Why do my expensive-ish curtains look crap

[Sickofhousestuff]

Hi, I’ve bought my first house so a newbie to house stuff. Unfortunately, my mum is not good with this sort of thing so hoping for some MN advice.

Why do my curtains look crap? Yes they will look better after a steam but I’m not loving the way they look. We have huge windows so had to purchase made to measure which wasn’t cheap.

Im thinking I need more hoops. DH wanted the curtains to hit where they do but I think it’s a shame they don’t hit just above the window sill. Tempted to get my sewing machine out and watch some YouTube videos!

Please help. I’m gutted. They look really different to the image on the website as well :’(

And the only thing I would have said is the curtains are best hung onto the cill or down to almost the radiator, to reduce any heat loss from the radiators.
I personally have them so I can tuck two inches behind the rads to stop any draughts and retain heat.

They look far too short for the depth of the window

Absolutely beautiful kitchen OP, do not ever say you're useless! You're clearly far from hopeless as your kitchen is stunning. Can we see more pics? Love an interior! x

I really can’t justify the waste/cost of starting afresh.

Ive seen some people recommend against shortening, but would that not be a slight improvement?

I think they will be fine once they are ironed/steamed, are gathered up and had extra hooks, as others have said. The length is the best option with the radiator where it is.

If they aren't wide enough once the strings are pulled, you could buy an additional pair of the same curtains and hang 2 curtains on each side. I have done this before when I first bought curtains and made a similar mistake. You really could not tell when they were open and it just meant pulling both along when closing. They are still in one of our spare bedrooms and look absolutely fine.

@Sickofhousestuff You might find these helpful, the create pleats at the top and make the curtain look a bit tidier and in my opinion more expensive. Also yours do need to drop a bit as they’re brand new so that will take a while. Once they’ve dropped maybe you might want to consider some weights but see how it goes. The reviews for these seem quite positive

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Metal-Curtain-Galvanised-HomeElabador-Silver/dp/B01LXRY4V0/ref=asc_df_B01LXRY4V0/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=344218512705&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17745782127351152370&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006696&hvtargid=pla-698520422379&psc=1&mcid=48f6694875e135abadc1c585470b3672&th=1&psc=1

Gather and steam and they will look like a different set of curtains

Do not shorten them!!!!! That would look terrible……

I really really wouldn’t shorten them. They might shrink by up to 10% when they are washed so will be even shorter. The length is OK.
I studied textiles and fashion at college, many years ago but fabrics don’t change.
I love your kitchen so you are good at this house stuff.

Please pull the strings, steam and post another photo!

Re pulling the strings, I had no idea you had to do this either until we bought our first home last year...that's the main problem you have I think

Gosh there’s some snobby comments on this thread. OP your new kitchen looks amazing, you don’t have to spend thousands of pounds to get decent curtains. Yours just need a little help with the gathers and a good steam, they will look much better in a few days. They don’t look cheap as some posters implied.

They look far too short to me. Large, living room windows should have floor length curtains imo. It's a waste of money paying for custom made curtains that short, they never look worth it.

Have you thought about dyeing them a more interesting colour? I dye everything. I think it needs a lovely rich colour like burnt orange.
Then take them to the dry cleaners to be properly pressed and then they need more hoops and a lot more gathers, evenley spaced. Lovely.

Pray how does one steam curtains may I ask?

God had no idea curtains were so dull.

Also much too much beige going on. Ue sofa and burnt orange curtains is a match made in heaven
You can also get matching cushions in Matalan.

We found them dull too - went to ikea, and bought the same long grey curtains for every window in our house (except kitchen and bathroom). Putting any more thought or £££ into them just didn't feel worth it.

They’ll be absolutely fine once you take them down and iron them, add a few more rings and draw the cord in. Don’t be afraid to iron them - do it from the back, steam is not going to cut it I reckon.

I made some of our curtains, where we have awkward sized windows and I couldn’t find ready made ones I liked. It’s expensive to start for the fabric even if my labour costs were free to me but if I was making them for someone else I’d definitely have ironed them before delivery!

...with a steamer

They need pencil pleats at the top {pull the strings to make them gathered} Many more curtain rings are needed and they need an iron and DEFINITELY don't make them any shorter.

You need to gather them at the top. There's videos on YouTube how to do it. Dunnelm are good for odd shaped windows like that. I've never bought made to measure. They'll look a bit better after a few weeks. Just need to drop a bit.

i am so ignorant. What is meant by them “dropping”? The material will stretch a bit?

After you've tried all the positive tips suggested above, if you're still not happy, you can buy separate ready made lining.

I've always made my own curtains (or altered IKEA etc) and a lining helps your curtain hang better and gives better insulation. It also protects them from sun damage in the summer.

You can buy wundaweb to hem your lining. It comes on a roll and you iron it into the hem. This is useful if you can't sew.

Gather them evenly. They are not made to measure if they are not wide enough when pulled into pencil pleats. Or at least loose ones. These won’t keep much heat in as they are definitely not inter lined. Short curtains are a bit ? in my view. Most interior designers don’t feature them.