Short curtains, that is, not exceeding the size of the window bay, are not the most common element of the interior. However, they are worth paying attention to, because they allow you to create an interesting and unique design solution.
Short curtains are practical and functional, and due to their short length they often become the central element of the living room interior.
What is the main difference between short curtains and long drapes?
First of all, practicality. In addition, shortened curtains can be made in the form of a pair of curtains that conveniently open the window to let more daylight into the room. Moreover, the main curtains can be on the floor.
In most cases, the choice of housewives falls on short curtains for the kitchen if the space below the window sill is occupied by a set or household appliances. Short curtains fit very harmoniously into any interior.
In living rooms they are used as an addition to multilayer structures for window decoration.
Types of shortened curtains for the hall
The following types of shortened models are suitable for the living room. For greater clarity, we have selected photos for each type of window design.
Classic. Short curtains for the hall of a classic straight cut with light lambrequins, gathers and tiebacks. For a living room in Provence or country style, such curtains are favorites, and textiles selected for them for additional decor will complete and further fill the atmosphere of the living room with homely warmth and comfort. For strictly and dry high-tech, short curtains are a very unusual and risky solution. And if you decide to take such a serious step, then be extremely careful. Products made of heavy satin, taffeta with a metallic sheen are what are suitable for such a cynical and indifferent style.
Roman. A lifesaver for those who don’t know what to hang on the windows in the living room. Universal lifting curtains for any interior. If there is one wide window in the living room, then we advise you to hang the same wide canvas on it; it will not divide the opening into parts and thereby reduce its size. Such curtains will perfectly protect from annoying sun rays and prying eyes. Materials of different densities will provide different degrees of illumination in the hall.
Roman blinds the width of the entire window can visually expand the walls of the living room
Rolled. Despite their austere appearance, roller blinds are popular when decorating windows in the living room. Unlike blinds, they look much more solid and are more practical in use. You can choose plain or patterned roller blinds for your living room. Dark ones will protect well from the penetration of sunlight, and light ones will beautifully diffuse it around the room.
Olive roller blinds protect from excess light and also fit harmoniously into a bright interior
English. At the same time, strict and romantic short-cut curtains are suitable for living rooms in English and classic styles. These are lift-type curtains; when lowered, they look like a rectangular smooth canvas. When lifted, it gathers in uniform folds. Such curtains are sewn from dense, heavy materials, so they, like Roman ones, will serve as excellent protection from unnecessary light.
Large checkered English curtains are a stylish solution for decorating windows in the living room in the same English style
French. If your living room looks like a royal hall and the furniture and decor here are distinguished by their luxury and high cost, then lush French curtains will incredibly complement such an interior with their beauty. They are lush, symmetrical rows of folds from top to bottom. To make such unusual curtains, transparent fabrics such as voile, organza or light silk are used.
French white curtains look very elegant and create a festive atmosphere
Color block Modern fashion trend curtains in color block style. These are curtains that are sewn by combining several types of fabrics of different colors. It looks very unusual and stylish in an Art Nouveau style living room.
Curtains in the Color Block style are suitable for a living room in a modern modern style
The advantages of short curtains
They give free access to the window. In addition, short curtains do not block the heating system, which allows you to maintain the optimal temperature in the room. It is much easier to care for short curtains and drapes because they are less susceptible to contamination.
If the housewife decides to sew such curtains to order, less fabric will be suitable for their production. Due to this, the products will cost less.
Advantages and disadvantages of short curtains
They are lighter and easier to wash. It's very practical. In addition, it is worth using several sets of curtains in turn to decorate the windows of the room.
Not all of them have to be short. When you get tired of hanging long curtains, you should change them to light ones. This is more appropriate in summer.
If roller shutters, blinds of any type, Roman or Japanese blinds are used as curtains, they are even easier to care for. It is enough to wipe them with a dry or damp sponge, depending on the manufacturer’s recommendations, and do not wash them at all, since the fabrics have a special dustproof impregnation.
Flaws:
- Do not cover the old battery under a window.
- Low ceilings in rooms with short curtains are not harmonious.
- If your window has a narrow opening, they don't look right.
Curtains to the window sill in the sleeping room
Short curtains for the bedroom are an excellent solution when decorating non-standard window openings. Often in private households they are made in the shape of an arch, a triangle, or too narrow, wide, or round.
In this option, you should choose a curtain made of thick fabric and sew neat short curtains, adjusting them to the size and other parameters of the window.
