I have many of my readers asking, “what color should my curtains be”? So, today I’m revealing vital tips that will help you make the right choice.
Moving into a new or freshly renovated home means new curtains. Choosing them is a delight, but it’s hard to know where to begin: do you plan your decor scheme, grab swatches that match the wall paint, or buy gorgeously colored and textured fabric?
Let’s look at how to decide what color your curtains should be.
To choose the right curtains, match the color to your home’s mood. Consider whether the curtains must complement or contrast with the existing color palette or whether the curtain color inspires a color scheme. Decide if the curtains need to let in, block out light, or frame a view.
Depending on your personality and household needs, you might plan your curtain color as part of an overall design scheme or choose them spontaneously at the end of the furnishing process.
Too often, though, we find ourselves going for a safe neutral to tick all the sensible boxes. I secretly regret not buying some magnificent saffron curtains for the dining room and going for beige.
(Want to know the different types of curtains? Here is a post I wrote about the various window curtain types.)
What Color Curtains Should I Get? Simple Helpful Tips
Tip 1: Match Your Home’s Mood
While curtains are only one part of a room’s decor, they can add a swathe of color and significantly impact the mood or ambiance. Let’s look at a couple of examples.
Best Curtain Colors for Serene Spaces
Turn to lighter, cooler colors if you yearn for a calm, tranquil home.
Blue
Pale or pastel blue is the most popular shade for bedroom curtains; it is soothing and induces rest and sleep. This color works beautifully with coastal and country aesthetics, including French and English country house looks in living and dining rooms.
StangH Navy Blue Velvet Curtains
SMILETIME Lake Blue 96 in Long Velvet Curtains
Lavender
Lighter shades of purple, including lavender, lilac, and mauve, are competing with blue and pink in creating gentle spaces. These colors add sophistication and elegance to bedrooms while merging seamlessly with Neoclassical or Hollywood glam trends in formal, luxurious living rooms.
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Best Curtain Colors for Cozy, Inviting Spaces
Choose warm, earthy colors to create a home inspired by entertaining your friends and family.
You’ve probably noticed the resurgence in these shades in interior paints and soft furnishings, as stark minimalism is being edged out.
Red
Inspired by environmental trends, designers are embracing earthy colors, like rusty and terracotta shades of red. Red has always been a favorite among the Boho and glam brigades – velvet curtains, anyone?
It’s also a great choice if you love a Mediterranean or Southwestern aesthetic and is ideal for informal dining areas.
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Orange
Another of the trending earthy shades is fiery burned orange, which is energizing and magnificent in living and family rooms.
Softer oranges like pumpkin and apricot are beautiful in dining rooms. Orange is a staple of mid-century modern and vintage interiors, but consider it a bold pop of color in sleek, contemporary interiors.
Elegant Comfort 2 Piece Solid Sheer Panel with Rod Pocket
Tip 2: Consider the Color Scheme
An alternative starting point when choosing curtain color is to look at a room’s color scheme or palette and choose curtains accordingly. One approach is to select curtains in a color that complements the scheme, while a bolder move is to select contrasting curtains for a color burst.
Best Complementary Curtain Colors
The color of your curtains must complement the color scheme you have chosen for a room – likely based on the ambiance you’re creating.
Neutrals
Most designers recommend that your curtain color matches or is a shade lighter or darker than the walls. The curtains become a subtle backdrop for other colors and decor features, creating a sleek, elegant look.
As shades of white are still incredibly popular for walls – especially in rentals – choosing white, off-white, cream, ivory, or beige curtains is sensible.
Neutral shades are perfect for nature-inspired, rustic, and coastal interiors, soothing and gentle. Warmer hues like taupe and brown add coziness to a living area.
Also, turn to neutrals if your window frames a stunning view – you want subtle curtains that won’t detract from the outdoors.
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Montones
For an updated method of matching colors, layer multiple shades of a single color. This approach means you can first choose paint, rug, and furnishings, with the curtains coming last, in either a lighter or darker shade.
Choosing lighter colors like grey or blue creates harmony in a space.
If you’re keen to move away from neutrals and experiment with color, layering is an ideal way to add interest without overwhelming the eye.
Best Contrasting Curtain Colors
Whether you enjoy an artistic, colorful style in your Boho or eclectic home, or want a splash of brightness in a brutalist space, choose curtains in a color that contrasts with the palette.
Green
All shades of green are trending as accent colors, reflecting our yearning to bring nature indoors. An essential feature of eco-chic and its more serious sibling, environmentally sustainable design, the color green is life-giving, soothing, and links us to the earth.
Stunning green curtains are ideal for bedrooms, especially with natural wood and clean, tranquil white bedding. Pick up the green in other decor items.
