Curtains & blind fabric inspiration

[kmini]

Need to curtain a whole new home (or at least start with the bedrooms), very time poor with dc2 on the way, full time stressful job and planning a move to the opposite end of the country. In short life is busy (as is everyone's, so sorry for above whinge) and I really don't have time to be spending hours and hours trawling through curtain sample book.

So can anyone tell me how they got inspiration for curtaining their home. Pinterest is an obvious resource, but there are so many fabric sources I just don't know where to start. Any ideas?

I looked at real houses in nice areas on Rightmove and also the websites of hotels that have the sort of look I had in mind.

I found John Lewis good for actually buying the curtains/fabric because you can order swatches online. I ended up getting quite a lot to find what I wanted but in the end found something I really love and that works with my room.

Go through checkatrade and look for a local independent. They will come to your house and bring samples. Is the the house you are moving from or to? if moving from...I would keep it simple.

If you are on a budget, IKEA has great neutral curtains which may not be a long term choice but their black out curtains are great value.

If you go to an independent curtain maker, they usually stock multiple suppliers so will have lots of fabrics to choose from.

For example, one of our local shops has links to six different fabric suppliers tricianewmansoftfurnishings.co.uk/ so if you went to someone local they would probably have a similar range.

They can help you pick something and some will even come and hang the curtains for you too.

I would recommend blinds2go for roman blinds - there are little photos once you pick a fabric to help you visualise how it would look, then they'll send you samples before you decide whether to order.

We have 3 months till we move north to our new place and we are trying project managing the build from London. So using a local interiors designer is out until we do the move (and then I will be busy with dc2s arrival). So wanted to get a head start on the style and potentially even the actual fabrics Id like.

Would love it if there was a site(s) with an enormous range that someone has used.