Homes + Decor

For Curtains That Don't Look Like an Afterthought, Try This

A more harmonious curtain-to-room relationship

These days, if you can imagine your grandmother approving of a certain decor move, then it's probably coming back into fashion. Old portraiture? Tented rooms? Valences? You name it. One more to add to the list: matching wallpaper and curtains. So long as the rest of your room isn't too opulent or fussy, matching these two elements can add ample dimension with none of the visual clutter that typically comes from contrasting drapes. (Your curtains will look a little bit like they've grown right out of the walls rather than being tacked onto them.) Here are two different takes and why we love them both:

Pattern on Pattern

While small patterns—think itsy-bitsy florals—will read more clearly through the pleats, large patterns can be just as fun to play with. You won't see the print as clearly in the drapes, but that little bit of distortion will actually keep them from feeling too matchy-matchy.

In the bedroom of French collector Anne-Sophie Deneve's whimsical West Coast home, black accents and a contrasting blue bedspread keep patterned curtains from feeling too one-note atop patterned walls.

Photo: Shade Degges

In the master bedroom of a Lyford Cay retreat in the Bahamas, designer Miles Redd used the same sprightly fern print by Lee Jofa for the walls, curtains, and upholstery for a full-on island immersion look.

Björn Wallander
Tone on Tone

The periwinkle upholstered headboard, curtains, and carpeting lend a cozy and peaceful air to the master bedroom of a Manhattan apartment devised by Bruce Bierman; subtle changes in texture of the fabrics adds just the variety needed to pull off this monochromatic scheme.

Photo: Eric Piasecki

In a Manhattan townhouse designed by Jeffrey Bilhuber, a Shyam Ahuja fabric was used for the curtains and wall covering in a girl's bedroom—the crisp, unpatterned color allows for a very ruffly valence that doesn't overpower the space.

William Waldron

White linen creates a clean, pared-down look. White linen curtains by Piet Boon lend a breezy transition from white walls to the great outdoors in the living room of a Manhattan apartment Bilhuber designed.

François Halard