12 surprising new ways to use curtains in your home
From providing privacy to hiding clutter and banishing draughts, there’s no end to their potential
Thought curtains were just for windows? Think again. A fluid, practical and relatively inexpensive way to demarcate zones in open-plan spaces, curtains can enliven and change a space and lend themselves well to modern offices and homes alike. Choose translucent fabrics for an unobtrusive dash of texture, or a contrasting colour for added theatricality.
Divide and conquer
Inspired by Ken Adams’ set designs for the James Bond films, YSG Studio created this atmospheric office for a boutique consulting firm in Sydney. The custom-dyed linen curtain arc can be drawn across to create a private enclosure for a meeting. ysg.studio
Curtain call
This office in São Paulo, designed by Metro Arquitetos Associados, uses sheer drapery in a neutral hue that blends with the space to separate the meeting area from the rest of the office. metroarquitetos.com.br
Gold seal
Architects Sílvia Rocio and Mariana Póvoa and Esse Studio used gold-toned curtains to create this office for a dating-app company in Lisbon. The fabric allows for the loose partitioning of areas, also marked by wooden lines in the concrete floor. estudioesse.com
Primary function
Davide Barreri and Hyemin Ro – the owners (and designers) of this flat in Turin – installed a sliding curtain to divide the living area and the kitchen, which keeps the space a continuous whole while allowing for privacy and differentiation between rooms. pla-c.eu
Pretty in pink
In the winemaker Noemi Marone Cinzano’s Portuguese villa, devised by decorator John Stefanidis, the shelves in the pantry are hidden behind curtains made of hot-pink toile de Jouy from Tissus d’Hélène – the perfect clash with the raspberry cement floor. johnstefanidis.com
Hide everything
The designer Beata Heuman transformed the utility room of this Sussex cottage with curtains in a ticking stripe underneath the sink, which complement the cupboard façades covered in Pierre Frey’s ‘Aquila’ wallpaper. beataheuman.com
Counter culture
For a modern take on a style rooted in tradition, without the need to get creative yourself, the embroiderer Cressida Jamieson has collaborated on ‘Family Linens’, a range of hand-stitched fabrics, including counter curtains. eastlondoncloth.co.uk
Colour therapy
In this showroom-slash-apartment in Lyon, the designer Claude Cartier used an ombré curtain draped dramatically over a doorway as a match for furniture from Tacchini, textiles from Métaphores Paris and a rug from her own collection for CC-Tapis. claude-cartier.com
Small is beautiful
Curtains don’t need to be large to make an impact. This tiny, checked version, covering one side of a modern kitchen unit, feels bold and current when paired with Paint & Paper Library’s ‘Livery’ shade on the walls. paintandpaperlibrary.com
Theatrical entrance
To contrast with the bright, white walls, the architect Marie-Isabel Lavrov hung slate-grey cotton fabric from matte-black curtain tracks – the kind used in hospitals – in front of the entrance to her London family home. mdem.co
Sheer luxury
A former pub in Melbourne was converted into a family home by the interior designer Hecker Guthrie, who used soft, sheer curtains, washed-timber floorboards and glass doors to create seamlessly connected, yet divided, living zones. heckerguthrie.com
Call it a night
For the ultimate ‘do not disturb’ bedroom setup, a curtain around your bed – acting as a canopy, or even a makeshift doorway – keeps out the light and ensures the utmost seclusion.This apartment in central Amsterdam, designed by the Spanish architect Gabriela Puig Soleille demonstrates the appeal. @gabriela.puig.soleille
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