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Trends: Your Ultimate Guide to Reintroducing Curtains Back into your Space

Curtains are set to make a major comeback in 2024. Here is our guide for making curtains work for your space

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By House & Garden South Africa | February 6, 2024 | Trends

Among the many trend predictions set to take centre stage across many homes in 2024, like dedicated at-home coffee stations or lighting optimised for wellness, trend experts WGSN says many will seek to reintroduce curtains back to their spaces.

After years of devotion to the windows of our homes, home decorators may start to seek out curtains once again like soft and sheer curtains that allow just enough light into the home as well as strategically using curtains to divide different areas of the home.

Soft and sheer curtains frame this child-friendly room. Image: Supplied.

In some spaces, a heavier curtain or short curtains can date a space whereas more holistically design-focussed curtains can help define a space. There are curtains that keep the heat and cold out, doing the hard work as fabric insulators, which can also be aesthetically pleasing as they are energy-savers.

What Role Do Curtains Serve in Your Home?

Consider whether you want curtains that are purely aesthetic or functional. Do you prefer to have your windows and doors open during the day or are you looking for light-blocking curtains for the deepest of sleep at night? Not only do your curtains offer as much of a design aspect as a piece of furniture, but they can affect the overall mood of your space by virtue of light.

Mid-level curtains in this eclectic bathroom act as a privacy screen while adding whimsy and charm to the space with a star motif. Photography by Simon Brown.

In the summer months when the heat is turned up even higher during an era defined by a climate crisis, new materials used in curtains are designed to safeguard our homes against the increasingly rising temperatures. Sheer curtains capture the right amount of natural daylight while both helping to diffuse it and extend it. Using curtains can also make a window appear bigger, adding a similar depth to the room as a mirror would.

In your living areas and bedrooms, your curtains can also set the tone. Picture the doors open where a breeze blows the curtains up, allowing a slight breeze to pass through.

Linen curtains on this four poster bed creates an added layer of comfort as well as privacy. Photography by Simon Brown.

Use Curtains as Room Dividers

Use your curtains to divide and conquer. If your home has many archways or defined thresholds within an open-plan home, using curtains is an easy project to create more privacy and define spaces, (this also makes for a solid DIY project).

Using a curtain to define the different areas of a home creates a softer wall that delineates the purpose of a specific space without the harshness of a closed door. While using a curtain to separate your space was once considered an old-fashioned interior design choice, 2024’s embrace for curtains will help give rentals and small apartments a much needed charming refresh. If you are in need of a budget-friendly revamp of a house, tapping a curtain is a great option.

Use your curtains to divide and conquer different areas of your home. Photography by Simon Brown.