiving.
• Puddle – 2 to 15cm of fabric pooling on the floor. Soft and generous, for bedrooms and formal rooms where the curtains rarely move. Keep it under about 15cm or it reads as a mistake rather than a choice.
• Sill length – 1cm above the sill. For kitchens, bathrooms, and any window sitting above a radiator or a run of units.

How Full Should Curtains Be?

Curtains should be two to two and a half times the pole width for a gathered heading like pencil or pinch pleat, and one and a half to two times for eyelets. Fullness is the biggest reason curtains look cheap, and it has nothing to do with the price of the fabric. The curtains must be far wider than the pole.

For gathered headings like pencil pleat, you want fabric two to two and a half times the pole width. For eyelets, one and a half to two times. Buy a curtain the same width as your pole and it will hang flat and mean, like a bedsheet pinned to the wall, no matter how good the fabric.

This is probably the biggest mistake we see when clients ask us to refresh a room without replacing everything. Even expensive curtains can look underwhelming if there is simply not enough fabric. Increasing the fullness often has a bigger impact than choosing a more expensive material.

How Do You Make Curtains Look Expensive?

Make curtains look expensive by hanging the pole high, letting the curtains reach the floor, and using enough fabric, two to two and a half times the pole width, so they gather into full folds. The hanging matters far more than the price of the fabric. Three things do most of the work.

First, height. Hang the pole high, close to the ceiling rather than just above the frame, so the curtains draw the eye up and the window looks taller. Second, length. Curtains should reach the floor, either just kissing it or breaking very slightly. Curtains that stop short, hovering above the floor or sitting on the sill in a room where they should be full length, are the single biggest giveaway of a cheap finish. Third, fullness. Skimpy curtains that barely cover the window when closed look mean. Generous curtains that gather into full, even folds look rich, even in an inexpensive fabric.

Nancy’s view, after thirty years of fitting them, is that a mid-price fabric hung properly will always look better than an expensive one hung badly. Get the height, the length and the fullness right and the room does the rest. It is the same principle our designers apply when a scheme includes curtains, whether in a living room or a bedroom: they are measured to the architecture, not bought to fit the window.

Many homeowners assume expensive fabric is what creates a luxurious look. In reality, we would almost always prioritise the hanging, the track and the fullness first. Get those right and even a mid-range fabric can look beautifully tailored.

Common Curtain Mistakes to Avoid

Most curtain problems come down to the same handful of errors, and they are all avoidable. These are the ones our designers see most often in homes before we restyle a room. The good news is that most do not require buying new curtains. Often, repositioning the pole or adjusting the drop is enough to completely change how the room feels.

Hanging too low – fixing the pole just above the window frame makes the ceiling feel lower and the window smaller. Go higher, halfway between frame and ceiling, or right up to the ceiling on a track.

Curtains too short – anything that stops above the floor in a main room looks unfinished. Full length, reaching the floor, is the rule unless there is a radiator or a deep sill really in the way.

Too narrow – curtains need to be wider than the window so they gather properly when open and cover fully when closed. As a rule the pole should extend 15 to 20cm past the frame on each side, and the curtains should be around two to two and a half times the pole width for a gathered heading.

Skimping on the track – a flimsy plastic track on a heavy curtain sags and sticks. Nancy always fits a metal track or a proper pole, because the hardware is what makes a curtain run smoothly for years rather than months.

The wrong lining, or none – unlined curtains look thin and let in light at the edges. The right lining gives a curtain its weight, its hang and its insulation, and it is worth the small extra cost.

Which Curtain Heading Is Best?

The heading is the way the fabric gathers at the top, and it sets the whole look. Fashions here move more than people expect.

“Years ago a rouche heading was all the rage,” says Nancy Panther. “Now we tend to do predominantly pinch pleat, double or triple, or a pencil pleat heading.”

The three headings you will choose between in most homes are pinch pleat, pencil pleat and eyelet. Here is how the three compare, including the fullness each one needs, which is the number to have in hand before you order.

Pinch pleat gives a structured, sharp finish and is what most designers reach for now. Pencil pleat is the softer, traditional gather. Both suit far more rooms than the fussier headings of twenty years ago, useful to know if you are following older advice or an inherited pelmet.

Do Not Cheap Out on the Track

Here is something no other guide will tell you, because you only learn it from fitting curtains for decades. The track or pole is where a professional job quietly shows.

