Every home decorator knows the right pair of curtains can take a room from dull to delightful. Window treatments make an impact through color, texture, pattern and decorative details.
Curtains can completely change a room, yet they are often surprisingly pricey. Serious investment has its place in your home, but so does finding budget-friendly solutions.
In my view, inexpensive curtains can look every bit as nice as high-end ones for a fraction of the cost. Here are my favorite ways to find budget curtains that look anything but affordable!
DIY Curtains + Budget Curtain Ideas
Drop Cloth Curtains
Did you know you can sew surprisingly striking curtains from drop cloths? Those big canvas sheets sold at home improvement stores for painting work beautifully, and they look polished and high-end. In fact, I made a set for my dining room if you'd like to take a look!
IKEA Curtains
IKEA is the clear winner in this category too! My master bedroom has IKEA Lenda Curtains. I liked them so much that I bought another pair and stenciled them for my living room. Years later, they are still one of the most common questions I get: "Where are your living room curtains from?" I love how long they are, and they come with hem tape, so you can easily hem them to the length you need with no sewing required!
DIY Tea Towel Curtains
One of my favorite curtain hacks is using tea towels with curtain rings and clips to make sew-free café curtains. I think a tea towel curtain would be so fun in a small kitchen or bathroom window. These towels would work beautifully for the kind of curtain Cory from Hey, Let's Make Stuff made here!
- 12-pack of dish towels – Is there anything these towels can't do? They would look right at home as farmhouse-style curtains, but they also work for napkins and, of course, regular dish towels. You get 12 for $17 in this set!
- Whimsical tiger dish towel – This is not your average tiger towel. The print is made of gorgeous watercolor flowers that are truly stunning. This Anthropologie find would be a splurge as a kitchen towel, but it's a real bargain as a curtain panel!
- Tasseled dish towel – Okay, one more Anthropologie pick, because this might be my favorite of the group! I love the pattern and the tassel trim. So cute!
- Chic pineapple dish towel – Last but not least, this one is a fun and classy upgrade for the summer months. You get two towels (or two panels) in this set
- Floral watercolor dish towel – This towel makes me want to knock out a wall and add a window so I could hang some café curtains! I would love this one!
Shower Curtains Turned DIY Window Curtains
Shower curtains aren't just for the bathroom! If you want an affordable option for drapes, use shower curtains on windows in other rooms of your home. Run clips through the holes, or thread wide ribbon through them where traditional shower curtain clips would go. When you are decorating on a budget, look at every option for inexpensive curtains.
A shower curtain from Pottery Barn could work anywhere in your home, and the selection is so classic. I'd definitely recommend choosing a fabric shower curtain over a plastic one.
Note: A standard shower curtain is shorter than an actual curtain, so if you want something that skims the floor, look further or add a plain fabric extender panel to the bottom of the shower curtain to lengthen it!
Here are some other fun shower curtains that would make great budget curtains for your windows.
Buy Cheap Curtains
Of course, if you want affordable options and don't feel like making a DIY curtain, you can simply buy inexpensive curtains! Most stores run a sale or offer a coupon, and some curtains are affordable as they are. Here are my favorite options you can buy for cheap curtains, and what I like about each one!
These Linen-style Pinch Pleat Drapes aren't as inexpensive as some window treatments, but they cost far less than custom versions. They come in a wide range of colors (40+), a larger selection of widths and heights, and they are a real bargain for the type of drape you get. They look high-end for much less!
Tassel trim with contrast stripe – Super chic for budget curtains. Tassels are everywhere in home decor right now, and this is a low-commitment way to try them. These curtains cost less than $25!
White and yellow embroidered curtains – White curtains with embroidered trim look very high-end, yet each panel costs less than $30! These would be perfect for the summer months.
Rustic farmhouse curtain set – These are an amazing deal, and I'm tempted to grab them! This set costs less than $50 for two panels, and the reviews are glowing! (When I wrote this, the pair of curtain panels in the longer 95" length was under $20 per panel!)
Jute striped curtain set – I love jute curtains, and these striped ones feel totally farmhouse-ready. If you're looking for great budget curtains, these World Market beauties cost less than $40 for a pair!
Tie up room darkening curtains – This is another great deal for a kitchen or bathroom window. At less than $14, it truly qualifies as a cheap curtain! So cute for farmhouse style. This thermal curtain ties up to fit any window or style, and it comes in several colors if the white version isn't for you.
Sheer crinkle panels – These simple white crinkle sheer panels are a classic and a great budget curtain for under $30 a pair!
Sheer natural panel set with white trim – How cute are these? If you're a Pottery Barn fan, you should grab them while they're on sale for under $30. They make a great budget curtain option for any room!
Blackout Ruffle Curtains in 3 Colors – I know good-quality blackout curtains can be hard to fit into a budget, but these ruffle curtains are adorable for a little girl's room and really well made too! I have them in my daughter's room, and they block the sunlight perfectly! They come in white and turquoise as well as pink.
Check out all of these great budget curtain options:
How to Hang Curtains the Right Way
As we covered earlier, curtains can instantly transform a room. When hung correctly, they create the illusion of height, visually widen a window and let in plenty of light. I try not to be bossy about decorating rules, but I put my foot down when it comes to hanging curtains the right way.
My rule of thumb is always to hang them …
HIGH AND WIDE.
Image via Geranium
1. Hang your curtains as high as you possibly can, so they still skim the floor. A good rule of thumb is 4-6 inches above the window frame.
This draws the eye up toward the ceiling and tricks the brain into thinking the room is larger, rather than chopping it off at a lower height and making it feel smaller.
You can see how I did this in my kitchen.
I first hung the curtains right above the trim in this photo.
Then, when I bought new curtains, I ordered a longer length, and they reach all the way up to the ceiling.
I even used this trick when hanging my bamboo shades. I had already hung my curtains high in the living room, so when I installed the bamboo shades, I ordered them extra long to bring them up to where the curtains hang.
They are installed at the very top of the window, which makes it look like I have really large windows. See how it draws the eye up and makes the most of the high ceilings in that room?
2. Hang the curtains wider than the window to create a grander look and let in the most light. A good rule of thumb is 3-6 inches past the window trim.
You can see how I did this in my dining room in the photo above. I extended the curtain rod beyond the window trim to the width the curtains take up when they're open. These aren't functional curtains, so they stay this way all the time, but they let in the most light at any given moment!
Now that you have plenty of budget curtain panels to choose from and know how to hang them properly, it's time to make a decision and get those curtains up! Which idea is your favorite?
If you have any other ideas for budget curtains, let me know in the comments!
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