Curtains Blocking Too Much Light? Here's How To Update Them To Brighten Your Space

Curtains serve an important purpose in interior design. They're functionally necessary to preserve your privacy while also bringing in texture, softness, and a certain decorative flair to the room. However, when the topic is natural light, curtains tend to get in the way. This may not be the case in south-facing homes where you need curtains to protect your home from sunlight damage and heat. But it is definitely the case in spaces without direct natural light or small windows. Curtains that are mounted higher and wider than necessary could fix the lack of natural light.

Updating your window treatment is one of the best ways to improve natural light in your home. Unless you have a private terrace or a really high penthouse, going without any window coverage at all is probably not an option. So, what you can do to keep your curtains from limiting the amount of light coming in is to opt for wider, higher rods that allow the drapes to be completely pulled open. Additionally, curtains in sheer or light color fabrics will provide a certain level of privacy without fully blocking that precious, precious natural light.

One of the best tips for getting good lighting in every room in your home is to place your curtain rod well above the window frame or, in the case of rooms with low ceilings, take the rod as high up as you can. That way, the rod and tops of the curtains won't block light from the upper portion of the window. The usual recommendation is 4 to 6 inches above the frame, or halfway between the frame and the ceiling, but extending that distance can make a difference in both allowing light in and creating the illusion of height. 

An even more important tip to help you choose the perfect curtain rod for gloomy rooms is to go wide. If you have the wall space, make sure your curtain rod is wide enough so that, when the curtains are drawn back, there isn't a single inch of curtain interfering with the light inflow. You want enough extra rod length to accommodate all of the window fabric outside of the window frame — reserving about 10 inches of rod on each side of side of the frame will do the trick, unless you have super thick curtains or wide windows. As with height, a longer rod will also make your windows appear wider.

You'll also want to avoid certain mounts, like return rods and ceiling tracks. They're designed to mitigate light bleed for rooms that need total darkness, and you should be gunning for the opposite, so that even when your curtains are drawn, some light can still come in from the sides and the top. Similarly, you'll want to get rid of any valances and cornices framing your window, as well as outside awnings and covers that are blocking the sun. As for fabric, sheer, lightweight materials, like voile and linen, in bright colors are preferable and can be layered with more opaque curtains for added privacy.