Basement Window Curtains: Tips & Ideas to Brighten & Beautify
When it comes to natural charm, basements don’t have much to show off—no grand picture windows framing great views or flushing the interiors with golden light. The meagre light sneaking in through oddly-placed petite windows often fails to rescue the space from looking gloomy and stuffy. That’s exactly why custom curtains are ideal here—to create an illusion of vertical space and soften dark, lifeless corners. Basement curtains are the right dose of flair needed to elevate this light-starved, utility-oriented space to a well-loved sanctuary, full of homely charm. But there’s a challenge - not to cut off the bare minimum light, nor clutter the space visually. In this blog, Sewn’s drapery experts take on the challenge and share their most valuable insights for basement curtains:
It’s All About Ambiance: Pay Attention to Fabric Opacity
Basements have come a long way from being mere dumping grounds for dusty boxes and forgotten treadmills to being versatile spaces that can work to any brief — guest bedrooms, stylish home gyms, media rooms, moody bars, and whatnot. The curtains must not just match this happy upgrade but also set the tone to suit the newly defined purpose. This is, to a great extent, shaped by the fabric and its opacity.
Semi-sheer and sheer curtains serve well in basements that are dedicated to light-friendly activities like crafting, working out, and reading. They keep the room light and airy, even as they protect your privacy during the day.
Bedrooms and media rooms, on the other hand, require a well-insulated, dark and quiet ambiance. Basements are already halfway there, thanks to the scarcity of natural light. But, for the perfect cinema-style darkness, you need non-sheer curtains, and in some cases, back them with a blackout lining.
HAUL 'EM HOME: Sheer Curtains | Velvet Curtains | Blackout Curtains
Color, Mood & Some Trickery: Let Palette Amplify Light and Space
In basements, palette decisions cannot be confined to taste and decor style. Here, they get to be part of the strategy to make the basement as open and airy as possible, or as dark and moody as you desire. Colors are not just about how fancy or demure they look to the eye; they also play a huge role in how expansive or shut off a room feels.
Stay on the lighter side of the color spectrum, where every tone works like glass—filtering and reflecting light all across the room. Light-colored curtains make the room feel larger, airier, and less like an underground area. But, this does not help a bedroom or home theatre where the last beam of light is to be kept out of the bay. This is where blackout lining unleashes its magic—blocking light and sound, creating the perfect atmosphere for sound sleep and immersive media experience, while the curtains keep the room looking light and spacious with their mellow hues.
TIP IN A PIC!
Blend In to Open Up
For small basements, we recommend matching the curtain to the color of the walls to blur their silhouettes. Where contrasts can break a visual frame into smaller units, matched tones create a visual continuity that makes the basement look larger.
The Power of Optical Illusion: Choose an Elongating Pattern
Nothing can bring life to a room as the play of shapes, tones and contrasts in patterns. So, if you feel your basement looks a bit flat and starved for personality, count on patterned curtains to upturn the design narrative instantly. And use good judgment because the right pattern can make your room look taller and wider than it is. Here are some design tips to help you pull it off:
SELECTION: The world of patterns is horizonless, and not all will do favors for a tight and dark basement. Look for motifs that cue the eye to travel upwards, elongating the room vertically. Think stripes, floral vines, chevrons, and the like.
SCALING: The pattern must relate to the size of the room and the curtains. Oversized motifs tend to make the space feel smaller by overpowering the setting visually. Small and medium-scale patterns blend in without commanding too much attention, and keep the space visually light.
PALETTE: Avoid high-contrast patterns as they can make the space look busy and space-compromised. Instead, opt for subtle contrasts and low-profile motifs that keep the curtains looking light overall.
HAUL 'EM HOME: Striped Curtains | Floral Curtains | Geometric Print Curtains
The Game of Dimensions: Tailor the Fullness & the Drop
Curtains look their elegant best with long trails and sumptuous folds. However, basements are light-deprived spaces that call for a different script—well-dressed, but never over-dressed. So, consider your curtain panel length and width carefully when measuring:
LENGTH: Sill-length curtains tend to emphasize the smallness and awkward position of the windows in basements, so contrary to intuition, we recommend floor-length drapes here. This is one of the oldest tricks in the book to make a low-ceiling room look taller. Floor-to-ceiling curtains create a seamless visual connection that makes the eye gauge the full vertical span of the room. Let them ‘float’ a tad above the floor or lightly ‘graze’ the floor, because at these drop points, they will glide smoothly. For more on curtain length matters, refer to our blog on 'How Long Should My Curtains Be?'.
WIDTH: The width of the curtains directly impacts their volume—the wider you go, the fuller the pleats. For basements to feel more airy and unfussy, we recommend light-bodied curtains. Hence, opt for 1.5x to 1.75x ‘fullness level’ to avoid overly-dense pleats and invite in a breezy appeal. To learn more about how ‘fullness’ and panel width can be calculated, refer to our Drapery Measurement Guide.
Clever Hardware Tricks: Go High and Wide to Shape the Light
How you position the hardware has much to do with how your curtains will control or let in light. Whether you’re seeking flawless blackout for movie nights or maximum light for recreation, hardware positioning has a role to play.
Here’s how you meet both agendas with one trick: Extend the pole/track 6-12 inches beyond the window on both sides. This extension serves two purposes: Offering added coverage that cancels light leaks from the sides of the drapery, and, enabling the curtains to stack clear beyond the window, to bring in maximum light when you so desire.
Secondly, avoid placing the hardware too close to the window trim. Place it as high as possible, or affix it on the ceiling itself. This helps to create the illusion of a taller ceiling that in turn, makes your basement feel bigger, brighter, and far less boxed in.
Shop Basement Window Curtains at Sewn
It may be your laundry room that you visit only on weekends or the rumpus room where your kids play board games every night—whatever the role you’ve assigned to your basement area, curtains do their bit to set the tone and tame the light. Whether you’re looking for delicate sheers to maximize the light or blackout curtains to prepare a cozy night retreat, Sewn’s vast collection of over 2000 premium fabrics will certainly not leave you wanting for choice. So, head on to our catalog and pick the curtains that will take your basement from blah to brilliant, in an instant!
