Bedroom curtains serve three primary purposes: blocking light for quality sleep, enabling privacy, and looking good while doing it. While most curtains do these things effortlessly, looking good becomes hard sometimes. This has a lot to do with the length of the curtains.
Can bedroom curtains be short? Most designers recommend longer curtains for a more elegant look. However, there are ways to pull off short bedroom curtains:
- Get the best fabric.
- Measure correctly.
- Choose the right print.
- Push the curtains to the side instead of using tiebacks.
- Use two curtain panels.
So, if short curtains aren’t as appealing as long curtains, how can you feature them attractively with your bedroom decor? In this article, you’ll check out the length options for bedroom curtains and learn how to make it work with shorter curtains.
Table of Contents
How to Pull Off Short Bedroom Curtains
Can bedroom curtains be short? Definitely – if you consider the following design ideas. They are quite challenging to work with, but you can turn your bedroom to a casual but chic space with proper handling.
Get the Best Fabric
Bedroom curtains aren’t the same as those you use in your kitchen and bathroom. Therefore, you need to look for fabric that can maintain a straight posture and not a loose material that will be ruthlessly be blown around. Instead of a see-through material that can compromise bedroom privacy, go for more solid, opaque materials.
The best fabric for short bedroom curtains includes:
- Polyester
- Brocade
- Heavy silk
- Cotton
- Linen
Measure Correctly
Short curtains look great when they are almost touching the window sill or extending right beneath the apron. This, of course, cannot be managed if you don’t measure your windows accurately before choosing curtains. So, your curtains may end up looking like they were meant to be longer or shorter, which is one of the biggest curtain design mistakes you can make.
Here’s how to take measurements for curtains:
- Take a measuring tape, preferably the steel type, for accurate measurements.
- Measure the height of your window from the position of your curtain rod to the sill or apron.
- Then, measure the length of your curtain rod.
- Use those measurements when buying the curtains making sure to include the height of the fabric and the rings (in the case of pinch pleats) when matching it to the desired height in step 2.
- Add some inches to the length of the rod and pick a curtain of that length.
Choose the Right Print
One of the main advantages of short curtains is that they allow you to be bold with various prints. After all, you’re going for a casual look that fits the room. But that’s where the problem arises when you confuse the particular bedroom each print can fit in. There’s a difference between a short curtain for a kids’ room and that of a master bedroom.
Often, plain colored short curtains fit adult bedrooms more than those with prints. They are casual yet elegant. A kid’s room, on the other hand, can handle a variety of prints since it’s supposed to bring a playful aura.
Push the Curtains to the Side Instead of Using Tiebacks
Tiebacks slightly shorten curtains. This is why they don’t work well with short bedroom curtains. Since shorter curtains form a small bundle when compacted, they look less appealing with the use of tiebacks.
So, if you want to pull off short bedroom curtains, push them to the side instead of tying them. This way, they’ll look elegant when clustered together in prominent folds.
Use Two Curtain Panels
Short bedroom curtains look classy when they’re paired. This is especially true for bedrooms since you don’t want your windows curtain design to look like that of your bathroom or kitchen.
Moreover, a single curtain would be rather long so that when tied, it can form a flowing shape to the floor. If you want short curtains to work in your bedroom, use two of them so that you can open them by sliding them to each side.
Standard Length Options for Bedroom Curtains
Since windows and walls differ in height, we can’t divide curtain length options according to inches. The best way to make you understand the options you have is by using the general characteristics of many bedroom windows. Here are bedroom curtain length options you can consider:
Window Sill
This length option can also be referred to as the sill length, falling into the short curtain category. Hanging less than an inch above the window sill, this curtain length brings a casual yet charming look to a bedroom.
Sill bedroom curtains are a perfect fit if:
- You have a radiator or another appliance that needs to be kept away from the fabric.
- A desk or other furniture that wastes full drapes.
- You have kids and pets who keep playing with long drapes.
- The window comes close to the floor.
- You’re using them in a kid’s bedroom.
- You are in a dusty area, and the long curtains would be a nuisance.
- You simply love the sill curtain look.
There could be more reasons why you may need window sill curtains, so if longer curtains aren’t practical in your case, stick to window sill curtains.
Apron
These curtains also fall under the short curtain category. Apron curtains hang below or right on top of the window apron. They were popular some decades ago, and they have the same benefits as the sill curtains. However, since they seem long only to be cut short way above the floor, it’s easy for them to look like a design flaw.
Almost to The Floor
Some people like to call them floor curtains since they stop half an inch above the floor at most. They are commonly used today and for a good reason.
With these bedroom curtains, you achieve the high ceiling look. Besides, they don’t touch the floor, so gathering dust and dirt would be unlikely. Even better, they hang straight, bringing that formal and classy look many people desire.
However, as we mentioned earlier, kids can mess around with these curtains by grabbing and pulling. Moreover, some people end up disliking them, especially if the overall bedroom decor looks formal, and the curtains add too much formality.
Trouser
If you want your bedroom to look more sophisticated in a semi-formal manner, trouser curtains should be your go-to curtains. These long drapes commonly leave up to two inches of fabric to drag once they hit the floor. This forms a foot-length trouser look, hence the name.
The trouser curtains work perfectly with heavy yet soft fabrics. This length option, however, comes with the obvious disadvantage of collecting dirt.
Puddle
Puddle curtains are for the romantics who desire a luxurious lazy flow of the curtains once they hit the floor. They can extend from three to ten inches onto the floor. They are meant to make a statement, especially when coupled with high windows.
From modern decor to classic bedroom decor, puddle curtains can fit. They are the best for covering ugly windows and increasing warmth in a bedroom. But they come with a catch. That folding on the floor can gather everything from dust to pet hair in no time.
Are Short Bedroom Curtains Worth It?
If you have explored your reasons for having short bedroom curtains and they make sense to you, they’re worth it. Also, considering them and dismissing the idea can leave you wondering how they could have looked. Due to the minimal fabric used, they aren’t as costly as the longer counterparts so that you can cheaply give them a try.