In most cases, curtains should be a foot shorter than the height of the ceiling such that it is ideal to choose 9 feet long curtains for ceilings that are 10 feet high. You are supposed to be installing the curtains from the floor up, and that the curtains should be about half a foot higher than the window frame.
No matter your ceiling height, curtain installation is the same. Hang curtains so that they end at the floor level, give or take an inch. Typically, this is also about one foot from the ceiling and about 4- to 6-inches above the window frame. "Floating" curtains stop about 1-inch above the floor line.
The ideal curtain length for a 12-foot ceiling is 132 inches. A panel of this size will cover the distance between the floor, all the way up to one foot from the ceiling.
For rooms with ceilings over 10-feet high it can be difficult and extremely expensive to find longer curtain panels. In that case, hang the curtain rod about 10-12″ above the window frame and use 94-96″ panels. Unfortunately, most standard 84″ curtain panels are not long enough for floor length curtains.
Assuming you're outfitting a living room or bedroom with average ceiling height (8 feet high), an interior designer's rule of thumb would be to mount the curtain rod about a half-foot above the top of the window frame—even higher if the total space between the top of the window and the ceiling line is less than 12 ...
No matter what the ceiling height, the minimum distance from the top of the window casing to the curtain rod is two inches. To create the illusion of height, mount the drapery rods close to the ceiling. This is particularly important to do if the room has low ceilings. Use these same rules when the windows are arched.
How High to Hang Curtains 8 Foot Ceiling. An 8 foot ceiling is pretty standard for a residential home. With this standard height will be safe to put the rod about 6 inches above the top of the framing of the window. This avoids any extra framing and gives space between the frame and the rod.
Standard Ready-made Curtain Lengths
Ready-made curtains generally come in standard lengths: 84 inches for 8-foot ceilings, 96 inches for 9-foot ceilings and 108 inches for 10-foot ceilings.
Curtain rods should extend at least 3 to 6 inches past the window frame. Just as hanging curtains above the window frame makes the window appear taller, Bob Vila writes that extending the curtain rod past the window frame makes the window appear wider.
If you are interested in stationary panels, you will want your curtains to be long enough to lightly brush the floor, but not so long that they bunch up in a pile. A good rule of thumb is for your curtains to break anywhere from a ¼” to ½” from the floor, similar to a break in pant legs on your shoe.
The top of most of our windows are 8ft, and we used 108″ panels almost everywhere. So we hung our curtain rod about 13 inches above the windows. The higher the curtain rod, the taller your window will appear. I recommend to always install a rod closer to the ceiling than the top of the window.
Standard curtains come in three lengths—84 inches, 96 inches, or 108 inches. "Generally, you want to stay away from the 84 inch standard curtains unless you have very low ceilings. They don't look right in most scenarios and end up being an awkward length," says Curtis.
For a 9 foot ceiling, pick 96-inch curtains. Typically, your curtain rod is hung about a foot from the ceiling. 96 inches covers the distance between the floor up to one foot from the ceiling.
How wide should curtains be? To ensure that curtain panels look ample when closed, they should have a combined width that is 2 to 2.5 times the width of the window/rod. That means if you are ordering Grommet style or Rod-pocket style, the total drapery width should be at least 2 times the window/rod widths.
The proper position is ½ inch above the floor for free hanging curtains. This distance allows for mopping and cleaning while creating the illusion that the curtain touches the floor.
"Extending your draperies from floor to ceiling and from wall to wall surrounding your window makes them appear bigger," explains Francesco Bilotto.
When you buy them in stores or online, there are two standard lengths: 84 inches and 95 or 96 inches. The length of the curtain dictates the height of the rod. If you buy 84-inch-long curtains, the rod must be mounted roughly 84 inches from the floor if the curtains hang from the rod without rings.
Do use curtains that reach the floor. Your curtains should either be 1/2” above the floor, kiss the floor, or puddle on the floor. For 8' ceilings, I recommend standard 96” curtains which you can then adjust up and down or hem up the bottom if needed.
Yes, They should! The length of the curtain determines the height of the curtain rod. Therefore, even if you buy curtains that are 84 inches long, if the curtains hang from the rod without rings, the rod must be approximately 84 inches from the floor to enable the curtain to touch the floor and avoid the awkward look.
Most curtain rods are available in sizes of 4 to 12 feet long, while other curtain rods come in sizes up to 15 feet long. However, the best way to buy extra long curtain rods is to purchase two or more rods and join them together with a connector screw or internal rod splice. Add support brackets where the rods join.
Sill Length
These are the shortest of the standard curtain lengths, which makes them a good opportunity to have some fun with pattern or color. Since they take up less visual space, you won't get tired of a bold choice.
As a general rule of thumb, curtain width should be two to two-and-a-half times the width of the window. Curtains are typically sold as pairs, but you may need to double up depending on the size of your window.
For curtains that are way too long, you may have a lot of excess fabric left. You can trim this extra material at the end, but if you don't want to cut the curtains, make 2 or 3 folds so the excess material is tucked in neatly.
The answer to this question is important because it can affect the way we do our decorations. Yes, curtains should be long enough to touch the floor. With a few exceptions, the longer the curtains are the more stylish and elegant it will look. This is why most standard ready-made curtains are lengthy.
Curtain measurements are always written with the width first and then the length. For example, a panel that is 46″ x 54″ is 46 inches wide and 54 inches long. Don't buy your curtains just so they're big enough to cover a window.