Omg curtains are so expensive!

[BlueSlice]

I have a bay window that’s slightly longer and slightly wider than standard. I’m going to have to spend absolutely hundreds (could easily spend 1k+) on curtains.

I’ve lived with the blinds that were left by previous owners and really don’t like the look of them, they change the way hope feel of the room. I’ve waited until I (thought) I had saved enough but now I’m ready to go ahead the reality of spending so much solely on curtains is making me feel a bit sick!

I miss the long Ikea curtains. Curse the person who changed them to a 250cm drop!

Me too. I bought two pairs of patterned curtains and added some fabric from one curtain to the top of the others. You can't tell because it's hidden by the pencil pleat tops.

Also, split the other spare curtain in two and added it to the width.

What a palaver!😂 The whole thing cost about £80 though as opposed to £1000 for made to measure.

Rather than have them made up by a high street company who charge hundreds for just a tiny little made to measure blind, have a look around for a local independent person who does this.

Also bear in mind that bendy Bay window poles are too unstable for heavy lined curtains so you might need to consider a track or individual poles for each face of the bay.

Great tips, thank you!

Ok, I’ve finally found a bay curtain rail that is long enough - although ironically it’s actually too long so a bit diy will need to happen.

And apparently LaRedoute do long drop curtains.

Getting there!

I spent over £1000 on curtains for our bay window. I was a bit blase when I bought them however almost 10 years later they look as good now as they did then. I only hoover them - they have never been cleaned.
Choose something unlikely to date and you will probably not regret buying them!

I just made my own lined curtains, it's not rocket science. I got some lovely fabric off ebay and they looked amazing once they were up. Total cost £50 for lovely lined, Laura Ashley thick curtain fabric. It was the end of a roll and just the right size with a bit left over for a couple of cushions.

That was for floor length curtain in a big bay window. I prefer eyelet curtains but the shape of the window meant I had to get a bendable curtain rail.

I got some lovely curtains from Terrys fabrics, online

I need some grown up curtains for our next house. Until now I’ve always made them myself as header tape, double the width and a few hours with the sewing machine have been enough, especially for sheers.
I’m looking at the sales fabric items here.
Otherwise, nope, too expensive.

Dunelm do decent curtains at not a bad price.

I just made my own lined curtains, it's not rocket science.

It’s not rocket science but it’s definitely a skill. I’ve made curtains for another room (because I wanted a particular fabric) and can sew fairly well, but that doesn’t mean I’d be able to easily take on the task of this giant window! I feel like I’d drown in fabric and stress. If there is a better option out there then I’d prefer not to have to make them myself.

Dunelm do decent curtains at not a bad price.
All but a very few were too short unfortunately. And every single option wasn’t wide enough, so we’d have to get four curtains (which would be an option if they weren’t too short). I have one pair saved in my basket though as a ‘possibly just long enough and an ok colour’ option.

I got some lovely curtains from Terrys fabrics, online
I got very excited by Terry’s fabrics, so many options! But, again, too short apart from the made to measure options which were around the £600 mark.

‘Grown up curtains’ is the perfect way to describe it @Sgtmajormummy !

eBay is your friend I have high ceilings and massive bays and got really heavy new curtains for a fraction of the price of the shops.

We ordered from 247 curtains for our very tall bay window; think they came in at about 5-600 maybe? Worth looking at anyway.

I was just coming here to tell you IKEA do 3m drop as standard. I can't believe they don't anymore 😭

How big is the window?
I would try to find a local company rather than a big store.

I don't suppose you happen to be near a branch of thecurtainexchange.co.uk? We had two large bays and bought beautiful curtains from there.

We also got some made from there which was cheaper than other quotes we had.

We actually brought them with us when we moved. Still have them after trying and failing to make them into a throw for our bed. Bit of a waste really but our new house has small windows.

Ive bought second hand off ebay before - good quality interlined curtains have Often been made for big windows - as you can sew you might just need to turn the, up if they are too long.

I curse the Ikea curtain changer too!

Thanks so much everyone!

@KingOfDogShite and @User478 I know 😭

My mum spent nearly £1k on curtains for her living room earlier this year, ds had tried to swipe a spider with a towel & all the curtain track at one end of the room collapsed. One end is double width & 80" drop curtains & the other end is single width & 80" drop. The bill included track, hooks & fitting by Hillary's. Look at Next & Dunelm they have good quality curtains for reasonable prices.

We spent quite a lot on new curtains, but they have turned out to be a disaster.

The fabric stretched but the lining didn't. It meant it was rucked up along the sides and hanging forwards onto the floor.

I tried hanging them higher and higher until they stuck out and up too much above the pole.

Then I removed the lining - this meant they were no longer rucked up, but then I had to shorten them.

So, I shortened them a further 5cm, but now, 3 weeks on they are sagging onto the floor again!

It is beautiful fabric, but in my opinion not suitable for full length curtains: clarke-clarke.com/product/herbarium-blush/

I'm currently looking for huge bay window curtains, but after seeing gorgeous bay windows dressed like this I'm opting to buy three sets of curtains instead of one huge one - whether this is cheaper/easier is another thing entirely!