Ready-made curtains are available in three different drops: 137 cm (54 inches), 183 cm (72 inches) or 228 cm (90 inches). Some manufacturers also offer a 274 cm (108 inch) drop; click on this link to view the available designs: Larger Sizes.
Door curtains are usually available in either 46 inches wide (117cm) or 66 inches (168cm) wide and 84 inches (213cm) drop and are available in pencil pleat and eyelet. Door curtains are also available Made to Measure in a range of designs and headings with matching accessories and different linings available.
Size 229cm (90 inches) wide by 183cm (72 inches) drop.
Sill-drop: Sill-drop curtains are the shortest of the standard-drop curtain sizes, giving a more informal style. They should fall about 1.5cm above the window sill itself.
We use 'drop' to refer to the total finished length of the curtain from top to bottom, but you might also hear it used by our curtain-makers talking about how many widths of fabric are to be used in your curtains.
When installing new window furnishings, there is a general rule of thumb when calculating curtain fabric quantity. This is to allow one drop per 60cm width of the window. Therefore, a window of 2400mm would need four drops off the fabric. This works on the fabric around 140cm wide, the most common width.
We recommend hanging most curtains at least 4-6 inches above the window frame. A general rule is two-thirds of the space above the window.
How to Buy Standard Length Curtains. 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.
Puddle your curtains for a classic look
Emma Clarke, director at Warner House says, 'at Warner House, “more is more” and in almost every instance we would advise curtains should be full length: puddled for a traditional feel, or flush to the floor for a modern finish.
Measuring the drop
Ready-made curtains tend to be sold in 137cm (54”), 182cm (72”), and 228cm (90”) drops, while some ranges go up to 274cm.
Curtains should be two to two and a half times wider than the window. This is because curtains should be able to be pulled back beyond the window frame on either side to let plenty of light into the room and to exaggerate the window's proportions, but still look full when pulled across.
Size 168cm (66 inches) wide by 183cm (72 inches) drop. Width refers to one curtain panel before hanging. Eyelet diameter: 4cm.
As for a general rule, floor length or just a little above it is the preferred look. Maggie Griffin, founder and principal designer of Maggie Griffin Design, recommends, 'The drapery panels should skim the floor. '
The standard distance from the window casing to the end of the curtain rod (excluding finials) on each side of the window should be 4 to 10 inches. Generally, drapes will be open during the day, so ensure the curtain rod extends at least four inches on each side of the window's inside frame.
Front Door Curtain Ideas
Hanging an entrance curtain over your front door offers a multitude of benefits. A stunning way to frame your doorway, it can also be a stylish solution to reducing heat loss in your home. A heavy fabric curtain will help to prevent cold air passing through a drafty entranceway.
While fashion once dictated a “flood level” bottom line for curtains—one that hung just past the window sill, short enough that it would not get wet in a flood—today, style calls for curtains to either hang down to within ½-inch of the floor or even puddle slightly.
Interior designers note the bottom of your curtains should fall to the floor, and you can even let them “puddle” a bit. However, if you don't want your curtains to drag on the floor when you open and close them, let them stop about an inch from the floor, but no more.
Ceiling Height
If your room has ceilings higher than 8 feet, it is best to use the same 4-6 inches above window trim rule, unless your windows stretch close to the high ceilings. Typically, if there is little space between the window trim and the ceiling, it's best to hang your curtains from the ceiling.
- The total width should be no less than 1.5 the width of your window. For example: If your window measures 48", add 12" to equal 60". If you want to have two panels, divide this amount by two which will equal 30", meaning the curtain size for each panel should have a minimum width of 30".
Should curtains touch the floor? The answer is generally yes. The drop length should be to the floor.
As a general rule of thumb, curtain width should be two to two-and-a-half times the width of the window.
The simple answer is yes, you can use long curtains on short windows. Our goal is always to make our space look larger and our ceilings taller. To do that, you can hang curtain rods high and wide, about a few inches outside the window frame on either side.
Your eye stops at the bottom of the curtain instead of extending all the way down to the floor, which makes not just the curtain, but also the ceiling and window look short.
How Wide Should Curtains Be? To ensure that panels look ample and drapey when closed, they should have a combined width that is 2 to 2½ times the width of the window. Exceptions: If you're hanging curtains just to frame a window and don't intend to shut them, you can round down to 1½ times the width.