Examples of unusual short curtains in living room design
If you want to get a more unusual option, you can not only combine different shapes and decorations, but also modernize them. For example, you can use the following options:
- Curtains in the form of a wide, intricately twisted ribbon. They are most often made of light translucent fabric.
- Long, 30-40 cm lambrequins. They are made from dense material, such as calico, satin or jacquard. Moreover, they are decorated with bows, folds, tassels and other elements.
- A short tulle lambrequin in the living room right up to the window sill. It consists of transparent soft waves that fall neatly. Moreover, such curtains can be asymmetrical, two- and three-color, multi-layered.
When striving for an unusual result, it is important not to overdo it. It is necessary to design the curtain composition based on the overall interior of the living room. For example, if the room has wallpaper with a large pattern, then it is better to choose curtains of a single color or with an ornament that exactly repeats the ornament of the walls.
What else can you think of for the bedroom?
Short, lightweight curtains or tulle will perfectly complement roller blinds that are attached directly to the frame on the glass. The canvas is quite dense, so if necessary, it can be used to reliably drape the window from the penetration of excess light. An excellent solution for a night's rest.
The design of short curtains can also be reminiscent of Austrian curtains. They combine French and Roman variants, presented in one form. For spacious rooms, the idea of arranging a long curtain with shortened drapes is perfect.
Application area
Curtains for the office are selected based not only on the design of the room. When choosing, you need to consider where exactly they will hang.
In government institutions
Office design in government agencies usually involves modest costs. Therefore, when choosing curtains, they are often guided by their cost. For example, curtains for a school office (photo below) can be in the form of paper blinds - vertical or horizontal. Their main function is sun protection, so short options are often chosen.
If we are talking about the office of the head of a government agency, then inexpensive curtains in discreet colors will do.
Medical office
If the main function of interior items in a school is sun protection, then in medical offices it is important to create a calm and relaxing atmosphere. Curtains for physiotherapy rooms should be pastel shades.
Translucent fabrics are best for a medical office. However, you need to choose materials that will not allow you to see from the street what is happening inside. This is especially important if the room is on the ground floor.
For home
Home style suggests some relaxation. When designing an office for a man or woman, you can take into account the personal tastes of the owner. However, it is important to understand that the home office environment should still create a work environment.
Therefore, the design of the curtains must correspond to the basic style. In the photo you can see basic examples of what a home office can look like. You can use brighter colors here if they are in harmony with the rest of the design.
Short curtains for the kitchen
From the photo of short curtains you can evaluate interesting ideas for using this option in the kitchen in modern interior solutions. Moreover, designers advise moving away from the classics, using the styles “minimalism,” “romantic,” “high-tech,” “modern,” and “loft.”
Short curtains fully comply with the safety precautions that must be observed in the kitchen. In addition, short fabrics are easier to wash and iron; they do not require the purchase of bulky fastening systems.
Note!
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Short curtains for the kitchen are made from mesh materials; blinds with vertical slats are also acceptable. Housewives often choose horizontal aluminum blinds for kitchen windows, which are attached directly to the window frame.
The preferred fabrics are cotton, linen, chiffon, and other natural materials, which are supplemented in production with synthetic threads for greater strength, practicality and wear resistance.
Useful design tips
- If you prefer minimalism, curtains can be the main striking element that will highlight the style.
- To properly drape curtains, you need to take a responsible approach to calculating the quantity and size of the material.
- The right solution would be to use curtains with synthetic impurities for the kitchen, as they repel grease and dust. If you prefer natural materials that can be washed frequently, linen is your best bet.
Window decoration in children's rooms
Short curtains for a child's room are no less practical than for the kitchen or bedroom. Children often tug on curtains or accidentally step on long curtains. Shortened versions of window draperies will not allow them to be damaged, wrinkled or pulled down.
Varieties of shortened tulle
Currently, manufacturers produce a huge variety of short tulle curtains. They are made from organza, voila or mesh.
Let's look at some of them:
- 1. Direct sewing tulle. Easy to assemble and decorated with a variety of elements.
- 2. Tulle cafe. The cornice is mounted not at the top, but in the middle of the window opening, and in this case only the lower part of the window is closed.
- 3. Roman. They are assembled from the bottom up, by applying folds one on one.
- 4. English. When lowered, they simply look like a hanging canvas. They are lifted using 2 cords, forming wavy folds.
- 5. Austrian. Similar to English tulle, but when lifted they form small, neat gathers.
- 6. French. Consist of vertical stripes.
- 7. Turkish. Made from luxurious textiles with gold accents. 8. Lambrequin. Hangs under the eaves. Used in combination with various types of blinds.
