How High To Hang Curtains On A 9-Foot Ceiling (Find Out Now!)
When talking about giving window treatments, most design blogs assume you have a standard size ceiling. When you have a vaulted ceiling, things get more complicated. A ceiling that towers tall at nine feet high means you may have to work extra hard to find the right curtain height. But, how do you even figure that out? Is there a standard here?
There are two main ways people hang curtains when you have tall ceilings: Hanging the curtains far below the ceiling or hanging them high and wide. The most common method is to make the room appear cozier by “dropping” the ceiling and hanging the curtains a couple of feet down from the ceiling.
Trying to figure out the suitable hanging method for your curtains can be a tough decision, especially if you are not sure what ambiance you want. This guide is here to help.
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Is There A Rule For Hanging Curtains On Higher Ceilings?
Though there are a lot of rules related to measurements in interior design (such as how high a coffee table should be), it’s essential to realize that there’s a lot to this art that relies on personal taste. When it comes to your window treatments, what you should do rests on what you want as far as a curtain’s effects.
It’s also a matter of personal choice. If you tend to love seeing curtains that billow from the ceiling all the way to the floor, you have every right to do it. After all, it is your home, and it should reflect your taste. When people say that there are rules to certain things, it’s only because they tend to create a proven visual effect.
Does Curtain Height Affect Your Room’s Appearance?
Make no mistake about it; how you hang your curtains makes just as much of a difference as the curtains themselves.
That’s why you need to be aware of how each positioning will change the ambiance of your room. Here’s what you need to know about the most common ways people hang curtains:
- High And Wide. This now-ubiquitous way of hanging curtains is known for giving you six to eight inches of extra space above the window, plus extra curtains on either side. Believe it or not, this is often used to open up a room’s appearance more. So if you want to have a bigger room, then you should opt for this one.
- Dropping The Ceiling. This cute nickname for a curtain hanging method helps add balance to an overly tall ceiling by hanging the curtains far away from the ceiling. So, rather than bringing it six inches away, you might see a “dropped ceiling” curtain setup bring them closer to the eight-foot mark.
- Hugging The Window. While most high and wide curtains give your curtains a way to frame the window, hugging the window’s difference. This makes the window.
- High Up. If you want to have the highest ceilings and want to add space to the room, hang up the curtain as close as you possibly can to the ceiling. This expands the room and adds a regal, almost wildly fantastic look to your place.
Do Floor To Ceiling Curtains Make Rooms Look Bigger?
Curtains have a miraculous way of expanding rooms in a great way, especially if you have tall ceilings. Regardless of the height of your ceiling, it’s good to know that a floor-to-ceiling curtain layout will help expand your room’s appearance.
While this is usually done to make a room look taller, it can also help certain rooms look wider—especially if you have a room with a larger window.
What Kind Of Curtains Look Best In Rooms With High Ceilings?
The cool thing about having tall ceilings is that you have many different ways to jazz them up. While almost any curtain pattern looks great in a room with a tall ceiling, there are some design tips that can help you make the most of your room height. Take a look at these tips below:
- Sheer and semi-sheer curtains tend to look airy and breezy. This makes them ideal for rooms that you want to open up, and that effect is amplified in a room with an extra-tall ceiling.
- Bold color curtains and neutral solids are excellent for almost any occasion. If you want to go for a safe bet that will add a pop of color or accent a pop of color that you already have.
- When you have tall ceilings in a small room, go for larger print patterns. Larger print patterns help fill in a room, all while giving your room a bigger appearance. If you want to shrink a room’s appearance or add texture to your curtains, go for smaller prints.
- If you choose this, know what you’re getting into. Stripes in tall rooms will make your walls look even taller. This is not always a good thing. It can be reasonably jarring on a large scale, especially if the stripes are bold.
What’s The Best Curtain Choice For Tall Rooms?
This all depends on the width of the room. If your room is otherwise petite, you might find that hanging your curtains high up may make your room feel cavernous. Sometimes, it can even be downright disproportionate!
That’s when you may want to go for a “dropped” look rather than a high-up method. If you’re not a fan of the dropped look, hugging the window and getting some artwork for the top portion of your wall can help.
On the other hand, if your room is spacious and you want to emphasize the vaulted ceilings, then going for a “high and wide” look can add some elegant framing while still giving your room a relaxed, spacey vibe. In this case, choosing to hug the windows or dropping the ceiling doesn’t make sense.
Is It Possible To Hang Curtains On A Vaulted Ceiling?
Sometimes, the reason why your ceilings are nine feet high has more to do with the fact that you have a vaulted ceiling than it does with the fact that your ceiling is tall.
In these cases, it often can be best to hang them high and wide. However, that doesn’t mean it’s the only way to do things.
While it’s not the most common way to hang curtains, it is possible to hang curtains on a vaulted ceiling, even doing so on an angle.
You may need to go for sheer curtains to put things on an angle since this can help keep things looking linear. Sheer curtains pool up without much crinkling compared to most other curtain materials.
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Related Questions
When should you consider using stationary panels?
Stationary panels are an excellent aesthetic tool to use when you have wide windows in a room with taller ceilings.Or, more specifically, when you have three or more standard-sized windows right next to one another. Stationary panels offer a framing aspect to your curtains and help balance out your room’s height.Since these panels are stationary, you can’t use them to cover the windows. So if you use this type of curtain, it’s necessary to double up with blinds or a less stationary version. They’re more like the icing on a cake rather than the cake itself.
How should you hang curtains on a ceiling that isn’t entirely straight?
If you are like many other homeowners, your ceiling isn’t perfectly straightened. It could be due to your home settling, or it could be due to your home just not being appropriately built on a foundation.Either way, there’s a quick way to help restore a little balance. To make sure that you get the curtain evenness you want, hang them on the same angle as your slanted ceiling.The reason why this works is simple. When everything is on the same angle, it all tends to look straighter. It also isn’t as obvious up top, which is a huge boon to designers working with a difficult home.
Ossiana Tepfenhart is an expert writer, focusing on interior design and general home tips. Writing is her life, and it's what she does best. Her interests include art and real estate investments.
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