Installing Curtains on an Off Centre Window

I’ve recently made a pair of interlined curtains for a front entrance hall where the window is not centred in the wall.

The left hand side of the window has 21 cm of available wall space, but

on the right hand side there is only 9 cm of wall.

As the curtains were to be hung on a pole this raised a fabrication and installation difficulty because we were not using a pelmet or valance to hide the difference in the wall spaces.

So we had two options.

Option 1:

We could fabricate completely symmetrical curtains and install the pole centred on the window so that the brackets were an equal distance from the centre on both sides.  This would mean that an identical amount of window glazing would be covered by the curtain and the installation would be quick and easy.

Option 2:

We could fabricate asymmetrical curtains and install the pole brackets so that an equal amount of wall space was visible between the finial and the side walls.

Not being one to do almost anything the easy way, I chose Option 2!

To install the pole we first installed the bracket on the right hand side (the side with the smallest available wall space).  We then calculated the amount of visible space and using this measurement worked out exactly where the left hand side bracket needed to be placed.

Without the curtains hanging this arrangement looks a little odd, but I was using the curtains to create the “illusion” that the window was truly centred in the wall.

However, because I was taking more of the curtain to the left hand side wall this meant that the left curtain would cover less glazing than the right curtain which could result in the window looking unbalanced and the illusion failing.

To overcome this I “played” with the spacing between the triple pleats for the right hand curtain.  I increased the size of the spaces on the outer edge side of the curtain and reduced those on the inner side so that the curtain appears fuller and heavier on the outside to balance the look of the left hand curtain.  Additionally, by reducing the inner spaces less of the window glazing is covered which matches the look of the left curtain.

These are photos of the finished heading and full length of the curtains.

You’d never know that the window was not in the centre of the wall.

Curtain Tiebacks or Holdbacks - Traditional and Contemporary Approaches Part 2

A Contemporary Twist

A more contemporary approach is to use a less structured tieback in a contrast fabric to the

main curtains. This gives a more relaxed, less formal feel.

Soft, feminine and informal - a piece of the curtain fabric with a contrast pink ruffle. This tieback is easy to use on a daily basis.

Using Hardware Holdbacks

Using hardware holdbacks can be a lovely and dramatic statement.

The pairing of the holdbacks and the finials in this scheme adds elegance to the overall look. Although the hardware is not large and imposing the window treatment as a whole is very dramatic with the silk lining and the grand sweeping drape of the curtains.

This pole shaped holdback has very clean, modern lines but it is softened with the use of the luxurious silk and the soft drape of the curtain.

Ombres are a lovely choice. They are very easy to use on a daily basis as the curtain is just placed behind the “arms”. There is huge selection of styles available on the market from which to choose and often are found in ranges thus enabling curtain poles, brackets and finials to all match with the ombre.

Clip Holdbacks

Easy to use Clip Holdbacks are quite effective. They don’t need any installation and are usually quite reasonably priced.

They are available in a range of sizes to suit the curtain they are intended to hold back. This one is quite large since the curtain is full and a lot of fabric is being gathered into it.

This is another example of a clip holdback with a bright sunflower as the feature.

Increasingly more modern forms of tiebacks are becoming popular.

The coffee coloured curtain in this photo has been wrapped with a contrast colour of the same fabric and knotted at the bottom. This curtain is intended as a dress curtain not a traversing one sothe tieback is an integral part of the design.

This is another example of a knot being used but here the knot is actually the tieback. Again this is just a dress curtain -

there is a pair of traversing curtains behind.

Tiebacks may be very simple affairs.

This tieback is just a very simple piece of cord - colour matched to the curtain of course.

Here a piece of the curtain fabric has been sewn into a rectangular strip which is tied around the curtain. The striped fabric makes this quite effective.

Similarly, in this example a strip of the curtain fabric has been made into a long band but this time it has been gathered which gives the rather frilly effect. Wrapping the tie around the curtain twice adds extra substance to a light weight curtain.

This is a very simple band of curtain fabric which has been wrapped around the curtain to draw the curtain back from the window to allow the stunning view to take centre stage. Placing thevertical strip horizontally across the curtain gives the curtain a real “waist”.

Nothing could be more simple than this. A lovely satin ribbon tied beautifully around a pair of light curtains. The smiley face says it all!

Another option is to use a range of different materials and textures.

Here very large bright red twisted cord has been paired with a textured blue curtain. The effect is very contemporary and stunning.

For this window treatments leather has been used to make the tiebacks and tab top headings. Much about this window treatment is unusual but the overall scheme works.

Then there is the practical tieback or holdback.

Using the holdback bar on this dormer window prevents the curtain from hanging loosely away from the window. The curtain is not intended to be drawn but just to add some privacy. Note how the sheer helps to draw the eye away from the radiator but will not affect the heat flow into the room.

And finally, there is the “Just Beautiful”

A handmade flower to use as a tieback. In this example the colour of the flower and the curtains tone beautifully but the flower really stands out against the sheer linen curtains. In practical terms though this is probably not one to be handled every day.