Curtains - fixing an expensive error :(

[Reenarenovation]

Spent a fortune on floor to ceiling thermal blackout lined curtains for a huge bay window 2 months ago. Didn’t redecorate the room at the time and had no intention to. Never loved them, DH hated them. Just redone the room and now curtains look even more hideous.

The quality of them is brilliant though and I wondered whether it is possible to salvage and reuse all the lining etc with a new top fabric.

Curtain maker said no but I think she doesn’t want to do it. Has anyone done this? Reused all the fabric for exactly the same size curtains? Before I start I ringing around trying time find someone who might do it!!

Thank you!

I used to run a second hand curtain store, and even if the list them at £2k (unlikely) you'll get half of that, possibly only 40%.
I'd ask a friend with a good design eye for advice on how to decorate to bring out the colours in a way you like.
Or use them in a bedroom where you don't have to see them so much.

It would be great to see a picture in your room.
Cut them down and use them else where. Over dyeing won’t get rid of the pattern and will make them darker overall

OK.
No dying over a pattern won't work, even with professional dyes, the shade of the patter always show through.

Yes, in theory you can salvage and re-use the linings etc, but if you pay someone to do that it will be really expensive in labour.

The thing I am not getting is why you spent 4K on curtains and then redecorated so they no don't match?

Surely the thing to do is to repaint the room in colours that work really well with the curtains, and then you'll have a beautiful room.

They are a lovely fabric, it is a matter of bringing out the best in them.

Personally I would keep them and make the room work.

We also had bay window thermal lined curtains custom made... then moved house.. I tried making a bed cover out of them.... cut them and remade them into smaller curtains which didn't quite work and eventually gave them to a charity who make sewn products out of donated fabric but never saw them appear as part of their line up. They were beautiful and it seemed such a waste but we have lived in three houses since and they just didn't fit anywhere.

Can we see an actual pic of them in situ please

Is it really possible to spend £4k on curtains

I have good quality floor length curtains front and back which are 20 years old. I was thinking of treating myself...imagining about £800 for good ones

FWIW, I like them

Btw my possibly useful suggestion = can you add a layer of light / semi translucent voile or chiffon over the top? that would tone down the appearance of the colour, dilute it, if you see what I mean. But depends on the design of the curtains and fixtures.

For 4k you repaint the room to match.
The photo of them (not in your room) is gorgeous.
Can we see them in your room?

They're so gorgeous

If they're darker than you expected pick out the lightest blue in the fabric and paint the room that ?

As others have said it would be a very expensive job to have them remade with different fabrics, the linings and interlinings are the cheapest part, the cost is in the labour. I’ve dabbled in curtain making in the past, and remodelling curtains is actually a bigger job than making them from scratch-that would be why I did it once and never again!

A lot of men seem to dislike floral patterns, I think they rather unimaginative regard them as too feminine. I've come across lots of discussions where women are "allowed" florals in bedrooms but not public rooms.
In your shoes I'd redecorate to fit with the curtains.

They are lovely. I agree, paint to coordinate or, take them down and use then in a bedroom. They are so big you could probably get cushion covers or even a duvet cover made from the unused fabric

I can't help but I agree they look lovely. I also sympathise in that I think anything curtain related is a massive headache to deal with.

Can't your DH sit somewhere else in the room where he can't see them?

In the catalogue shot they look amazing.
In an average suburban semi they will look over-whelming.

We need to see them in your room.

Personally I think you have 3 options:

1. Sell them on eBay - a named/current fabric will sell very easily - people will often have the same size windows or doors or will adjust the curtain to fit. You won't get your money back though. Plus you'll have to buy more curtains.

1. Redecorate your room to match your curtains

1. Re use the curtains somewhere else in your home - it's very easy to remake smaller curtains.

I don't know about dying them - you'll need to go to a dry-cleaners and ask professional advice, most furnishing fabrics are treated and that coating will be destroyed when you wash them (plus your machine won't be big enough).

I would probably advise redecorating the room - if £4k is a lot of money to you.

But really need to see a pic of your room - if it's small if might work if you have a cottage style home.

i love them - I'd redecorate

I spent £5k on a carpet I didn't love - I ignore it! It's painful though.

If the pattern is current you should be able to sell them, either eBay or Google curtain resale in your area.
I had fabulous designer guild curtains made hugely expensive - they were so long and interlined I had to get some one in to take them down they were so heavy! Curtain resale woman said the pattern needs to be this years (why, I didn't think curtains were so trend-dependant). But have a go.
It would probably be more work unpicking the lining snd bits than making up new curtains so not surprised your maker doesn't want to do that.

I used to sell dyes and my best advice is don't dye them, unless you want them darker than the darkest shade and risk seeing the pattern ghosting through the over dyed shade.

Genuinely, as other people have said you either take the hit and accept they were a mistake then try and sell for what you can get, redecorate or faff around cutting them up for another room, but that seems a waste. Redecorating gets my vote.

There were a lot of dye places in Huddersfield because it was the centre of the wool industry, along with Bradford and other mill towns in West Yorkshire. The skills still remain in a few places.

thecurtainexchange.co.uk/

definitely worth considering...

They are beautiful, paint your room the lightest shade as PP said. They won’t dye out. Yes you can reuse the interlining and lining but again the pattern matching and fabric are the main cost. Try and decorate to match the photo or call them for some advice, the Kings Road fabric shop have some brilliant designers who will be able to help.

The fabric is Linin so you could dye them, I don't know if it would hide the pattern though, and they will most probably shrink. Also if the lining is thermal or blackout that probably get damaged and start peeling.

My suggestion would be to, get a voile curtain rod fitted across the front of the bay, and style them with plain voile curtains in complementary colours, so creams, pinks, purples, greens, so when the curtains are open you can't see them, and when the curtains are closed you close the voiles and not see them.

They will sell for a decent amount 2nd hand.

They’re good quality, brand new curtains and lots of people have big bays.

I think there are companies that specialise in this kind of thing.

At that price, I think I’d redecorate the room to better complement the curtains. The cost of paint and labour will be far less that the cost of replacement curtains, even taking into account any second hand value for the curtains you currently have.

I love them by the way.

4k on a set of curtains

That's how much I paid for my car.

Paint your walls the same colour as the promo pic and get used to them. I bet they grow on you and the colours will look different in summer too. Just live with them for a bit….