Oatmeal Linen Curtains | Our New Drapes for the Living Room

Hello Friends!!

If you caught our Fall Home Tour last week – the first fall home tour in our new home, then you may have noticed our NEW curtains in our living room. While I haven’t shared a mood board design plan for our new living room yet, I’ve mentioned the mood and inspiration that I’m designing our living room around. A space with warmth, and a touch relaxed, but exudes all the cozy elegance of a cottage from the english countryside. A blend of relaxed linens with a timeless heirloom feel. Not too stiff, but a nod to the formal traditions found in English estates. Personally, I’m not sure if that really make sense to other people, but when I close my eyes I can envision exactly the type of space I want our living room to look and feel. I’ve always been a BIG encourager in the power drapes can make in a space, and these new oatmeal linen curtains we hung last weekend in our living room prove just that. So today I’m sharing all the details on the new drapes in our living room, along with some of my thoughts on how to go about choosing curtains.

Let’s Dive In ~

**Thank you to Wovn Home for collaborating with me on our new curtains in our living room. **

I know choosing window treatments can be hard. Trust me I get it, there are so many options to consider. What style fabric to choose, and at what length. And how high and how wide do I hang my curtain rods. Do I use curtain rings with eyelets or clips? Do you hang curtains with a valance or no valance? And what about shades? Do you see what I mean? The options are endless, but there are a few things that I like to ask myself first to help me narrow down my selection.

First what room are you deciding on window treatments for? That answer alone can help you navigate which type of window treatments to even choose. You wouldn’t choose floor length curtains for a mudroom or bathroom per se. Roman shades and woven blinds are often best in those types of spaces to help add texture (and privacy), without getting dirty on the ground.

I often get asked how long curtains should be, and I always aim to hang mine so they are resting just slightly on the floor. Of course mine have been a little longer than that at times, and there is something so romantic to the look of drapes that pool on the floor. But again, depending on the room or space you are hanging curtains in, will depict the look you are after, which will help you determine the right length.

What you hang your curtains on will also depict the length of curtains you need as well. I think we have all seen the image of the Do’s & Dont’s for hanging curtains, and how hanging drapes either on the window trim, or close to it will make the overall look of your room feel smaller. Depending on the space between your windows, I typically hang my curtain rods 2″-4″ above the window frame, and anywhere from 4″-8″ past the window frame on either side. Again – if you have windows that are closer together you will want to adjust these measurements, but high & wide is what I always shoot for.

For our new Living Room we had a few factors to consider before throwing up curtain rods. First, I knew to compliment the design I was going for, that I would be hanging our drapes with curtain rings. So before the first screw went in, we attached one curtain with the curtain rings onto the curtain rod, and then held it up to get the exact height and placement we would need. While I held the curtain rod with one curtain panel attached in place, my husband marked where the brackets would go. This helped us get the exact curtain rod placement we would need so the curtains could hang at just the right height.

Once our first curtain rod bracket was in place, he then made a template, so that all the remaining hardware brackets would be identical. It’s a quick step to ensure that all your curtains are hung at exactly the same height and width.

For our new living room, I chose these French Curtain Rods in Gray, from Target, with a curved end detail. To me they resembled some of that European detail I was wanting, and also felt they looked a little more custom in my mind. I found the curtain rings with eyelets in Pewter on Amazon HERE, which is the type of curtain rings you want when you are hanging drapes with drapery pins – not clips! Curtain rings with clips are meant for curtains that you clip to the top of the curtain to hang them.

I knew for a living room I wanted our curtains to feel a little more formal, since our furniture has a relaxed vibe with the slipcovers. I knew if I wanted longevity with these curtains, that for me that meant sticking with a solid fabric in a neutral color. No patterns, or anything that I would grow tired of in 5 years. I chose Oatmeal Linen Drapes with a Euro pleat from Wovn Home, because it helps add in some of that European elegance I was wanting.

I know I have shared my love for linen before, because it has a relaxed feel to it, but also carries so much natural texture, which also has the added benefit of bringing warmth into a space. They literally hug the room, and make our entire living room feel so cozy. Depending on what your budget allows, you have to view curtains as a statement piece, almost as much as your living room furniture would be. While they don’t physically take up a lot of room, visually they are the grounding element that will complete your space.

While real linen hasn’t always been in my budget, I stick to fabrics that are natural. Cotton, or linen cotton blends are my go-to’s, and I stay away from anything that is polyester or too shiny. When your budget allows, go for the real deal, you will never be disappointed, and it really can help elevate the look and feel of your entire space.

I think sometimes window treatments don’t get the attention they deserve, as this often overlooked detail can instantly transform the mood and feel of a space. More times than not when I would help design clients, the number one issue that would instantly help fix their space was the right kind of window treatments. I tell you that not to feel overwhelmed in picking them out, but more to help you see just how much power curtains hold.

Here is a Before & After look at just how impactful hanging curtains in our living room is.

They are one of my go-to layers to add in every room, and once you know a few of the basic details, you will be picking out curtains with confidence in no time!

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