£800 for a pair of curtains?

[Hellvelyn]

We've just had a downstairs extension and have a little living room which now needs decorating, carpeting etc. We've bought a new armchair, bookshelves, TV unit etc. I've looked for ages for curtain material I like and finally found some in John Lewis designer collection, so expensive. We've been quoted £800 for the made to measure lined curtains in this particular material. Feels like so much money but I haven't seen anything else I like. For context, we live in an extended 3 bedroom semi and the extension has been funded by some money left by my grandfather and there is still some left. It just feels so decadent........thoughts please.

Made to order curtains are very expensive and I think getting them made in store is the most expensive route, if I was you I would buy the material and get a local seamstress to make the curtains, that’s how I’ve always gone about it, make sure you get a recommendation though.

Go for it! You have the money, and it'll make you happy every time you see them.

If you can afford it without making any sacrifices do it. If you love them and think they will last a long time/go with any decor changes do it. If you compromise you will always compare the substitutes with the ones you really wanted and be disappointed. speaking from experience

I have two sets of full length curtains at either end of my living area, double (like French Window ) width. Cost me £1600, for the two sets, 10 years ago.

That’s not expensive for made to measure curtains!

To me it is very expensive but then it is relative to how much money you have/earn etc.

I would think about whether there was anything else I would prefer to spend it on. Or maybe think if you want to keep some of the money for another time. And base your decision on that.

Made to measure curtains are a ridiculous price. I usually buy off the peg and get then altered to fit perfectly, but I know that annoyingly some of the fabrics aren't available in those ranges. I've compromised a couple of times and tbh I sometimes wish I'd gone with the expensive option.

If you love them, can afford them and are sure you won't go off them then why not go for it. You'll enjoy them and they'll make you happy.

I'm usually one for finding a cheaper option but in this case, they might be worth the investment, providing that you truely love them and are likely to use them for many years, rather than being one of those people who redecorate every couple of years and are likely to want to change the curtains.

Are you going to be able to wash them, or are you committing to expensive annual dry cleaning? But if you normally do this anyway, you might be fine with that.

But if you have pets or sticky fingered DC, you might want to reconsider.

I agree with the option of buying the amount of fabric you need, and getting them made to measure by a local seamstress. We did the same thing last year and I think it must have come out at half the price that JL had quoted!

I once made 2 pairs of lined, floor length curtains for a dd. All the materials - fabric, lining and tape etc. came from John Lewis.

The cost of all the materials (fabric was not one of the most expensive) was still almost exactly half of what it would have cost for JL to make them. IIRC around £200 as against £400 around 10 years ago.

So someone local would very likely be cheaper, but not necessarily by a great deal for the work involved.

This is why I stopped making curtains for people. They want handmade but aren’t prepared to pay me for my time and skills

Thanks for your thoughts everyone. Our previous curtains have been up for nearly 20 years so it's likely the new ones will also be up for many (many) years! TBH this is partly why I'm hesitating. We are very practical and make really good use of the things we have, can't bear waste etc.

If you keep them for 20 years that's £0.77 per week. - does that make it better 😏

Have to agree with JudgeRindersMinder. Our time and expertise are worth so much more and the insults get old fast.

Sounds like a reasonable price for made to measure. JL came out better value than local specialist suppliers when we did ours.

Depends how much you like them.Good curtains can make a room and unless they are very small windows, that doesn’t sound too expensive.

We paid £1500 for JL made to measure curtains and track to fit an awkward bay window. They came and fitted everything and did a fantastic job.
They will outlive me 😀

I have been quoted for 700 ours but it includes the curtain pole. Does not include installation or delivery. The material is okay but won't be sweeping anyone off their feet. Made to measure for a large living room.
In the grand scheme of things it's not the worst thing to spend money on. You just have to keep them for a really long time for it to be worth it. So choose a color you will be happy to stare at every day for the next ten years - timeless colors rather than the fashion right now.

The cost doesn't seem unreasonable and you can always take the curtains with you if you move.

The fabric is usually the bulk of the cost in made to measure in my experience (might say something about the fabrics I like!). Not used JL but used a couple of local shops and the cost to make the curtains has always been similar. If you want cheaper then you need to choose cheap fabric, the only time I've had the make up costs more expensive was when I had curtains for a bay window made with IKEA fabric so lots of work (pinch pleat as well) but very cheap fabric. They look great though.

I have 3 pairs of JL made to measure (awkward size windows, can’t get off the shelf) they are fabulous quality and still look lovely 12 years on. I priced it up against a family member making them for me and they said it was very reasonable and she couldn’t do it cheaper when factoring in cost of her time.

Try dunelm, we much preferred their ready made collection to John Lewis late last year, actually was really disappointed with jl's offerings. We have their top of the range at about £70 a pair

This sounds fair for made to measure curtains, as others have said. You'll be paying for the fabrics, the expertise and the overall finish of the product, which you won't get from off-the-shelf curtains.

Regardless, if it feels like too much, it may not be worth it for you. Try some more cost-effective ones from high street shops (now you can actually go and look at them again with Covid changes) and you might find some you like. We found some great designs in Dunelm and Next for our new home, and while they of course aren't the same as bespoke ones, we're happy with them!

Another vote here for buying the fabric you really like in JL but having curtains made elsewhere. I did this via an interior design shop but also got quotes from locally advertised curtain makers. There must be something like that in your area? If you love the fabric, don't settle for second-best - it will bug you forever!

Cripes up give your head a shake and pull yourself together!!

We got two pairs of lined curtains made for £400, and the quality is excellent. Fabric cost was £15/m, so I don't think the making element of the total can have been very high? This was Britannia Rose, but I'm sure there are other reasonably priced places out there too.
Does nobody else except John Lewis sells the specific fabric you want OP? If not, you'll probably have to pay the £800! If you can get the fabric elsewhere though, definitely look into other shops. Or just buy the fabric and pay someone to make the curtains for you?