While sourcing furniture for your living room may be your main concern, there are plenty of other crucial design elements to consider—and window treatments are certainly not one to overlook. When it comes to curtains, the options are seemingly endless. But since they’re available in every style and at various price points, you can truly craft a look that fits your aesthetic and budget.
From semi-sheer white curtains, to blackout ones with patterned trim, to lively botanical drapery (that you might even consider hanging on a wall without a window!), we’ve laid out our favorite designer-approved living room curtain ideas to get you started. After a quick peruse through these designs, you’ll have a vision in mind. Then you can start shopping the best places to buy curtains. Oh and once you have your hands on them, make sure to refer to our how to hang curtains guide for quick and smooth installation.
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Sleek Stripes
For a cohesive look, match the pattern of your curtains to some of the furniture and accessories in your living room. In this space designed by Ashley Whittaker, thin striped curtains complement striped chairs and throw pillows with a similar line design and color combo.
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Botanical Detail
Liven up your windows—or walls as Eliza Crater Harris, the chief creative officer of Sister Parish Design, did in her living room—with a bustling botanical print. Plenty of these patterns come in various colors to match your aesthetic, including the Titania fabric seen here.
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Semi-Sheer White
The easiest way to give your living room an airy, bright look is with sheer or semi-sheer white curtains. The breezy treatment can even help soften the line between the indoors and outdoors, as it does in this space decorated by David Mann.
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Watercolor Effect
Instead of a solid color, consider getting curtains with a simple abstract design. In designer Ariene Bethea’s North Carolina home, she incorporated these blue and white curtains with what looks like brushstrokes of watercolor paint from Martha & Ash. It’s intriguing but not overwhelming.
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Off-White Backdrop
Warm up stark white walls and bold furniture with off-white curtains, as designer Andrew Brown did in the living room of this Alabama home. Make them work twice as hard by placing sleek bookshelves in from of them so that the curtains also act as a backdrop to enticing decor.
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Teal and Gold Linen
Linen fabric with teal and gold accents makes an exception option for curtains in a colorful beach home. To ensure the owners of this Nantucket cottage could enjoy some privacy while basking in natural light, designer Kevin Isbell hung them about one-fourth of the way down and inside of the window frame.
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Ombré
Ombré curtains allow for a very smooth transition from one color to the next, which can give your living room the pop of color it needs without being too in your face. The curtains in this Los Angeles home designed by Peti Lau nearly mimic a rushing waterfall.
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Soft Blue
Set against classic blue grasscloth wallpaper and white trim, the soft blue curtains in this room by designer Heather Hilliard add elegance. The floral sofa and the green lucite coffee table are reminiscent of the California home’s natural surroundings.
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Cream With Fringe
Cream curtains with fringe trim make the living room in this Bahamian home by designer Matthew Carter feel extra cozy. The pale pink walls in Benjamin Moore’s Precocious and botanical prints boost the room’s tropical yet elegant atmosphere.
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Heathered Gray
Light gray curtains make the perfect backdrop for a chich living room filled with sleek furniture and sprinkled with metallic and velvet accents. Add a bit of checkered trim on either end of the curtains for a distinctive touch.
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Pure Black
Dreamt up by designer Thom Filicia, this room features black curtains with a cream trim along the bottom. They’re ideal for creating a moody, modern look in any space.
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Color Block
If you’re having a hard time deciding between two curtain colors, why not try both? A color block design allows you to feature one main color and another as a smaller border along the top or bottom, like this subtle option with neutrals in a small living room designed by Studio DB.
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Cherry Red
Make a subtle impact on your living room with curtains that match the color of your walls, as designer Phillip Thomas did in this Upper East Side apartment. The bright red curtains perfectly match walls painted in Benjamin Moore’s Ladybug Red with a high-gloss finish, giving them a slight softness.
Kelly Allen Associate Editor Kelly Allen is the current Associate Editor at House Beautiful, where she covers design, pop culture, and travel for digital and the print magazine.
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