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 :’(

I think we needed to go plainer with curtains as we have a large l shaped sofa in this shade which is quite dominating imo. Luckily the throws and cushions I bought have also toned it down.

Please without being so condescending, tell my what a steamer is when it's at home?

Thanks all. Will be making a trip to dungeon at some point tomorrow. Steamer has also been ordered. Will hopefully share an improvement tomorrow.

This is what we did in several of the bedrooms which had radiators below windows.

My first full length curtains were custom made and truly eye-wateringly expensive 25 years ago🙄, but they were never closed and were far too dense.
Such a waste of money and one of several rookie mistakes I made!

The replacements were full length again but a much lighter material, and a fraction of the cost.

I think very pale curtains belong in bedrooms only, but each to their own.

Its tedious when men have strong decorating views.😁

I love your tiles in the kitchen? Where are they from? As I'm on the hunt for some.
Also if it makes you feel better, I also had no idea about gathering/tying curtains at the top and I've owned a house for 15 years 😂😂

DH does have interesting taste! He wears walking boots to work in a London office.

They are far too small /short.

@Slay1981 Thank you, I switched at the last possible second.

https://www.stonetilecompany.co.uk/paris-pearl-brick-gloss-wall-tiles

Tiler said they were good tiles so assume they are easy to fit also.

and its fabric steamer attachment.

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!

They are a silly-looking length as is, because of the radiators. Do not shorten them and make them look worse.

Do you actually mean "off the peg" rather than made to measure, because they look like they've been folded in a packet?

Don't worry I was much older than you before I properly understood how to get curtains to hang nicely!

(Sorry for some reason I thought you'd said you were 20 something!)

There’s not enough material. You need to double the width of the window itself and then gather the pencil pleats. Then add more rings!

We bought from Curtains 24/7, they were delivered via courier. This room is at the very front of the house, we needed express delivery as I felt totally exposed watching tv in the dark with DH’s giant screen.

Will be going to the local curtain shop for the rest but no rush as we are skint now. Just realised the one pair I really liked in our old place were on tracks. Never registered that they were different to loops.

@JanglyBeads just turned 30. Probably shouldn’t be so inept with home stuff.

Gather them at the top, as everyone else has said.

Don’t shorten them, attach the curtain hooks to the lowest bits on the connection strip, that’ll help raise them up a bit.

What size are your curtains?

Curtains will never look right on that sort of window.

The main thing is you have curtains and some privacy. They will look better when ironed.

Just to add this is one half. Will add 2nd pair tomorrow.

Pressing and sorting out the gathers may help. The length js a bit odd. In my opinion they either needed to be longer to the floor or a little shorter.

Did the company who made them do the measuring and come to hang them for you? We've always used a local independent shop (sadly now closed) who would do both of those things. Well worth it in my opinion.

Or move the pole so it is higher depending in the finish on the wall and whether making good the old holes can be done easily.

You can get someone to professionally hang them for you, not sure of cost though. I had it done on some huge curtains I couldn’t get right and was amazed what a difference it made. You could ask where you had them made maybe?

Some curtains drop a bit after they have been hanging as then tend to hang flatter and straighter after they have been there for a while. The fabric does not stretch. I think this happens more with heavy fabrics that puff out a bit.