Husband says no one has curtains these days

[PurpleOrchid42]

My husband talks scathingly about curtains, saying they are 'old fashioned' and 'you won't see them in any interior design magazine'. I think he's absolutely wrong, and likely people are even more likely to have curtains these days, with energy bills being so high. We have roller blinds throughout. It looks rubbish and our heating bills are high.

So who's right, in your opinion?

I have sheer curtains everywhere but the bedrooms which are opaque for privacy. Textiles make a house feel homey and have the utilitarian aspect for letting in or blocking sunlight, heat, cold, etc. They will never be out of style for all the reasons!

Much prefer curtains. Even have one across the front door to keep out draughts.

His hypothesis is pretty easily disproved even without MN.

There's no right or wrong here. It depends on the property, style of windows. We don't have curtains only blinds in our home. It suits our home where our windows are inset.

A few minutes scrolling interiors on Instagram should soon prove him wrong. They're good for noise reduction as well as retaining heat.

He's wrong. A lot of rooms look too clinical without curtains (plus you often need them to control heat and light).

I have blinds, voiles AND curtains cos I like a lot of 'window-ware'! 😀

You are right.

I mean, you can have a roller blind between the window and the curtain if you want, but I'd definitely want curtains in most rooms.

Curtain maker (retired) not since the days of swags and tails have I made as many curtains as I have in the past 18 months. Young people!
I think the cost of heating and the need for comfort and homeliness has driven this.

Nothing wrong with curtains. Windows just look plain wrong without them.

Has he got confused and means net curtains? I'd say they're fairly old fashioned. But actual curtains, I think almost everyone has them - especially as they're helpful for keeping heat in and draughts out.

My nan had roller blinds everywhere.

Did he drop in from 1984? That was the last time roller blinds were fashionable, round about the same time as primary coloured grouting, avocado suites and wire shelves from Habitat.

Unless you count the bamboo ones from IKEA circa 1995. They had their moment with coconut palms and tealight lanterns then.

We didn't even have blinds downstairs when we lived in Denmark- it seemed no one does- however they have extremely fab geothermal heating!!

We don't have any downstairs, at the back of the house the room has two sets of bifolds, some patio doors and a full height window, none of which have any window coverings at all. Have blinds in the rooms at the front of the house, no curtains.

We moved house three years ago and the first thing I did was make new curtains for the living room, my son's bedroom and our bedroom (or rid of the old curtains that were there)

Thankfully I didn't need to make new curtains for the kitchen because the previous owners left their vintage Laura Ashley curtains in the kitchen! They're gorgeous.
Who doesn't like curtains???
You just need to get them dry cleaned once in a while.

I kind of agree with your husband - we don't have any curtains at all. We have a mixture of roman & wooden blinds.

I do think curtains can be old fashioned - they need to be floor length and have a modern header to avoid that.

Curtains are essential in this weather to help keep the cold out and the heat in...

I have put blackout curtains in my bedroom and that has definitely helped with my sleep.

Also I have a period property and it looked daft with the ugly roller blinds that the previous owners had put in.

Everyone I know has curtains, except one. My flat would be freezing without them.

I think he is right that the current trend is blinds not curtains but wrong in that plenty of people still have curtains as they are good for keeping the heat in.

I don’t know anyone without curtains.

And I doubt you’ll see roller blinds in any interiors magazine. Perhaps wooden shutters.

Is your husband the poster on a thread a few months ago who claimed they knew nobody under 70 with any kind of window dressing? And was getting dressed and undressed in the dark if memory serves 😂

They keep the house warm and on very hot days they keep the house cool

The variety of curtains available at furnishing shops suggests they're not going out of fashion any time soon.

I love curtains and loathe blinds.

Totally depends on your own personal style.

Showhomes usually have curtains.

High end modern probably not.

I honestly think when it comes to your home you should do whatever makes you feel comfortable. My home is my sanctuary so I want it to feel personal to me - I'm not interested about what everyone else has.

We have a variety of all sorts. Blackout rollers behind curtains upstairs, as bastard neighbour keeps security lights on all night. Wooden Venetians in bathrooms and kitchen. Lounge is curtained for cosiness.

To a pp, and this comes up a lot on MN. You can't have long curtains over rads. And all our rooms have rads under the windows. It may not be ideal, but you have to work with the house you have.

Curtains are in my view more homely, but if you live in a more modern home either go. My personal preference is for curtains.