Diaphanous fabrics are an effective way to diffuse sunlight, infusing a space with a calm atmosphere. More than just adding privacy, sheers can also become a statement in their own right – these projects from the ELLE Decoration archive show how punchy colours and ombre effects can dial up the drama with this otherwise subtle decorative flourish.
Cosy and colourful sheers in Copenhagen
Lightweight curtains bring both colour and privacy to this city centre home in Copenhagen. Homeowner Johanna Rosén chose soft pastel colours to uplift the space, whilst in the living room they also work to conceal the front door, creating a gently protective cocoon. ‘When we pull them across, we leave the world outside and get a feeling that nothing can disturb us,’ she says.
Verdant sheers in a Stockholm apartment
Seagreen curtains frame this spacious living room by Studio Lawahl. Curvy ‘Sesann’ sofas by Gianfranco Frattini and a custom-designed coffee table with a quartzite top continue the green scheme, while the ceiling light is a vintage Angelo Lelli design and the side table is the ‘194’ by Piero Lissoni for Cassina. The studio designed the bespoke teak bookshelf and sourced the custom-colour rug from Knut Mattor. An assortment of ceramics and vintage lamps with eye-catching brass details are arranged on the shelves, including a vase from Konsthantverkarna and Gio Ponti’s 1969 ‘Fato’ lamp for Artemide.
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The jewel-box home in Paris
Given their subtle, translucent nature it’s not often that sheer curtains are the star of the show. French creative studio Uchronia saw them as the perfect canvas to introduce vibrant colour and mesmerising gradients into this historic Parisian apartment. Artist Justin Morin was commissioned to create the custom silk curtains which cast a rainbow-coloured light through the home. Gem stones – malachite, sapphire, opal, pearl, ruby, tiger-eye and peridot – informed the jewel-toned palette.
Floor to ceiling sheers in a London gallery
Wall-to-wall sheers can soften a room. Indeed, it was an abundance of natural light that initially drew gallerist Laura Fulmine to this space. Despite the building’s ‘weird pink tiles and horribly depressing little kitchen’ the founder and director of M.A.H Gallery saw huge potential in its high ceilings and that wall of windows, as well as its location – a canalside sweet spot between Bethnal Green, Victoria Park, London Fields and Broadway Market.
The dip-dye sheer in a Paris bedroom
Designer Marion Stora made bedroom sheers into a design statement in her Parisian abode. She used Rosemary Hallgerten’s ‘Alpaca’ fabric in ‘Raspberry’, which marries with the rich burgundy wall colour. From the outset, she wanted ‘comfort and colour’ and this bedroom, with its warm colours, tactile surfaces and sumptuous bed, perfectly encapsulates her vision.
The Brutalist home softened with textiles
This apartment in the Barbican’s Lauderdale Tower has a surprisingly soft centre. Designer Andrew Griffiths layered tactile surfaces, cosy textiles and warm colours to create a relaxing space. The living area is cloaked in sheer curtains made by The Boys Who Sew from a Svensson fabric. The ‘Inland’ sofa by Torbjørn Anderssen and Espen Voll for &Tradition is finished in a butter-yellow Sahco fabric and piled with cushions from Sister by Studio Ashby and Maison de Vacances, their colours echoed by the ‘Lily’ wool rug from Layered Interiors.
A postmodern masterpiece in London
Pastel striped sheers make for a proper ‘wow’ moment in this 1980s home by Sam Buckley. Made from ‘Technicolour Flux’ fabric by Peter Saville for Kvadrat, they create a soft kaleidoscopic effect against the pistachio green wall. Sam’s bold approach to colour began taking shape when he learnt the history of this house, designed in the 1980s by Piers Gough. His clients had ‘seen some of my previous jobs, which were very geometric but also quite busy,’ he notes, adding ‘they wanted something that was more calming, with a big use of colour, but a lot less detail’.
The bespoke sheers rich with colour
Sheer curtains became the focal point of this grand apartment in Warsaw. The ombre fabric is a bespoke design by interior designer Katarzyna Baumiller, who christened them ‘Synaesthesia’, after the neurological phenomenon that causes people to associate colours with numbers and letters. The rich cobalt and purple tones pop against the clean white walls, while jewel-toned furnishings carry the punchy tones through the home.
Blue sheers that zone a Melbourne home
Sheer curtains are a canny way to zone a space. In this Melbourne home, design firm Studio Doherty used sheer ‘Rocket’ fabric from Kvadrat to create a screen between the poolside conversation pit and the study. The conversation pit is part of the home’s original architecture – Studio Doherty added comfort with the modular ‘Tufty-Time’ sofa by Patricia Urquiola for B&B Italia. The side table is from local store Dust Merchants and the vessel on it is a piece by Tara Shackell.
Curtains as canvas in a Fire Island retreat
When designing his Fire Island home, event planner and designer Jove Meyer turned to artist Josana Blue, who hand-dyed 16 panels of chiffon to create this joyful textile artwork. ‘The magic in hand-painted sheers is that the colour opacity changes through the day and into the night. It’s like having a live painting in your house that blooms every day,’ says Blue.
