Are the curtains tricky? Notes on selecting and matching curtains

Many people’s first impression of the curtain industry is: there are a lot of tricks and the water is very deep, and you can fall into it if you are not careful! If you go to buy curtains and just ask the boss: "How much does this curtain cost per meter?", then the boss can basically judge that you are a novice and you are likely to fall into the trap?! In order to help everyone stay away from pitfalls and save a little bit on decoration, here is a guide on selecting, matching, and avoiding pitfalls in curtains! (If you like it, please give it a like at the end of the article)

First, let’s talk about some of the tricks of buying curtains!

// Trick 1: Curtains are more than just buying fabric.

Many people think that buying curtains is just a matter of buying a few pieces of cloth. When they go to the store and ask about the price, they find it is quite cheap. However, after they finish the installation, they find out that they have spent thousands of dollars. That’s because in addition to Curtain fabrics and various accessories.

General curtains will include Roman rods, tracks, track pulleys, hooks, lace, lead pendants, cloth tapes, tie balls (tie), decorations, etc. The more accessories there are, the more tricks there are. If you can't even distinguish these accessories, then the merchant will trick you into not discussing them when buying curtains! Let’s get to know each other first

Curtain cloth: the main component of curtains, this needs no further introduction

Curtain gauze: light, breathable, soft lighting gauze curtains, which can not only block light, but also Can protect privacy.

Curtain rod: installed on the side of the wall, used to hang curtains, mainly divided into Roman rods and rails

Hooks: connecting curtains and rails, when using different hooks to hang curtains The fabric also exhibits different waves and folds. Common ones include S hook, four-claw hook and nano loop.

Tie: The strap that binds the curtain when the curtain is closed.

Window curtain: The banner on the upper end of the curtain, usually fixed on the curtain box, plays a decorative role.

Lace: used on the four sides and bottom of curtains for decoration.

Lead pendant: Increase the weight of the curtain fabric and make the curtain fabric drape better. So here’s the question – are all the above accessories necessary?

Generally speaking, the more accessories there are, the more expensive it will be.

●You must buy Roman poles, tracks, and straps.

●Roman rings, rings, and hooks can be purchased according to the curtain style.

●Curtain boxes, window curtains, lace, and lead pendants can be purchased or not.

There are also cloth bags, hooks and ties. If you can give them away, let the merchant give them to you. Of course, whether you can give them away depends on how much money the merchant makes from the cloth you buy. Even if there are no other accessories, this curtain can still be used. As for your pursuit of higher beauty, you have to pay extra.

// Trouble 2: The auxiliary ingredients are more expensive than the main ingredients!

This is actually a method used by merchants to deliberately use the unit price of fabric as a promotion. For example, 25 yuan/meter of fabric, and a 2-meter window fabric is only 100 yuan. But after doing it, you will find that A track of 4 yuan/meter on the market may be sold in a store for 8 yuan/meter, and a hook of 0.5 yuan/piece on the market may be sold in a store for 2 yuan/piece. After all, the price of accessories is more than the main materials. .

This is the most common pitfall when buying curtains!

In the price of curtains, cloth and yarn account for only two-thirds or even less than half of the total price of curtains. Therefore, when asking for a price, you must ask the merchant to calculate the total price based on your home situation. It is meaningless to just ask for the price of the cloth.

//Trick No. 3: Make more pleats and sell more cloth!

This is almost an unspoken rule in the curtain industry. Merchants generally recommend that customers make curtain pleats in a ratio of 1:2. However, this ratio depends entirely on the customer's subjective aesthetics. Merchants deliberately do not tell you. There are other ratios available, which makes customers mistakenly think that they can only do this, and they make another profit invisibly.

Some businesses will ask you to do 2.5 times the pleats. In fact, 1.5 times is enough. After all, the curtains are pulled to both sides during the day and only pulled up at night. Who would look at the pleats in your home? Is it too much, is it good-looking or not?

Now that we have finished talking about the tricks, let’s talk about some tangled points when choosing curtains:

Should curtains be made of one layer or two layers?

Nowadays, the basic curtains at home are equipped with two layers, one layer of blackout curtain + one layer of gauze curtain, which not only adds a romantic mood, but also has other functions.

First, in order to protect privacy, if you don’t want what you do at home to be seen by people across the street, you can just close the gauze curtains during the day, which will not affect the lighting and ensure privacy. The second is sun protection. Blocking strong sunlight also protects the furniture.

Especially white wooden furniture can easily turn yellow if exposed to the sun for a long time.

If you don’t care about this little bit of romance, there is no building opposite, and you are not afraid of the sun, the difference between one-layer and two-layer curtains is not big.

As for purchasing blackout curtains, there is another misunderstanding: Is the higher the blackout rate, the better?

Some owners asked me: "Are there any 100% blackout curtains?" You can, but it's not necessary! Generally, the shading rate of curtains is 50%-95%. If you want to get complete shading rate, you can add a layer of shading fabric, which is what we often call interlining.

The shading rate of curtains has different selection techniques for different people and spaces. For example, in order to meet the sleeping function of the bedroom, the shading rate is between 55% and 90%. The weak to gradually brightening light can Projected into the bedroom, compared to a dark environment, our mental state can accept the gradually changing light environment more relaxedly, and it will be easier to get up, so full blackout curtains are generally not recommended.