Types of mini curtains
Manufacturers offer a huge number of options for shortened curtains not only for kitchen windows, but also for bedrooms and even living rooms. They are always popular, but this year they are especially relevant. Short curtains look stylish and fit perfectly into all types of interiors.
Choosing a color palette for short curtains
When choosing the color of curtains, you should take into account not only personal preferences, but also:
- the color of the wall decoration, which should differ by one or two tones;
- the color of furniture, the shades of which can be repeated in curtains;
- colors of fabric decorative elements, the tone of which can be played up in curtains.
In the case when the interior is built on a combination of shades of white, white curtains look very unusual, as if dissolving in space.
The color of the curtains largely depends on the overall color scheme of the room.
Bright curtains are used when they want to highlight a window and draw attention to it
Short curtains are a rather unusual detail in the design of a living room. But if you manage to harmoniously match them to the overall interior, then they will become a real highlight of any room.
"Stagecoach"
A type of Swedish roller blind. Why are these draperies called "Stagecoach"? Reminiscent of the edging of carriage windows. A strong rail is attached to the bottom of the structure, and ribbons are sewn to the top. The curtain must be rolled into a roll by hand, then secured with tapes.
Why Swedish? The back and front sides of these products are of different but similar colors, like classic Swedish curtains. Curtains in the Stagecoach style are used to decorate non-standard windows and doorways.
Note!
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Fashionable classics
A necessary condition for creating an office interior is to create a business-like and comfortable atmosphere in it, designed to enhance the work spirit of visitors and not distract the owner of the room from his important activities.
Typically, offices are decorated in a classic style. The respectability of its owner will be emphasized by high-quality and solid furniture, curtains made of high-quality materials, a comfortable leather sofa and armchairs. Textiles are rarely used in the design of such rooms, so curtains are designed to enliven a simple interior and create fashionable accents.
It is better to make curtains in such a room straight, without draperies or swags. Tiebacks made of contrasting fabric, as well as cords with tassels, are acceptable. Metal curly tiebacks look great and increase the ease of use of curtains.
The color range of curtains is quite varied, but preference should be given to shades close to natural: beige, brown, sand, terracotta. It’s good if the curtains are a few tones brighter than the wallpaper, and the shadow curtains are a couple of tones lighter. An excellent solution would be a combination of curtains in two contrasting colors.
The most popular prints for classic curtains today are all kinds of vertical patterns. Both fantasy interlacing lines and strict elongated rhombuses with floral patterns inside look interesting.
Short curtains "Cafe"
This is an example of country and retro styles. The cord on which the short panel of the “Cafe” curtain is attached is located exactly in the middle of the window. This budget option was adopted by the owners of eateries and other catering establishments back in the century before last.
In a modern design, “Cafe” curtains are complemented with floor-length curtains or lambrequins.
Mounting methods
The method of attaching the curtains depends on the choice of residents and the type of crossbar. If you choose the wrong method, you can ruin the entire design, and even luxurious curtains will look bad.
What you should pay attention to when choosing a mounting method:
- general style of the room;
- cornice type;
- tissue density.
It is necessary to consider whether the option will be strict or unpretentious. The need for lambrequins. The panel will remain straight or lie in elegant vertical folds.
Where to attach the cornice
A huge role is played by the presence of drywall and the sufficiency of the area for placing the wall cornice.
Places for fixing the cornice:
- on the wall;
- on the ceiling.
One of the advantages of ceiling installation is the ability to extend the room upward. But you should choose this option only if it is impossible to install a wall model of the plank.
If the cornice is mounted on the ceiling, then only the curtain tape and hooks will be available. And panels on the drawstring can only be hung on a tubular one.
Types of cornices
The choice of cornice plays a big role.
Some of the options are quite cheap, but the installation and installation of others will be quite expensive, although their decorative functions are higher.
In appearance, cornices are:
- round;
- baguette;
- string;
- profile;
- rail.
Each type has advantages and disadvantages. They must be taken into account when selecting.
Fastenings
Different types of curtains require individual selection of fastenings.
To make the right choice, you need to pay attention to the interior style and fabric features. Therefore, there are almost always restrictions. If you comply with the requirements, then everything will look beautiful and harmonious.
Types of fastenings:
- Ties. It is better to make curtains from material, although you can also use tulle or braid. Their use is limited and they are not suitable for all types of design. Classic or rustic is best.
- Loops. They are a universal mounting option. They are made blind or with a clasp. Made to match the curtains. Large ones can be decorated with appliqués.
