Curtains are the last thing that goes up in a room and the first thing a visitor notices is wrong. Too short, too narrow, hung too low, and an expensive fabric ends up looking like a bath towel pinned above the glass.
In brief
- Measure the pole, never the window, for fabric width.
- Check for cables and pipes before drilling above a frame.
- The right wall plug matters more than the price of the pole.
- Lined curtains cut summer heat gain, not just light.
Pole, track or tension rod: pick the fixing first
The fixing decides everything that follows, including how much fabric you need, so choose it before you fall in love with a print.
The classic pole
A pole on two or three brackets is cheap, quick and works with almost any header. It is also the version that ends up on the floor at three in the morning when heavy fabric meets a plasterboard wall and the wrong plug. Poles come in copper, brass, smooth or turned wood, and the finials at each end are a genuine decorative choice rather than an afterthought.
The track
A track carries small gliders on a channel, so the panels slide with one finger and stack neatly at the side. It is the office solution that deserves a place at home, especially for a wide bay or a heavy interlined pair. It is discreet by design, which is either the point or the drawback depending on your room.
Tension and adhesive rods
No drilling, no permission needed, and a strict weight limit. Perfect for a rented flat, a recess, or a light voile in a bathroom. Do not ask them to hold blackout velvet.
The measurements, in one table
These are the numbers I check on every window before touching a drill. They apply to a standard rectangular window with the pole fixed on the wall rather than inside the reveal.
| Measurement | Rule of thumb | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Pole width | Window width plus 15 to 20 cm on each side | The open panels sit on the wall, not on the glass, so the room keeps its daylight |
| Pole height | 10 to 15 cm above the frame, higher if the ceiling allows | Raising the pole lifts the whole wall visually and hides the top of the frame |
| Curtain length | To the sill, 25 cm below it, or just off the floor | Anything in between reads as a mistake rather than a choice |
| Fabric width | 1.5 to 2 times the pole length, per pair | Without that surplus the closed curtain is flat and lets light through at the folds |
| Hem allowance | Around 10 cm if you are shortening them yourself | A deep hem hangs straight and gives you room to let them down later |
Drilling: the five minutes that decide everything
Before the first hole, run a detector over the zone above the frame. Roller shutter boxes, feeds to an outside light and heating pipes all live exactly where curtain brackets want to go, and the coast has plenty of houses where nobody kept a plan of any of it.
Then match the plug to the wall. Solid masonry takes an ordinary plug and forgives a lot. Plasterboard needs a proper hollow wall anchor sized for the weight, not a plastic plug pushed into a hole that crumbles. Old lime plaster over rubble, common in village houses inland, tends to drill soft then hit stone, so start slowly and without hammer action.
Fix the brackets, level them across the full span rather than each one alone, and only then hang the fabric. On a pole longer than about 1.60 m, add a centre bracket: a sagging pole is the single most visible failure in this whole job.
Eyelets or hooks, and what each one costs you
Eyelets, the metal rings punched straight through the header, are the easiest to live with. You thread the pole through them and the job is done, provided you checked one thing at the shop: the pole diameter must pass through the ring with room to spare. Their folds are regular and slightly modern.
Hooks, whether on a pencil pleat tape or in a track glider, give a softer gathered top and let you adjust the drop by a couple of centimetres. They take longer to fit, and there are always more hooks than patience. Pick eyelets for a curtain you will open and close daily, hooks for one that mostly dresses the window.
What curtains do beyond looking good
A lined curtain is a piece of summer equipment on this coast. According to the US Department of Energy, medium coloured draperies with a white plastic backing can reduce heat gains by around 33 %, while conventional draperies drawn during cold weather reduce heat loss from a warm room by up to 10 %. The gain comes from the closed panel touching the wall at the sides and top, which is another argument for a generous pole.
The other local reality is fading. Southern light bleaches unlined fabric faster than anyone expects, particularly on strong dyes, so a lining is doing two jobs at once. If you sew, the same logic applies to the rest of the soft furnishing in the room, and making your own cushion covers is the easiest way to pick up the same fabric without buying three more metres of it.
Two questions I get every time
Inside the reveal or on the wall? Inside the reveal suits a deep window with a nice frame and a radiator underneath. On the wall suits everything else, and is the only way to gain the visual height described above.
Can I hang curtains without drilling at all? Yes, with a tension rod in a recess or an adhesive system, as long as you respect the stated load. Weigh the curtain first, wet fabric and a hem weight included, rather than trusting the look of it.
Curtains up, floor next
Once the window is dressed, the floor is usually the thing that dates the room. Two laminate ranges compared, without the showroom sales pitch.
Published on 18 August 2026. Source consulted in August 2026: US Department of Energy, Energy Saver, energy efficient window coverings.
