A beautiful backdrop: Using a full-length curtain from East London Cloth
The latest way with curtain fabric involves anything but window dressing.
Think skirts under the sink in kitchens and bathrooms, pretty bed drapes and valances — and even room dividers.
Here are just a few ways to spin the look.
ISLAND LIFE
Though we often associate elegant fabrics with soft furnishings like cushions or window treatments, there’s plenty of scope to use them in more creative ways.
In pantries, utilities and boot rooms, under-counter fabric skirts are an excellent and affordable alternative to fitted door fronts, often softening the look of joinery, while adding a pop of colour.
If you’re handy, simply thread some cafe curtains through a tension rod.
Brass rods are a smart alternative and work brilliantly for kitchen islands, too.
GET THE HANG OF IT
Consider curtains as bed drapes, whether you are going for a full four-poster look or a pared back half-tester, with a canopy which only covers the headboard.
‘We often use curtain treatments in children’s bedrooms,’ says interior designer Lara Clarke (laraclarkeinteriors.com). ‘We’ll dress a bed nook with them, or add a ceiling fixed pole with a gathered curtain to create a ‘safari’ style tent.
These can also be added to bunk beds and held with fabric ties or toggles. I’m fond of fabrics by Titley & Marr (titleyand marr.co.uk) and Jessica Osborne (jessica osborne.com) for this look.’
For dramatic appeal, consider suspending fabric from all four walls of a room, in lieu of wallpaper.
‘This is what designer Timothy Corrigan has done in his Paris apartment,’ says interior designer Roby Baldan (robyaldaninteriors.com).
‘As well as being luxurious and cocooning, it conceals open wardrobes, hanging spaces, not-so-pretty storage areas and ugly doors.’
PERFECT SHELFIE
Gathered fabric is also a great way to add softly diffused definition to the edge of shelving — an option that works well in jewel-like spaces such as pantries, laundry rooms and cloakrooms.
Skirts like these, whether short for trimming, or long for under counters, can be brilliantly playful. Use them around a bathroom pedestal to dress the base and add some colour to the room, tying them in with the fabric of a Roman blind.
Or skirt a vintage dressing table, using the same fabric to upholster a stool. That 1980s trick of throwing a favourite fabric over a less than pretty round table is also back in vogue — to keep the look current, contrast the softness of the fabric with angular shapes atop — such as an Anglepoise table lamp finished in a corresponding colour.
‘Use an inverted pleat heading style to further add a contemporary feel,’ says Lara Clarke.
RIGHT LIGHT
Lampshades also look great when given a full fabric treatment, such as the selection of block printed or embroidered options designed by Alice Palmer (alicepalmer.co).
Add appeal: Lampshades also look great when given a full fabric treatment
‘They are a brilliant way to add the appeal of pattern and colour without the commitment of a traditional window drape, which can sometimes overwhelm a scheme,’ she says.
Her shades, box-pleated or ‘scrunched’, featuring bold stripes, embroidered artichokes and lemons, botanic prints and ikats, add a playful note whether elegantly framing a bathroom window or suspended from twisted flex above the kitchen counter. The designer is partial to an old-school bed valance, too: try them in piped stripes for timeless appeal.
NEW WAYS
Of course, windows still deserve the curtain treatment, but try going against the grain. Sitting room windows look great dressed with linen half-height cafe curtains, which offer privacy while allowing in plenty of light. Internal windows benefit from this approach too.
Try made-to-measure options at East London Cloth (east londoncloth.co.uk). Adding fabric to the inside of glass-fronted wardrobe doors can also be visually pleasing.
‘A pleated finish gives a more traditional look, perfect for country settings, or the fabric can be pressed flat between two slim panes of glass for more contemporary impact,’ suggests Lara Clarke.
Using curtains as door treatments creates cosiness. ‘Try them in place of a door to delineate the space in large rooms,’ suggests Roby Baldan. ‘They add texture, softness and intimacy, whether closed or retracted to the side.’
Fabric is also great used as added insulation at the front door. Use a floor- length curtain fitted on a portiere rod, which is hinged so that the curtain lifts off the floor slightly when the door is opened.
All ideas that are both pretty and practical: definitely worthy of a curtain call.