- Eyelets. Holds fabric of any density. The top edge is not deformed.
- Kuliska. Outwardly it looks like a pocket through which a bar is passed. Excellent for light, weightless fabrics.
- Braid. It is also called curtain tape. It is attached to the wrong side of the models, allowing you to control their width.
- Rings. They were extremely popular in Soviet times. Relevant for tubular cornices.
- Magnets. Used as an alternative to hooks. Most suitable for string cornice. They can be invisible or brightly decorative.
- Clips, hooks, clothespins. Made from metal or plastic. But they are gradually moving away, as they have an unpleasant drawback: they spoil the fabric.
Roman curtains
These are simple designs that create beautiful folds of fabric when opened. Roman blinds are often short, so as not to create the impression of bulkiness with a large number of falling folds.
If these curtains are made from lightweight fabrics - chiffon, guipure, fine mesh - they look great on the windows of kitchens and bedrooms. Roman draperies are used in “minimalism” and “classic” styles.
Less often, designers advise using them to drape the windows of rooms in the “Provence” and “eclectic” styles. “Provence” is too simple for such curtains, but in “eclecticism”, on the contrary, more complex structures are used.
Photo gallery
There are vivid examples of how vertical office blinds or other curtain options can look in a classic office, as well as in home interiors. We offer you to look at popular and widespread design photos.
English curtains
They are similar to Roman curtains, but with the only difference that the English versions do not use lifting mechanisms. They are replaced by long cords or ribbons, which are used to tie the curtains in order to conveniently fix them at the desired height.
In a shortened version, English curtains perfectly drape the windows of living rooms and bedrooms.
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Features of choice
Curtains, like any other piece of furniture in a room, you need to know how to choose the right ones. A small window needs proper decoration much more than its larger counterparts, and the cost of a mistake is quite high.
If you look at the photos of small curtains, you will notice that most of them are plain. This is done because in this case the curtains will make the window opening visually larger, which is especially important for small windows.
In addition, you should avoid small decorative elements that will make the curtain fabric noticeably heavier to perceive - this technique works fine with large windows, but not with small ones.
If we talk about size, then small curtains appeared for a reason - a narrow but long floor-length curtain on a small window will not only look unattractive, but completely tasteless.
If you have to work with a small window, then you should stay within its boundaries, or almost within them. The thing is that if we want to make the window visually larger, we can not only choose a light-colored fabric, but also take slightly larger curtains, in all directions, to create the illusion that the window is larger than it actually is.
At the same time, we will also need a larger cornice, without which it is impossible to install curtains for small windows, as well as for any others, or almost any.
Don't pass by the options with lambrequin. The use of a lambrequin in the design of curtains makes the entire structure a little larger and wider, but only visually, and with them the window itself.
Physically, we can’t do it anymore, but why not create the impression of such an effect.
French shortened curtain designs
When you open such curtains, you get a lot of small folds. They are visible even when closed. When gathered in height, these curtains look very impressive.
To create beautiful scallops, when sewing French curtains you need a lot of fabric. Due to this, they can cost a little more than standard curtains and curtains.
However, if you choose lightweight materials: chiffon, organza, mesh, you can reduce the cost, and such designs do not look so bulky.
Principles of fabric selection
Some models may look good in photos, but quickly lose their appeal. Therefore, you need to pay attention to the material from which they are made. The fabric must meet several criteria:
- let light through, but at the same time protect from the sun (so that the eyes are not overstrained either from excess lighting or from lack of light);
- convenient adjustment of the lighting level (to protect the computer screen from glare);
- antistatic properties (so that dust, which can be a lot in the office, does not settle on the surface, and the surface is easy to clean).
Photos of short curtains
Short tulle for the nursery
A children's room is a special place where mystery and tranquility constantly reign. Curtains with a shortened plan will fit here just right. This will help free up free space for games and other interesting activities that your child will definitely be able to occupy himself with. By using short tulle on the window, you can place a desk, chest of drawers, or place your favorite toys nearby. Besides all this, a short curtain for a children's room is the safest. Because while playing, a child can step on it or get entangled in it.
Straight, Austrian, Roman, and English curtains are most often used in a children's room. When choosing a short tulle option for a girl’s nursery, take a closer look at the French curtains.
When choosing a short version of curtains for any room, it is important to understand their purpose and evaluate the parameters. Shortened tulles can both decorate a room and ruin the appearance of the interior. Such tulles are suitable exclusively for small rooms. In large rooms they can only be used in combination with thick long curtains.
