Radiator under window. DH wants half curtains!

[PoppyAmex]

as in title, really - we have a radiator under a large bay window and DH is adamant that full length curtains will represent a waste of energy (and a cold sitting room).

But I can't bear the idea of half length curtains and can't move the radiator - any genius ideas please?

DH is absolutely right.

Decent thermal blinds?

We have the same issue and have blinds to the radiator level for privacy and warmth and then full length thin curtains for the look, that can be drawn but when the radiators are on we leave them tied up

Ideally with a decent depth window sill for the blinds to rest on.

Blinds? Like roman blinds? These would look fine just down to the bottom of the window, or the window sill if you have one.

Your DH is right, I agree get blinds and the have full length curtains open to dress if you feel it needs it.

We are going to have the same issue in the living room of our new house.

I hate half curtains but the radiator goes the full length of the window. I think we will get a nice dark wood blind and live with that, and if it doesn't look "warm" enough, I might get full length dress curtains just to get the look.

A venetian blind will be thermally useless as well.

I made the mistake of half curtains because the window can't accomodate full length. They are awful and I'm in the process of changing them to romans. I'll keep the pelmet and hope it looks better this time.

I think the blind and long dress curtains sounds like a good idea OP.

What's wrong with half length curtains?

We have full length curtains on our patio door but at the other end of the room with have a window with a radiator under and half length curtains. It would be too much to have two lots of full length curtains in the room. It would be like 2 walls of fabric. It would be too much for me.

I like the blinds suggestion best and if you are worried about the bareness of blinds (there is no draping or much interest with a blind) then have a curtain rail and curtains but just don't pull them. Use a voile or something so it doesn't look too cluttered and heavy.

Depends on the shape of the bay though. We have 5-sided bays in each room (originally curved Art Deco ones) and I thought 5 separate blinds would look really bitty. But I also don't like half curtains.
Also the upstairs ones have no sills due to the way the bays were constructed. I have no idea what to do

Your DHs is right.

I have full length curtains where there are radiators under the window and it is a PITA to tuck them behind the radiator when shut. Plus they then look crumpled when open.

Half curtains

Blinds. You can get thermal lining on roman blinds.

What on earth is wrong with half curtains? You're all bonkers!

sponge bob - its just an aesthetic thing, personally I dont like half length curtains, they look "bitty"

I have full length over the top of the radiator but agree with your husband it doesnt really make sense - when I re-do the room I will look at blinds with full length curtains, that we will not pull, to frame the window as I do feel blinds look harsh on their own

I'm with SpongeBob :)

We have curtains that fit between the window frame and the window sill in our dining room like a blind would fit rather than hung from above the frame like normal curtains. They are anything but bitty. They frame the window well when open but are very neat when shut.

Mind you they were very expensive and the curtain track had to made to measure because it had to bend in the corners to fit round the bay sides. They were a real investment and it would be virtually impossible to take them to another house. Much nicer than blind though. We did consider the blind with curtain dressing but there would have to have been at least 4 blinds so that would have been much more bitty.

I didn't realise that my curtains were half length

surely curtains are always only the length of the window?

Trinity - my curtains go to the floor. I grew up with sill length curtains (probably due to parents financial constraints)

It is totally a matter of personal taste, there is not right or wrong - just what you feel looks best.

When I had a bay though I didnt want my curtains on the posts of the central window I wanted them pulled right back so that I could make the most of the light coming in and I didnt feel enclosed.

Id probably go for roman blinds - but they would not have been practical as my windows were massive.

All curtains should reach the floor.
Go with blinds and curtains for aesthetics at the side, probably you won't draw them.

I have 2 sets of full length curtains in 2 sitting rooms. In one room, they are dress curtains with blinds. In the other, no blinds just full length curtains on 2 windows and a blind on one small window.

One pair of full length curtains cover the radiator but I don't care. The half length curtains in our bedroom have to be tucked up onto the window sill anyway when the radiator is on. Despite being short, they still direct the warm air behind them so I don't think it makes any difference.

Half length would look awful in my house but presumably they look ok in some other houses or people wouldn't have them.

I dunno Nigella.
maybe mine look as shit as the rest of the house.

I genuinely never knew I was supposed to have curtains down to the floor.

Your dh is right.

You all spend far too long thinking about curtains runs away back to the comfort of AIBU?

Same issue here. We put in plantation shutters. They look great and insulate well.