Sheets, towels, iron
How to Hang Curtains: Height, Width, and Drop
Rod 10–15 cm above the frame, or to the ceiling. 15–20 cm past each side. Drop: hover 1 cm, kiss the floor, or a 5–8 cm puddle. Too low is the amateur tell.
Updated 27 Aug 2026 · 6 min read · how to hang curtains height
Height is a wall, not a window
The window is a hole. The curtain is a wall covering. Raising the rod 10–15 cm and running closer to ceiling height makes the window read larger. A 120 cm window with a rod at 125 cm off the floor looks like a postage stamp. The same window with a rod at 220 cm and a 1 cm hover looks like a room.
Tracks can sit in a recess or on the ceiling. Recess tracks leak light at the sides unless you add returns. For blackout, prefer outside-mount.
| Decision | Default | Skip |
|---|---|---|
| Rod height | 10–15 cm above frame, or 5 cm from ceiling | Screwed into the frame |
| Side overlap | 15–20 cm past each jamb | Rod the exact glass width |
| Drop | Hover 1 cm or kiss | 10 cm flood that drags wet |
| Fullness | 2× for cloth, 1.5× for heavy blackout | Flat sheet on a rod |
| Returns | Rod or panel back to the wall 5–10 cm | A gap that glows at dawn |
Hardware that can take the GSM
A 350 GSM blackout pair on a 180 cm window is 4–6 kg. Use wall plugs that match masonry or studs, a 28–32 mm pole or a proper track, not a 16 mm café rod. Rings with a 1.5–2 cm overlap at the join. Tie-backs are optional; stacking space of 15–20 cm each side is not.
The rest of the bed wall is not a curtain job
Once the hang is right, the bed still needs a duvet system and maybe a quilt or coverlet at the foot. Do not buy longer curtains because the duvet looks messy. That is a cover and a fold. Store spare panels like linen — labelled, dry, in the linen closet — not in a damp heap on the sill.
Questions, answered
- Should curtains always touch the floor?
- Hover or kiss in a house with dust and a vacuum. Puddle only if the cloth is long on purpose and the floor is dry. Radiator in the way: stop 2–3 cm above it and accept the look, or float a sill-length in a kitchen.
- Double rod for sheers plus blackout?
- Yes. Sheers on the inner rod, blackout on the outer, 5–8 cm between rods so they can both stack. Measure drop twice; the rings are not the same length.
- Rented walls, no drill?
- A tension rod inside the recess will leak light. Use it for a sheer. For blackout, you need a drill or a cassette blind with side channels.
