Tag Archives: Outdoor Curtains

Before & After: Design Details Make the Difference

Any living space can be turned from bland and unappealing to comfortable and inviting, and it rarely requires expensive choices like remodeling or a complete decorating makeover.  In most cases, a fresh and beautiful look can be achieved with the addition of a few simple and inexpensive details.  Here is a good example:

Before Outdoor Curtains

The photo above shows a fairly standard wall that serves as a boundary between properties.  The homeowner has attempted to soften the appearance of the wall by adding some beautiful potted ferns, but the plants don’t successfully break up the wide, visual expanse of stone.

With the addition of outdoor curtains and mounted light fixtures, though, a dramatic improvement can be seen:

After Outdoor Curtains

The vast and unappealing wall becomes a softer and more elegant focal point.  Even the potted plants, which before looked washed out and ragged against the drab stone backdrop, pop out in front of the outdoor curtains and add more visual texture and interest to the scene.

Many times, all that a living space requires to improve its appearance is the addition or alteration of a few details.  Before investing in an expensive remodel or decorating overhaul, it’s worth the time and money to first think on a smaller scale.  A very little change, as seen here, can often go a long way to improve a living space.

Fresh Idea: Decorate Indoor Spaces With Outdoor Curtains

Outdoor Curtains Indoors

Today’s outdoor curtains and drapes look as good as indoor ones and offer superior performance, so why wouldn’t you choose outdoor curtains for your indoor spaces?  Here are a few reasons why outdoor curtains are a good idea:

  • Indoor fabrics fade — The beautiful curtains you had custom made for your sunny living room may not look so beautiful in a couple of years as the sun’s UV rays do their darndest to fade the curtain’s colors.  Because outdoor curtains are intended for outdoor use, they are constructed with fabrics that resist those harmful UV rays and keep fading at a bare minimum.  Your curtains will look just as vibrant in ten years as they do when you first install them.

  • Protect indoor furnishings — Those same UV rays that fade your lovely indoor curtains can also do some serious damage over time to your other indoor furnishings.  Upholstered furniture, artwork, fabrics, carpets, and more are at the mercy of the sun’s UV rays.  Over time, these indoor treasures can fade, weaken, crack, and become otherwise damaged as a result of prolonged sun exposure.  The best quality outdoor curtains have a UV protection factor of 98%, so they block the bulk of the harmful rays that threaten to damage your indoor furnishings.

  • Durability and versatility — Outdoor curtains are made with beautiful, but rugged, fabrics that can take the worst of outdoor weather.  By using outdoor curtains inside, you can feel confident that they’ll stand up to everyday, and not so everyday, abuses.  Outdoor curtains make any room of the house look good, but, because they are so easy to clean, they are especially ideal for the busiest of rooms, like the kitchen, family room, kids’ rooms, play room, and laundry room.

A Quick and Easy Outdoor Room Using Outdoor Curtains

I visited my in-laws over the weekend, and I had the opportunity to see the new outdoor curtains they installed on each side of their covered deck.  They chose to install outdoor curtains for reasons of privacy, but the curtains provide an unexpected benefit as well.  The deck has become another room in their home, a living space where my  in-laws retreat for a morning cup of coffee or an afternoon conversation.  The deck itself is not screened in, but the curtains they hung are made of rugged fade-resistant and waterproof Sunbrella fabric and do a surprisingly effective job of shielding the room’s occupants from sun, bugs, and weather.   The curtains improve the look of the deck area, too, making it so much more inviting and comfortable to use.

It is refreshing to know that creating a new outdoor living space doesn’t have to break the bank and doesn’t necessarily require building permits.  A room addition can be as easy as installing outdoor curtains.  The hard part now is trying to decide what color fabric to choose for my own outdoor space.