Curtains!!!

[ghislaine]

Having moved a while back, we really need to sort out our curtain situation. The last house was all shutters so we had to leave them there.

But it seems so damned expensive! I have been pricing it up online and a simple set of curtains for a 2m wide set of verandah doors (up in the lift) comes in at around £400. Does it really cost this much? What would you expect to pay for standard set of ready-made curtains? Should I find a local tailor to run something up?

Help! Please rescue me from this curtain wilderness.

Ready mades are usually quite good value but depends if pencil pleat, interlined etc. Certain stores such as Next, Dunelm Mill etc will be cheaper too. I had all ours made to measure by a local curtain/blind shop - interlined, weighted and they cost an absolute bomb in our previous Georgian house. BUT they were stunning and will last for decades - lucky new owners!

Try John Lewis

John Lewis ready made are good value - if the length is off it only costs about £15 to have the hem brought up. 2m is quite wide though - you may hate the idea but two sets of ready made sewed together by a seamstress would work well and be much cheaper than custom made extra wide ones

I buy my curtains from Ebay. If it is just one pair it is not a problem but it can be tricky if you need more than one pair the same.

I have seen reasonable ones in Dunelm, Asda and Argos but if you want 'posher' ones they do cost a lot more.