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Turquoise
Gorgeous, jewel-like peacock blue, Aegean turquoise, and intense teal are perfect to dollop rich color into a room.
Choose turquoise curtains to stand out against neutral walls, forming an eye-catching decor feature. This color works well with mid-century modern, Boho, and Scandi aesthetics.
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Tip 3: Be Inspired By Gorgeous Curtains
I’ve been shopping for curtains for one room, only to discover the most magnificent fabric for another. Falling in love with a beautiful golden paisley pattern or lush, velvety brown curtains can inspire the room’s color scheme.
Don’t be afraid of fun and spontaneity when designing your home – it should reflect your personality, after all.
Patterned Curtains
Whether the pattern you’ve fallen for is a vivid kaleidoscope of pop-art swirls or a more demure and charming floral, allow the curtains to take center stage. Paint the walls in a contrasting shade for a creative, artsy feel, and layer up patterns for an eclectic look.
You could go neutral for the curtains to be the only accent. Ensure the pattern or dominant color is picked up elsewhere in the room.
Patterned curtains needn’t be gaudy – geometric designs, stripes, plaid, or gingham add interest and contrast without overwhelming a room.
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Best Solid-Color Curtains
If your curtain choice has been motivated by the stunning sweep of color or luscious texture, indulge in its solid color. You can then add patterns in the rug, furniture, or soft furnishings or pick up the color in smaller accents.
Purple
A solid-colored curtain can be elegant and sophisticated in a rich magenta or plum. A soft fabric drapes beautifully for a formal or traditional look.
Jewel-like curtains can add richness and a hint of glamor to an otherwise neutral-colored interior, especially if they are in a sheer or satiny texture.
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Black
Darker curtains can create a dramatic effect, especially if you have an industrial, brutalist, or minimalist aesthetic. While black is the most intense shade, navy, charcoal, and indigo are also deep, moody, and daring.
White
The billowing effect of soft white muslin can inspire an entire mood, from coastal grandma to shabby chic, and macrame-loving Boho. Drape yards of cloudy curtains for a romantic effect – hang them extra high to create the illusion of a lofty ceiling.
Crisp linen or roughly textured natural cotton invites fingers to caress the fabric – choose white drops if you don’t have tiny fingers that will leave marks. This clean look can be modern and elegant, or fresh and tailored.
For rooms with an existing feature like richly patterned wallpaper, striking art, or a priceless rug, go for solid white curtains as a space for the eye to rest.
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Tip 4: Keeping Light In or Out
While curtains have a vital aesthetic role in our homes, they are also functional items that may influence your chosen color. Consider the number of windows in a room, the view windows frame, how much daylight or sunshine a room gets and when, and how much privacy you need.
Best Curtain Colors for Sunny Rooms
South-facing rooms with large windows enjoy plenty of natural light and sunshine, which will impact your choice of curtain color. If you’re unsure how the light in a room will affect color, use a paint or fabric swatch to get a sense of changing sunlight and shadows.
Pink
If you don’t need privacy, you can hang sheer curtains, but remember that light shining through unlined curtains will fill the room with colored light. Cool blue or green curtains can create an eerie atmosphere, so choose light pink to infuse your space with gentle warmth.
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Taupe
Sunlight can fade brightly colored curtains, leaving them dull and lifeless. Unless you regularly change out your curtains, stick to a softer, more neutral color. Taupe, that lush melange of brown and grey, is best with a reddish undertone to reflect warm light into your room.
A second advantage of taupe is that it’s a slightly darker neutral, so it’s perfect for bedrooms where you want to block light to induce sleep, watch television without a glare, or close the room from prying eyes.
Best Curtain Colors for Darker Rooms
We all have that room in the house that doesn’t get much sun and tends to be a bit dull and unappealing.
Mine is the spare bedroom, so I had to make a careful curtain color choice to avoid depressing my guests: dingy browns, greys, and navy are out as they absorb light.
Yellow
The sunniest, friendliest, and most cheerful of colors, yellow is perfect for bedrooms, family rooms, and inviting spaces for entertaining. It reflects light into the room, allowing the maximum of sunshine. Yellow also creates the illusion of warmth in a darker room.
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Peach
Sitting somewhere between yellow, pink, and orange, peach is a warm, delicious color for curtains. Like yellow and pink, peach adds light and the impression of sunshine.
Jasmine Linen 2 Piece Sheer Luxury Curtain Panel Set
Final Thoughts
Determining what your curtain color should be begins with the ambiance and personality you want to create. Then decide whether the curtains will be starting point or final decision in your color scheme and whether you want them to be subtle, neutral, bold, or contrasting. Also, consider how much sunshine a room gets and whether you need to block out light or nosy neighbors.
