30 Living Room Curtain Ideas That Instantly Transform Your Space (2024)

The 12 Best Curtains Our Editors Recommend

Pinch Pleat Curtains

Dress up living room windows with pinch pleat details that add a sophisticated touch. This style of curtain features pinched fan-shaped pleats at the top of the panel, which creates a decorative header. They are typically hung with curtain rings, and in this color-drenched living room, they complement a stunning coffered ceiling and elegant picture molding.

Curtains Paired with Blinds

Can't decide between curtains and blinds? You don't have to. Gorgeous woven Roman shades add a soft and natural feel to this room, while gauzy curtains add texture and understated elegance. This living room curtain idea provides privacy and light blocking while incorporating a flowing look.

Ceiling-Height Living Room Curtains

Make your ceiling look sky-high by hanging living room curtains at ceiling height. Here, window treatments are cleverly hung over French doors to provide privacy when necessary. Dark patterned curtains are a good choice if you think solid blackout curtains will be too stark. The floor-to-ceiling look makes more of a statement, but be sure to order curtains that are long enough to skim the floor because they can look unfinished or slightly off if they're too short.

Curtain Panels with Decorative Trim

Customize plain curtain panels with decorative trim lining the length of each panel. Decorative trim is available in a variety of styles, from pom-pom and colorful fringe to tassel and beads, and it’s an inexpensive way to dress up window treatments and give them a custom look.

Sheer Living Room Curtains

Sheer curtains bring a soft, textured look to your space. They diffuse light and add a touch of privacy without darkening a small space. These pleated curtains look elegant while keeping the room bright and airy.

Curtains with Tiebacks

Add tiebacks to living room curtains for an aesthetic and practical purpose. They not only create a pretty swoop shape and offer an opportunity to bring in a splash of contrasting color, but they also hold panels in place and allow more natural light to come in.

Curtains That Match the Wall Color

For a dramatic design moment, paint living room walls and trim a dark and moody color and hang matching curtain panels. The curtains become a seamless part of the wall while adding a textural layer and subtle movement.

White Living Room Curtains

Maintain a light and bright aesthetic with white floor-length curtains that are versatile enough to work with a variety of living room styles, from coastal to modern farmhouse. Instead of using curtains to make a dramatic statement, let them blend in with the walls to create a sense of calm and openness.

Double-Panel Living Room Curtains

Double panel curtains in a creamy neutral elevate this living room without stealing the show. If you look closely, you'll see these curtains have a geometric border that complements the pillows and abstract art. In rooms where furniture blocks a window, leave a little space between the furniture and the wall to allow the curtains to open and close without snagging.

Break Puddle Curtains

Somewhere between a full puddle (which means the bottom of the curtains gather on the floor) and a kiss-the-floor look is what’s called a break puddle curtain length. This hanging style refers to curtain panels that essentially “break” at the floor because they are up to an inch longer than the length between the curtain rod and the floor. It’s a commonly used hanging style that adds a little bit of the puddling softness without the drama of a full puddle.

Sliding Door Curtains

Treat sliding doors in the living room as you would floor-to-ceiling windows and add privacy with floor-length curtain panels on either side. Take the doors’ width into account when selecting curtain panels and if needed, hang multiple panels on each side to ensure full coverage when you close the curtains.

Curtains with an Attached Valance

This colorful living room embraces maximalist style in every way, including window treatments. The curtain panels have an attached valance that adds volume and draws attention to the tall windows, while the saturated colors brighten and contrast a dark-painted wall of built-in bookshelves.

Curtains That Kiss the Floor

There are multiple ways to hang curtains, but the most common and elegant option is to mount the rod at such a height that the panels “kiss the floor”. This means they hover just above the floor which creates a clean and clutter-free look, the curtain panels are easy to open and close, and unlike curtains that pool on the ground, they don’t collect dust or get dirty on the bottom.

Curtains on a Brass Rod

Curtain hardware (the rod and curtain rings) is just as important as the curtains themselves, so don’t overlook it! In this modern living room, a brass rod brings in warmth, elevates the curtain panels, ties in other brass accents in the room, and complements a variety of materials and textures throughout the space.

Grommet Curtains

For an unfussy option for living room curtains that are regularly opened and closed, opt for grommet curtains. They have built-in metal rings at the top to easily glide along the rod and eliminate the need for curtain rings. Grommet curtains are a great pick for a clean and modern aesthetic and make for easy care since taking them on and off for washing is quick and simple given that there are no rings.

