How wide are your curtain panels?

Katie&Dan

I have 2 questions: 

1.  If you have decorative drapery/curtain panels (ie they don't close, and they're hung over the moulding & drywall - not covering glass)... how wide are they?

I ask because I'm decorating my dining room.  There are two perfectly spaced & symmetrical windows facing out the front of the house, and a third window on the side of the house that's 10" from the corner (5" of wall & 5" of moulding).  

The Calico Corners person suggested I scrunch in my panels and make ALL SIX panels a measly 7" wide, so that they're identical on all three windows.  I thought this was crazy, but am I over-reacting?  I just assumed I'd hang the panels normally in 5 of the 6 places (at whatever width is standard, like 50" pleated down to 18"), and the panel in the corner would just be narrower (by using half the fabric) because there's less space.

2.  What would you do - have potentially too skinny drapes on all windows in an effort to make all the panels identical... or would you favor fuller panels, with one skinny one?

sratsey

How wide are the windows?

Katie&Dan

The windows themselves are 36" wide, with 4.5" of moulding on each side, for a total of 45".

TheBridesMom

I think it is more important the the two on the same wall look the same, than to make all three match exactly.

You could make them all the same size, but honestly, noone is going to be looking at all of them at the same time, so  it would probably look better to have the spacing of the pleats and fullness on that window make sense to you, since you are the one who will see them the most.

MisfitMe

Silly que, why would you want curtains that don't cover the windows?

sratsey

Katie&Dan:

The windows themselves are 36" wide, with 4.5" of moulding on each side, for a total of 45".

In that case I'd buy standard width panels (54") and scrunch them down.

As a PP mentioned, I'd be more inclined to match the windows on the same wall.

I'm in the process of doing my family room and I have two sets of windows that are on corners.  The distance from wall to window casing is 13 inches.

I asked the drapery guy I'm using about making 1/2 width panels and his reply was:

Pleated panels can be scrunched down to 12" or less very easily.  I always recommend full widths - 1/2 widths tend to look like a shoestring, especially on longer windows.

 

sratsey

MisfitMe:

Silly que, why would you want curtains that don't cover the windows?

I like to use fabric to dress a window, even if it's not functional.

Example:

 

 

TarHeels&Rebels

I'm with you and disagree with the Calico lady.  I've had to scrunch a curtain tighter in a couple spots over the years and I've always fluffed the others normally and left the one next to the wall small.  

 In fact, this lady's recommendation would make me want to ask to work with a different associate. She really thinks 7" all around is the right answer? Normally they're good there (I've met retired professional designers who work there), but like anywhere, sometimes you get somebody who doesn't know anything. 

katharine25

To me, it looks out of proportion and just plain skimpy if the panels aren't at least as wide enough to actually fully close, regardless if your going to use the for functionor not.  At a minimum each panel should be at least 1/2 the width of a window so the two panels closed lie flat (termed 50% fullness) ideally a minimal look will be at 80%, where each panel is 80% of the entire window span width. Traditionally each panel is the full width  of the window (100%) but this is overkill is you want a more contemporary look, especially if you aren't going to close them.  If you want more window exposer, the brackets get placed further away from the windows increasing the span, so when the drapes fall the just barely cover any of the window.

foreignroyalty

I agree with the pp that they look cheap if they aren't functional/close properly. Drapery width is usually at least twice the width of the window for fullness- whether or not you ever close them... wouldn't that look bizarre to have a only meter width of fabric on each side of a larger window?? Also, in that photo I also think those stumpy dowels look bizarre... is there any way you can get a full width  (across the whole window) dowel instead, and just not close the drapes if you so wish? The piecey nature of it is so distracting from the overall dimensions of the window... I've seen these things in hotels and I understand from a cost/cleaning perspective why they do it but it's odd looking. JMO.

Katie&Dan

I'm definitely using the rods that go across the whole window (I agree the stumpy ones look weird), but I do want them to be just decorative.  I already have nice honeycomb shades on the windows (the most energy-conserving choice for my drafty windows), so i don't need them to close - they're just adding color and formality to the room.