Your choice of curtains can transform the aesthetic of your home, creating a welcoming and appealing space. And knowing how to choose curtain colors is vital to making the right choice. But, what are the popular curtain colors?
Although you’ll see many images of professionally decorated interiors without curtains or drapes—keeping it minimal—these items are essential for lived-in homes.
Curtains make a room look tailored and complete while adding color, softness, and warmth.
The most popular curtains colors are nature-inspired green and earth tones. Black is also trending. White, gray, and navy are timeless, never dating. Match your curtain color to the walls, an item of furniture, or a rug, or update a room with contrasting curtains and some smaller decor accents.
Curtains are a relatively pricey decor item, so you’ll want to choose the right color. Plenty of information is available about measuring rods and panels, choosing black-out fabrics, and selecting the best soundproof drapes.
Considering colors seems a little frivolous, but your choice of curtain color can transform and complete a room’s design, creating a welcoming and appealing space. What are the most popular trending curtain colors?
How to Choose a Curtain Color
I recommend choosing a color that flows from your home’s or particular room’s color palette. This means you can leave curtains as one of the last decor items you buy. Still, before making this expensive purchase, answer the following questions:
- What mood do you want to create? Are the curtains for a serene bedroom or a dramatic dining room?
- Do you want toning curtains that anchor a neutral or monochrome color scheme?
- Do you want contrasting curtains to brighten up a room?
- Have you fallen in love with a gorgeous curtaining fabric that will inspire the entire design and take center stage? In this case, you buy the curtains and design the room from there.
What are Trending Curtain Colors?
This season’s design trends continue the biophilic approach: home decor inspired by the natural world. I love this philosophy as it reminds us that the choices we make in our homes are not just aesthetic. Care for the environment and sustainability are essential for our future.
The colors associated with this trend are natural. So let’s see which are trending curtain colors and how to incorporate these into your decor.
#1. Green
Sometimes called “nature’s neutral,” shades of green dominate current fashion in clothes and decor. Update a monochrome interior by adding green curtains, picking up the lush leafy color in throws and pillows.
Or take your color cue from an existing item of furniture, highlighting whatever green you have.
I was lucky enough to have a gorgeous length of green fabric I’d hoarded for years. I finally took it out and had two ottomans covered, and I only had to invest in green curtains to be right on trend.
Choose muted sage green if you love neutral interiors, with layers of beige, ivory, and white. This exquisite color is tranquil and perfect for bedrooms and living rooms alike.
A deep forest green is a beautiful choice for a more dramatic interior. For example, add jewel green curtains to an eclectic scheme with lots of mustard and orange. Also, use this rich color to update a gray, white, and black palette.
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Olive Green Linen Boho Curtains for Living Room
Joydeco Dark Green Velvet Curtains
#2. Earth Tones
The lush colors of clay, stone, and earth are everywhere, including in curtaining. The appeal of tan, brown, terracotta, and beige lies in layering tones, creating a rich, warm color palette.
Can I urge you to consider the darker earth tones this season? Chocolatey brown and spicy terracotta are also earth tones and add depth to sad beige rooms.
Exploit this color trend by choosing ombre curtains, where the colors bleed into one another. This watercolor effect adds texture to your room, especially if you match one of the ombre shades to the wall color.
Alternatively, go for gentle stripes of earthy shades for fresh, beach-house chic. The curtains add subtle interest to enhance the organic shades in the rest of your room.
MIULEE Chocolate Brown Linen CurtainsDWCN Ombre Blackout Curtains
#3. Black
For the longest time, black was on the list of colors to avoid when decorating your home—we were warned about oppressive colors and low moods.
But decorators go where angels fear to tread and proved that black interiors are dramatic, cozy, and utterly luxurious. (I still haven’t convinced my family that an all-black bathroom is workable, though.)
If painting your walls black is too overwhelming, hop on the black bandwagon with fabulous black curtains. Black is incredibly versatile and looks elegant when part of an otherwise neutral color scheme.
Black curtains look amazing in monochrome schemes, industrialist interiors, and even organic modern palettes with exposed brickwork, reclaimed wood, and feathery plants.
What are Timeless Curtain Colors?
The best decorating advice I ever received was not to slavishly follow fads but rather to choose classic decor and ring the changes seasonally. Choosing curtains in timeless colors creates an elegant backdrop for a room, which you can tweak as you wish.
#4. White
Yes, they’re high maintenance in terms of keeping them sparklingly clean—especially in a home with pets and children—but white curtains are consistently elegant, fresh, and charming.
Choose floaty sheer whites for a romantic, relaxed feel in a Boho or coastal living room where you don’t need to block out the light. Allow the fabric to billow from extra-high rods to create the illusion of height and space.
Crisp white linen or cotton curtains add farmhouse charm and look sophisticated in a contemporary dining room.
White curtains match any aesthetic and color palette, so they’re a safe option however you plan to decorate.
White Linen CurtainsVISIONTEX White Sheer Voile Curtains
#5. Gray
Gray has been number one on the trending colors list for the past few years. I’ve moved it to the classic list as its appeal has proven to be enduringly popular.
Gray curtains are attractive because, like white curtains, they’re cool, contemporary, and versatile. Light gray curtains, especially, are elegant and add serenity to a cool color palette.
Darker gray curtains, ranging from thunderstorm to charcoal, are more dramatic but remain more formal and acceptable than inky black. Add dark gray curtains instead of white to infuse your room with glamor.
Gray works with most color palettes, so it is ideal if you like to make seasonal changes. For example, gray tones beautifully with uber-trendy greens and browns.
OWENIE Gray Sheer CurtainsBGment Grey Curtains
Blue is enduringly popular for interiors and never goes out of style. I’ve selected navy blue as the most timeless blue shade.
Navy is an incredibly grounding color that works for formal living spaces, especially those with a black, white, or gray color palette.
I love navy’s versatility, as it comes into its own in the most intimate of bedrooms, paired with pale blues or blush pinks. This strong contrasting color anchors the paler shades and avoids a kiddy bedroom vibe.
If you find navy too dominant in a neutral color palette, go for a patterned curtaining fabric, where navy is softened by white.
I love color-drenching a navy blue room with dark walls and curtains. Navy is less intense than black but gives the same cozy, cocooning effect.
KOUFALL Navy Blue CurtainsDeconovo Navy Blackout Curtains
Final Thoughts
Choosing a curtain color can be overwhelming, but two handy options are available. To update a tired-looking color scheme, go for a trending earth tone, green, or black. Or go classic and timeless with white, gray, or navy curtains that will never look outdated. Decide whether to choose toning curtains or contrasting curtains for a dramatic change.
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