Blackout Living Room Curtains

Natural light is a great asset to a living room, except for when you’re trying to watch TV and it’s causing a glare. Blackout curtains are an excellent window treatment option as they block light while still providing a beautiful finishing touch. Its thick lining also helps tone down outside noise and maintain room temperature.

Curtain Panels with an Organic Pattern

Soften a dark wall color and juxtapose layers of block prints with curtain panels featuring an organic pattern. In this charming bedroom, a green leaf print adorns cream curtains, creating the illusion of trailing vines that lead the eyes up to the ceiling.

Curtains Hung on a Tension Rod

If you are a renter and don’t want to put holes in your walls that you’ll later have to patch up, it doesn’t mean you have to forgo installing window treatments. Instead of mounting a permanent rod above the window, use a tension rod inside the frame that doesn’t require any drilling and has rubber ends to prevent surface scratches.

Patterned Living Room Curtains

Go a step further than just adding a window treatment and paint the window trim a fun color to maximize the design impact and highlight the curtains. In this charming coastal home, the pale blue window trim livens up the space and complements the block print curtains, brass rod, and rattan accents.

Symmetry Created with Curtains

Symmetry brings balance and a sense of visual order to a room. One of the ways to achieve this is through curtain panels. In this transitional living room, beige linen curtains on windows flanking the fireplace help visually frame the room’s focal point while creating subtle color contrast and warming up the white shiplap walls.

Curtains Hung Near the Ceiling

Hang curtains near the ceiling to emphasize its grand height or to create the illusion of height in a living room with low ceilings. One of the biggest design mistakes you can make is hanging the rod too close to the top of the window frame, so when in doubt, mount it halfway or two-thirds of the way to the ceiling. When taking measurements for window treatments, make sure to measure from the rod to where you want the curtains to end to get a precise measurement.

Light Curtains Paired with a Dark Ceiling

If you want to give the maximalist ceiling trend a go, create visual balance by pairing a dark paint color on the ceiling with white walls and curtains. The unexpected switch adds ample visual interest and the white floor-length curtain panels prevent the the ceiling from lowering too much.

Living Room Roman Shades

For a more streamlined and minimalist approach to living room window treatments, opt for Roman shades instead of curtains. They take up much less visual space, but still provide privacy and dress up the windows. In this black-and-white living room, white Roman shades with black lining add a sophisticated touch and balance out a wall of black built-in shelves.

Color Block Living Room Curtains

Make a bold statement with color block curtain panels that tie in your living room’s color scheme. These cream and brown curtains bring in a modern element to contrast a traditional crystal chandelier, cane armchairs, and classic crown molding. To seamlessly blend the two styles together, use color repetition as a unifying factor.

Curtains with Rings

Using creamy beige adds elegance and privacy to this bohemian living room. Pinch-pleat curtains look high-end as they're often custom-made, yet the ring top adds a relaxed touch, making it easy to pull these living room curtains open and closed as needed throughout the day.

Bold Patterned Curtains

This lively space proves that you shouldn't shy away from prints, even when it comes to living room curtain ideas. Hung at ceiling height, these printed curtains add drama to the space and make the room look bigger.

Wall Curtains

Curtains don't have to be used to cover a window, as this living room curtain idea shows. Here, velvet curtains hang along a painted wall to add additional color and texture while framing the one art piece in the space. The pinch pleats of these curtains give a sense of grandeur to the room. Hanging curtains in a hue that complements your paint color is an easy way to create a more elevated accent wall.

Black-and-White Living Room Curtains

Patterned living room curtain ideas are a fun way to experiment with prints on a larger scale, especially if you opt for a sleek modern rod to let the pattern shine. If you're unsure where to begin, look to your favorite pillow or throw blanket for inspiration and build from there. These curtains call back to the graphic design of the accent pillows, but the smaller print keeps them from overwhelming the space.

L-Shaped Curtains

If you have a window seat or alcove surrounded by windows on three sides, a traditional straight-across curtain rod may not be the best solution. Here, green patterned L-shaped curtains run along a minimalist black rod to give the room more depth. If your walls are painted a neutral tone, curtains in a bold hue bring texture, color, or pattern to the living room.

Geometric Double-Panel Curtain

If you want something more memorable than plain white curtains, opt for a living room curtain idea in a flowing white fabric with a simple border. These double-panel curtains in a classic black-and-white pattern are understated but chic. The simple gold rods give this space an elevated look while tying in the metallic finishes of the lamps and wall sconces.