Window Dressing: 7 Trends in Floor-to-Ceiling Curtains

by Carlisle Homes

From nature-inspired sheers to curtain blind combos, here’s the latest floor-to-ceiling curtain styles.

Soften the look of a room, save on energy, boost privacy – floor-to-ceiling curtains can do it all. They’re also a great way to add warmth to your interior and make your house feel more like a home. If you’re considering new window treatments and want to know what’s trending for 2021, you’ve come to the right place – here, our expert interior designers give the lowdown on the latest floor-to-ceiling curtain styles and what works best where.

1. Sheers

In order to create a home environment conducive to reading, cooking, eating and entertaining, you need to let the right kind of light into your space. Sheer floor-to-ceiling curtains are a great option to do just that for your living, meals and activity areas. They add the perfect softness to a room and let in a gentle, diffused light.

Linen sheers, in particular, have been popular for a few years now and show no sign of losing momentum. They’re stylish, tactile and versatile enough to work with a variety of interior styles, including coastal, contemporary and traditional.

2. Natural fibres

When it comes to floor-to-ceiling curtain trends, natural fibres are big news in interiors – think bamboo, wool, linen and linen/cotton mixes, all of which add a casual-chic vibe to a space. For a more decadent and sophisticated look, say for a master bedroom, consider voluminous floor-to-ceiling curtains in natural silk.

3. Layered window treatments

To create a truly luxurious aesthetic, look to the latest trend for layered window treatments. These styles might combine a roller blind with floor-to-ceiling curtains in wool or silk. The contrast of the loose curtains beside a structured blind creates a visually pleasing look, as well as offering you superior light control.

To up the luxe factor further, specify curtains with 15 millimetres or so draped on the floor – unless, of course it’s a high-traffic area where curtains are at risk of marks and stains.

Keen to cut your power bill? Specify an insulating fabric for your curtains that reduces heat gain through windows in summer and heat loss in winter, and you can reduce your energy costs too.

4. Nature-inspired colours

Colours drawn from the natural world are having a moment in interiors right now, and window treatments are no exception. Beige, greige, soft greens and dusty blues are all popular choices for curtain fabrics, and are perfect for creating a calm and cocooning feel in living spaces, kitchens, dining rooms and bedrooms.

Rich, nature-inspired tones are coming through too, including saturated, oceanic blues, forest green, burgundy and plum, all of which will set a decadent and dramatic mood in a space, particularly if you specify them in a luxurious fabric such as velvet.

5. Botanicals

The nature-inspired movement extends to patterns too. Think floral and botanical-printed curtain fabrics, often with overscaled patterns that create an abstract effect. A graphic or painterly nature-inspired print is a great way to draw the landscape into your home, just be sure to balance it out with simple furnishings and block colours elsewhere in the room so the scheme doesn’t appear too busy.

6. Minimalist hardware

Curtain and blind hardware is becoming more slimline and minimal. In many cases, it’s disappearing altogether with many designers preferring to attach curtain tracks to the ceiling. This also has the effect of visually adding a sense of height to your ceiling and a tailored look to the room. If you’re building with Carlisle, mounted curtain tracks will require square set ceilings.

If your ceiling has cornices don’t be disheartened - you can still achieve the sought-after look by simply specifying our 50mm below cornice option which looks beautiful with an s-fold curtain style.

7. Curtain-blind combos

Love the softness of curtains and the versatility of vertical blinds, and can’t decide between the two? A curtain-blind combo is making waves in the design world right now and allows you to have both. Enjoy the practicality of blinds alongside the warm tactility of curtains, for those spaces where light is particularly important like the bedroom.