The right choice of curtains can turn a simple and unremarkable room into a fabulous space.
When it comes to room decor, there’s many elements that when matched together well will compliment each other to make a beautiful room.
The importance of the right choice of curtains shouldn’t be underestimated.
Curtains are available in a staggering range of styles, colours, patterns, designs and even materials.
It may seem overwhelming when choosing curtains because of all these choices.
But in this article we'll just be covering the question ..
When choosing curtains, should they be lighter or darker than the walls? In fact, curtains can be both lighter or darker than the walls. The general rule of thumb is the curtains and walls should be either one shade lighter or darker from each other or of complimentary colours to each other. There's no right or wrong as such, it comes down to matching curtains to the colours, hues and shades of the wall as well the room decor. Although, light or dark curtains both have their own influence on how a room will feel.
As well as the decor and design aspect of curtains, they actually serve a practical purpose.
They stop the neighbours from seeing in at night, they can help keep a house warmer during the cooler months as well as blocking out light in the sunnier seasons. They also help to dampen a room's acoustics, making a space cosier.
So even if you need curtains for practical reasons, they can still be fashionable and contribute to your room's style.
Choosing between light or dark curtains isn’t black and white ( d’you like that pun?), it’s more about shades, tones and hues.
So let’s jump in and find out which curtains will work best for your space ..
First Things First - Wall Colour and Room Decor
Before deciding whether you want lighter or darker curtains, you first need to make sure they will tie in to the existing decor and wall colour.
Your walls may be warm colours like reds, oranges or browns, or cooler colours such as blues, greys or greens.
Interior designers will often recommend the curtains be of a similar tone to the wall, also known as monochromatic.
That means they can be darker or lighter than the existing wall colour within about one shade difference.
Whatever the wall colour, you can also choose a complimentary colour.
These are colours that are opposite each other on a colour wheel.
Here’s a great tool by the way from Canva that you can use for free.
If you know your wall colour, simply enter it into the tool and it gives you the exact complimentary colour.
Or you can simply use the colour dial.
This tool also shows you the monochromatic shades, analogous, triadic and tetradic colours.
No I’m not showing off how clever I am! I had no idea what these terms meant before writing this article .. Basically it just shows you sets of 2, 3 and 4 colours that work with your primary colour.
Once you have the colours sorted, then you can decide on lighter or darker curtains.
These curtains are a similar colour to the walls and about a shade darker. Notice also how they match the room’s other elements like the chair and bed head.
Choosing Curtains for White Walls
Many homes these days, at least in my part of the world, tend to have white walls.
While white walls by themselves can be uninviting, but being neutral means they’re also a blank canvas to which you can add any colour.
So providing the curtains are coordinated with the rooms' accents and furniture, you can really make a statement with bright and bold patterns.
The curtains could even be a unique colour to the room. In other words, a complimentary colour to existing decor elements.
Alternatively, sheer light curtains against white can create a lovely sense of airiness.
Dark curtains in a predominantly white room will give contrast and create a focal point as too bold and vibrant colours.
So with white walls, either dark or light curtains are going to look good.
It just depends on what kind of feel or desired effect you’re looking for.
Light Curtains
Lighter curtains can be the sheer variety, which during the day you can still see out without people being able to see in.
Sheer curtains are great for keeping a space light and airy.
And of course you can still have a heavier curtain to draw over them at night.
So you can have the best of both worlds.
Light and airy during the day and private and cosy at night.
Lighter coloured curtains doesn’t mean lightweight material. You can choose a paler hue that still blocks out light, or you could have a darker curtain over the sheer curtains.
One mood for the day, another for the evening.
Sheer curtains are available in various colours, so using 2 sets of curtains like this also means you can get creative with mixing and matching.
Light curtains are also a better choice if the walls are on the dark side (that doesn’t mean they're in alliance with Darth Vader!)
This isn’t a hard and fast rule though.
As you see in the picture below, they’ve used a fairly dark shade of grey on the walls.
Even though the curtains aren’t exactly light, they are a shade or 2 lighter than the walls.
With the light pattern running through them as well as the high white ceilings, this helps to lift the space, as does the choice in cooler colours for the furniture.
Curtains made from lighter materials will also hang and have a softer flow, and also when in a lighter shade, tend to have a softening effect on the windows and brighten the room.
The only disadvantage to light curtains is they can show dirt more easily.
But one advantage is they can be dyed a different colour if at some point you want to change your decor.
Another upside is that whatever the shade of your walls, lighter curtains are more likely to look good either way.
Being lighter means they’re more neutral, the colour won’t be as bold and less likely to clash with the walls or other decor elements.
Dark Curtains
There’s a false belief that dark curtains will make a room appear smaller
This isn’t strictly the case though.
It’s more to do with the existing wall colour and general colour palette of the room.
Dark and/or heavily patterned curtains against dark walls probably isn’t the best option, but against a white or light wall will create a great contrast and focal point.
Darker curtains also work well in more voluminous spaces.
Especially when hung high to the ceiling, they visually shrink the space and make it more cosy.
Because dark curtains are more dominating, you need to make sure to match them to the wall colour and decor more accurately.
If you don’t get it right, it will be more obvious than in a lighter shade of curtain.
This room already has fairly dark walls. The curtains are a shade darker, but are matched very accurately to the wall colour and other elements. In this instance, darker curtains on a dark wall works.
Unlike lighter curtains, they won’t show dust and dirt as readily.
As already mentioned with light curtains, dark curtains can also be mixed and matched.
Sheer curtains are available in darker colours, which means you can have lighter curtains when drawn, or vice versa.
On lighter walls, darker curtains can create a more welcoming and homely feel.
You’re also able to use bolder and stronger coloured curtains, as well as patterns which may not work as well, or be harder to achieve on a dark wall.
The Verdict
When it comes to making a decision on whether you hang curtains that are lighter or darker than the walls, it’s more about what you’re wanting to achieve with the space.
It was quite difficult to stay on point when writing this article because it’s not really a one or the other answer.
There’s many other decor and design elements that go into not just decorating a room, but just choosing the curtains alone.
When picking the right curtains for a room, whether they’re light or dark is just one element alongside colour, pattern, texture and size.
How high they’re hung as well as how they’re hung also plays a part in the overall look once they’re in front of the windows.
But I hope this article has helped you in some way on your decor journey .. and remember sharing is caring.
So if you’ve found value in this article please feel free to share it.
As always, comments are welcomed.
