This is the strangest of times but, like many people, we have done a lot of DIY in our home. We
moved to our house just after getting married 14 years ago and after an initial burst of energy in our
first year we have done extraordinarily little since – largely a result of not knowing what to do with
the limited budget (that we had yet to save), three babies and a dog!
Fast forward a few years and some lockdowns and we now have the most wonderful self-build
extension to our kitchen. We have survived 18 months of living in a building site and finally it is
nearing completion. The reconfigured space has given me 4 sets of curtains to choose in different
rooms. These curtains are made with 4 different face fabrics, 4 different types of lining, 3 different
curtain heading styles and 4 types of pole/track.
Many of these decisions are subconscious as (some would say sadly) I think about these things every
day! However, that made me think it may be useful to talk through each of these choices to help
anybody confused by curtain options and jargon.
Room 1 – The family snug!
I discussed how the family selected the curtain face fabric in an earlier blog post – I am
absolutely delighted with our selection however that is where the family involvement ended – they
were not interested in the detail of how the curtains were to be made or hung!
Curtain track: Given the width of the curtain (3.5m) and the arched window (with no space between
the top of the window and the ceiling) a ceiling fixed track was the clear choice. I also wanted a
streamline track profile that would run smoothly and be almost invisible.
We were unable to fit a recess track in this room, as the ceiling joists were not level, so instead
opted for a silent gliss 6010 curtain track in white (to blend in with the ceiling). I am delighted as the
track is hardly noticeable and just looks like a small bead/alcatraive. In fact, the track helps cover a
poor join in the plasterboard between the ceiling and the stonework – definitely a win, win!
To aid the smooth running of the curtain (the window is 3.5m wide and a velvet fabric has been
selected) we specified roller gliders that would work with the 80mm wave heading (LINK to heading
style). Due to the unlevel ceiling we had to add some decorators calk in small gaps between the top
of the track and the ceiling. The result – a well fitted track, that runs smoothly, looks seamless and is
all ready for a beautiful curtain.
Curtain heading – In this room I opted for a single curtain to the left. It felt better balanced and less
fussy that a pair. To ensure the curtain stack (the space taken up by the curtain when open) was as
minimal as possible and to achieve a uniform, simple look I opted for a wave heading.
Originally, I specified a tieback for this curtain, but when the curtain was hanging, I actually liked the
fact that the leading edge bounced forward slightly as it meant you could see more of the beautiful
fabric design. If you prefer to keep the leading-edge tidy then you can fit a break to stop the front
glider running forward.
Based on our experience at County Fabrics I do have one warning about wave headings – don’t have
unrealistic expectations! Whilst selecting the right fabric for a wave heading is vital, if you want the
curtains to look perfect every day this will take training (a bit like my children!). Remember the
images in the magazines are dressed for hours by professionals! I hung my curtain and spent time
ensuring all the pleats were even. I then tied the curtain for 3 days.
Lining – we did not need to improve the thermal performance as the windows are new and I did not want to add to the bulk of what was already a big curtain. This room is located on the ground floor beside our front door. I therefore opted to use a plain silver fabric that just adds a little bit of sparkle when looking in from the outside!
