The Curtain Wall Effect: Three Rooms, Three Transformations

By Sandy Saintilus

Adding curtains across an entire wall instead of just the windows is one the easiest ways to make a room look cozy and elevated. I’ve done this three different times – each for a different reason – and every time, it completely transformed the space. Here’s how full curtain walls became my go-to design trick.

My Bedroom: Balancing an off-center window

My bedroom window sits awkwardly on the right side of the wall. This leaves sizable wall space on the left side of the window and just a few inches on the left side of the window. At first I considered hanging curtains just over the window, but that would’ve called attention to the asymmetry of the window. Instead, I decided to curtain the entire wall from corner to corner using ceiling mounted tracks.

The result was a statement wall that rivaled the wallpaper. Adding curtains to the whole wall made the room feel taller, softer, and even quieter. What started as a design fix now makes me feel like I’m staying in a boutique hotel.

Later on I even added lights to the curtains. See a tutorial of that here.

My Living Room: Hiding an ugly bookcase

My living room has a wall with an open bookcase, two slender windows and a door that leads to the balcony. I considered using roman shades over the door and windows but decided against it because:

• We use the bookcase as storage and I had no interest in styling it.

• We access the balcony multiple times a day and I wanted to be able to get to it easily.

• Roman shades on the windows felt like less of a statement and wouldn’t add the softness to the room that curtains would.

The curtains were definitely the right move in this room. The curtains not only provided texture but also covered up the bookcase turning it into closed storage. Both beautiful and functional.

I go more into detail about this wall in this video here.

Photo credit: LaJoy Photography 

A Client’s Bedroom: Creating privacy and drama

My clients had a bedroom with an awkwardly placed window. The window was right behind the clients headboard and faced directly into their neighbors bedroom. It ruined the layout and privacy of the space. Moving the window and/or downsizing the bed wasn’t an option so I used floor-to-ceiling blackout curtains on a curtain track to solve it all.

Photo credit: LaJoy Photography 

The clients have two other large windows in their bedroom so they never need to access the small window behind the bed. The full curtain wall instantly added a luxurious feel to the room and the choice of white curtains helped balance out the dark navy we drenched the room in.

Watch the full installation here.

Photo credit: LaJoy Photography 

Why I Keep Doing It

Whether for balance, storage or privacy, curtaining a whole wall has become my favorite design trick. It adds softness, hides imperfections, and adds that luxury, layered feel every space deserves. If you have an awkward wall or a window that just isn’t working, try turning it into a curtain wall – you might be surprised at how transformative it can be.

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