“A big indicator that curtains haven’t been done professionally is when the heading looks wonky, the curtain hooks don’t run or pull properly, and plastic curtain tracks have been used,” Nancy says. “We only supply and install metal to avoid this.”

And one upgrade almost no homeowner asks for:

“We would recommend a corded track rather than uncorded, to reduce wear and tear on the curtains when they are opened and closed.”

A corded track means you pull a cord instead of grabbing the fabric every time, so the leading edge stays clean and the curtains last years longer. On curtains you have paid for, it pays for itself.

What Curtain Lining Should You Choose?

Lining decides how a curtain hangs, how dark a room goes and how warm it feels, and it is not one size fits all.

“We predominantly use blackout lining in bedrooms,” Nancy says, “and no, not black in colour, but white and cream. And standard lining in living areas.”

That catches people out. Blackout describes how the lining performs, not its colour, so your curtains keep their proper shade while the room stays dark. For a living room, a standard lining usually does the job. Where a bedroom scheme includes curtains, lining is one of the details we settle early, because it affects sleep, warmth and how the whole room feels.

Interlining, a soft extra layer between fabric and lining, is the upgrade worth understanding.

“Interlining isn’t needed in every situation,” Nancy says, “but it can be very beneficial with fabrics that need a bit more body or fullness, such as silks. It also adds insulation, so it gives the room warmth, literally.”

So interlining does two jobs at once: it gives thinner fabrics a fuller, more expensive drape, and it makes a draughty room noticeably warmer. On an old single-glazed window, that is not a luxury, it is the difference between using the room in winter or not.

Layering Sheers and Blackout Curtains

If you want both privacy in the day and darkness at night, you layer two curtains on a double track: a sheer at the front nearest the window, and a heavier blackout or lined curtain behind it, closer to the room. The sheer sits in front so it filters light and gives daytime privacy on its own, while the blackout curtain pulls across at night. Hanging them the other way round, with the heavy curtain in front, means you cannot use the sheer alone during the day, which defeats the point.

A double pole or a double track makes this straightforward. Nancy fits a lot of these for clients who want a hotel-like feel in a bedroom, and her advice is to keep the sheer generous, the same fullness as the main curtain, so it still looks soft and full when it is the only layer drawn.

Made to Measure or Ready Made?

Made to measure still wins on fit, particularly for awkward windows or non-standard drops. But a good ready made curtain is no longer the compromise it once was, so if the budget is tight or the window is a standard size, it is a sensible place to save. Spend the saving on the lining and the track instead, where it shows more.

“We generally supply made to measure, as they tend to hang and fit better,” Nancy says, “but within the last few years ready mades have greatly improved.”

Renter-Friendly Curtain Hanging

If you are renting and cannot drill into the wall, you still have options. Tension rods work inside a window recess for lighter curtains and sheers, with no fixings at all. For heavier curtains, adhesive curtain brackets that take a pole without screws have improved a lot and hold reasonable weights, though check the limit before you trust them with lined curtains. And if you can make small fixings and fill them later, a few wall plugs and a proper pole, with the holes refilled when you leave, is usually within what most tenancies allow. The look is the same as a permanent fitting; it is only the fixing that differs.

Difficult Windows, and What to Do

Some windows fight you. A radiator under the window is the usual one: full length curtains over a radiator funnel the heat out through the glass, so either go sill length above it, or fit a blind in the recess with dress curtains either side that never close across the radiator.

Older homes bring their own trouble, as Nancy knows after thirty years of them.

“Problems arise where tracks have been fitted in the same spot a number of times and the holes have been filled in again and again, so it is hard to get a fixing,” she says. “Or where there is a steel lintel and it is difficult to drill. But most scenarios can be solved, especially with a professional.”

If you are choosing between treatments before you get to hanging them, our guide to choosing the right window treatments and our window dressing ideas for every room cover that decision room by room.

Where to Spend First

If you cannot do every window at once, there is a sensible order.

“As a rule, living areas and the main bedroom come first,” Nancy says, “then the additional bedrooms.”

Dress the rooms you live in and wake up in first; the spare room can wait. And if you are nervous about fabric, a plain quality curtain in the right fullness almost always looks more expensive than a busy pattern, and you will not tire of it. You can see how curtains finish a scheme in our recent interior design projects.

The Curtains Are One Piece of the Room

Window treatments work best as part of a whole scheme, where the layout, the light and every finish are decided together rather than one at a time. That is what our interior design process covers, down to the curtains, through our online interior design services for homes across the UK.

Want a room where every detail is handled for you? Explore our online interior design service and work with our team.