When choosing blackout curtains, I still recommend buying them in a physical store. You can see how good the blackout performance is by shining a flashlight on your mobile phone.

?How to match the color of curtains?

I won’t talk too much about this, but I will tell you a few versatile rules that are not easy to make mistakes:

★ Newbies don’t know how to match, so they should always choose solid color curtains. That's right.

Solid colors are more elegant, clean and more elegant. At this point, curtains and bedding are all the same. If the curtains have too many patterns and colors, it will be more difficult to match. Of course, if they are matched well, they will look great, but if they are not careful, the effect may not be so good.

In terms of color selection, white is the most versatile, but it is not resistant to stains. You can consider gray. Dark gray and light gray all match well. If you like brightness, choose light gray; if you like dark colors and texture, choose dark gray.

★ Choose curtains according to the wall color, which should be consistent with the wall color, or a few shades darker.

For example, if the wall is brown, then the curtains can be warm brown. This combination will make the whole look harmonious and unified.

★ Choose colors that are similar to the secondary tones of your home.

If you don’t like the main colors of the walls and floors, you can choose the second largest color, which is the secondary color. You're right to choose a color that's close to it.

For example: in the picture above, the secondary tone is reddish brown, and the curtains are also matched with red accordingly.

★ Complementary colors

Choose colors that are opposite to the main color or secondary color. This combination will have a contrasting effect and look bold and lively. For example, pink with blue, blue with yellow...all are very classic combinations.

★ Morandi color system

If you don’t like bright colors and prefer emotionless, colorless people, you can choose Morandi color system, which is suitable for Nordic style and Japanese style decoration. .

?How to choose curtain fabric? Depending on the needs

● Common fabric types are:

Polyester fiber, that is, polyester (not easy to wrinkle, easy to pill, has poor texture, but cheap) is suitable for renters. Cat owners need to be avoided.

Linen (light-transmitting, good hygroscopicity, poor elasticity)

Cotton and linen (light-transmitting, can be used with fabric sofas, but the disadvantage is that it shrinks easily) is suitable for bedrooms or study rooms, etc. Areas with relatively less dust.

Real silk (good texture, expensive, and good sound insulation effect) is difficult to match. In addition, there are many imitation silk curtains on the market.

Suede (gorgeous, good drape), such as the now popular velvet curtains, fall into this category.

The above materials are mostly suitable for our common types of curtains - straight curtains. There are also roller blinds. The fabric material is not too picky. The commonly used materials for venetian blinds are bamboo, wood and PVC.

?How to choose curtain size?

How big are the windows? How big are the curtains?

No, the size of the window is not the size of the curtains, and the height of the window is not necessarily the height of the curtains.

●Curtain height:

It is recommended to leave about 5-10cm from the top track to the ground. Exposing the skirting will make it appear more harmonious;

● Curtain width:

The width of curtains must consider the effect of pleats to create a wavy feel. There is a reference formula: curtain width = (window width + 0.15m × 2) × 2

Of course not all curtains should stand tall and fill the wall like this, but should be based on their own circumstances.

When the budget is not high, installing only window-sized curtains is also a saving.

?Are rails or Roman rods used for curtains?

Friends who have difficulty choosing will probably have to think about it for a long time. After understanding their characteristics, it will be easy to make a choice.

Roman poles are open poles and are exposed outside during installation. The advantage is that they are easy to disassemble and clean.

√Advantages:

Easy to install

Easy to disassemble

Various shapes

When installing, just install it in advance Just drill holes at planned locations on the wall and then fix them; it also makes it easy to disassemble and clean the curtains.

×Disadvantages:

Cannot be bent

Limited load-bearing capacity

In addition, the Roman pole has an obvious disadvantage: it leaks light! Curtains block light and rods leak light, which is not the best choice for people who are afraid of light, so it is more suitable to be installed in the living room to adjust the shape.

One more thing, you should also pay attention to the Roman pole. That is, if the width of the entire window (door opening) exceeds 2.4 meters, a support point must be added in the middle of the Roman pole. Otherwise, the force will be unbalanced and it will not last for several years.

In short, it is suitable for: spaces with low floor heights, no suspended ceilings or only simple suspended ceilings. If you want easy installation, choose it.

Track rods

Track rods are sliding rails, which are usually installed on the top surface. Curtain boxes, plaster lines, or suspended ceilings are used to cover the rails.

√Advantages:

The shape is changeable and can be bent

Because it is a track, it is smoother to use

The mute effect is good

If the windows in your home have special shapes such as round or corners, they can be installed so that the curtains can be pulled smoothly.

×Disadvantages:

Suspended ceiling will increase the cost and installation is more troublesome;

If there is no suspended ceiling, carpenters need to install hidden curtain boxes in advance.

Suitable for: The windows at home have strange shapes, or have plaster lines, suspended ceilings, etc. In addition, if you want an elegant and simple style, you can also choose it.

Generally speaking, most bedroom spaces will be equipped with tracks, which are simple and run from top to bottom. As long as curtains with complicated patterns are not used, the space will appear larger

Having said so much, I believe there are many. People have already thought about how to choose curtains. Which curtains do you use? Are they easy to use? Leave a message to tell us~

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