2 min readPictured Above: This living room was designed by Dana Ferraro of Molly Patton Design.
Having large windows is most often a blessing in one’s home. They invite in so much sunlight and frame the scenery just beyond the house, making that view part of the interior design.
Of course, with big windows, the curtains, blinds, or shades needed to cover up that view when privacy is needed must run on the larger side, as well. And for interior designer Bunny Williams, nothing takes her out of a design moment more than the stark transition (or lack thereof) between curtain and wall.
In the latest episode of House Beautiful’s video series, The Next Issue, Director of Special Projects Carisha Swanson sits down with Williams, design journalist Michael Boodro, and designer Courtnay Tartt Elias of Creative Tonic Design to discuss the mistakes many people (themselves included) have made regarding the design of their homes.
One rule that’s come out of Williams’s years of experience designing homes is this: “If you've got a huge window in a room, make that curtain be like the walls.”
When designing a ski house for a client, Williams explains that they loved a certain big-print fabric.
“I put it on the bed, and I put the fabric on the window,” she says. “Well, of course, when you close the window with the curtains, it was like this patterned wall.” She doesn’t want that wall of drapes to become the star of the room every time the window is covered, unless that’s the intention.
“To this day, if I have big windows, I treat them like the color of the room,” she adds, and it’s a great way to approach the window treatments in one’s own home. The same way that the landscape outside affects the look and feel of the interior, the curtains do the same.”
Take a page from Williams’s book and choose long curtains that match the color of the walls to create a unified look, as in the nursery above. Designer Minnette Jackson chose a similar blue for the window treatments in her son’s bedroom as the Phillip Jeffries wallcovering, resulting in a consistent tone whether the curtains are closed or not.
Or, of course, you can also treat your closed curtains like an accent wall, adding more depth and texture to the room. In the above room by Ramsay Nye, the floor-to-ceiling windows line the entire wall, so the designer designed custom curtains in a vibrant pattern to display when closed and provide a pop of playfulness when open.
As long as you choose your curtains with their “closed” look at the top of mind, then you can ensure the room will look composed and complete, no matter what.
