With the kind of hectic lifestyles that we lead in this generation, having a patio or gazebo where you can escape with a book is such a treat. With the artful use of outdoor curtains, you can transform your outdoor living spaces into a magical retreat of your imagination – a seraglio in the middle of your garden, a massage room, a romantic private enclave, anything is possible with the right kind of outdoor curtain that are very easy to obtain or even make.

Other than its decorative function, outdoor curtains also have some practical functions for your outdoor living spaces. They can provide privacy, as well as shade and protection from the elements not only for you but even for your deck furnishings. They can prevent sun damage to the fabrics of your deck chairs and sofas. The good news is, outdoor curtains come in a wide variety of styles, fabrics, patterns and colors that choosing what is best for your requirement is made easy. They can be tailored-made to fit the purpose for which you have in mind. These outdoor curtains also come with lightweight and easy to install curtain hardware that will suit the particular size and shape of your outdoor living space.

Outdoor curtains can be grommet curtains, tab top curtains or rod pocket curtains that are the ideal curtain style for outdoor living spaces. They can be coordinated with your other décor and furnishing to create that perfect outdoor retreat.

As side panels
Adding curtains as side panels to windows covered with blinds will definitely make your windows more exciting. You can pull them with elegant or flamboyant tie backs to add more zest to the window treatment and give the room more life and zest.

As layers to the blinds
Curtains hanging over the blinds, especially beautifully patterned curtains will make your window look like a picture frame. they can also provide more privacy to a room and serve as additional insulation when temperature drops at night. During the day time, if you want the sun streaming inside the room, open the blinds and draw back the curtains to bring in the sun and the breeze.

Shags for highlight
Curtains with blinds need not be full-length curtains. Just draping shag loosely over the blinds will make a lot of difference to your window treatment. The shag will accentuate the area and will provide style and elegance to an otherwise boring and dull window treatment.

Billowy and flowing
Billowy and flowing sheer curtains with blinds will give any room a very romantic ambiance. Allow the curtains and blinds to coexist aesthetically and see how inviting and carefree the room will be. For this purpose, lace, voile or any lightweight curtain material will be best. Plain or delicately patterned with flowers will add to the romantic vibe brought by the unique combination of curtains with blinds.

There are many shades of green to choose from that will match not only the home décor but also your lifestyle. Lime green curtains for summer are great modern looking curtains for a modern home, especially when the curtain fabrics used are those that are most appropriate for the season. Cotton, chenille, voile and linen are light fabrics that are best for summer curtains. You can choose plain or printed fabrics, especially floral and stripe prints for your green curtains for summer depending on the room where you plan to hang them.
Green is such a neutral color that is appropriate for either a boy’s or girl’s bedroom unlike pink which is very feminine or color boys won’t appreciate in their room. Green summer curtains give a fresh and airy look to a kitchen, especially when it is made of light fabrics such as voile which allows the air and the sun to filter through the room. Bathrooms will be delightful rooms to bathe and relax when furnished with green colored curtains. Choose a shade of green that will suit the character of the room where you will hang your green curtains for summer and enjoy the colors of the season right inside the comfort of your home. Photo by Ted Winder

Cotton
Cotton is great for making contemporary or modern curtain and also most suited for summer curtains. But cotton is usually used in tandem or combination with other fabrics such as wool, linen, synthetic fibers or silk. The most common cotton fabric used for curtains is batiste cotton, organdy cotton and damask cotton. Cotton curtains provide a soft and gentle finish to a room and are blown gently by the breeze giving the room a cool and cheerful ambiance. They are best hang on windows that are kept open most of the time. Since cotton is softer than synthetic fibers, cotton curtains frame windows less stiffly making them great causal window adornments.
Cotton is also an easy-maintenance fabric. It allows for repeated washing , dries quickly and easily and can be ironed without causing any damage since it is heat resistant.

Silk
Silk is such a luxurious fabric to make into curtains. In choosing fabrics for curtains, you’ll never go wrong if you choose silk. Silk is best made into more formal curtain types to provide elegance and sophistication to a room. if silk is too expensive for your budget you can choose to use faux silk rather than pure silk. Faux silk is an easy on the pocket alternative to pure silk but provides practically the same advantage as genuine silk. It has basically the same soft and smooth texture and such a durable fabric as well.

Lace
Lace is another fabric that is great as curtain fabric. When choosing fabrics for curtains, opt for lace if you want a romantic and dramatic ambiance to your rooms. Lace curtains are also the best for country style home décor.

These spring and summer curtains will bring the colors and newness of the outside world into your living room, bedrooms and kitchen. The most favored fabrics for these lovely curtains are linen, cotton, muslin and poplin. The styles though will depend on the type of window from where these curtains will be hanging.

Georgian Windows
If you have Georgian windows, your best choice would be long striped or plain spring and summer curtains in cotton. Choose a color that will best match your room décor. Cotton Roman shades or blinds will also bring the spring/summer ambiance to your room but in a more inexpensive way.

Big Recess Windows
Café curtains in muslin or linen are awesome looking spring and summer curtains for big recess windows. But long linen curtains hanging from a pole and held back by flower curtain holders offer a very appealing spring and summer ambiance to your room.

Bay Windows
Bay windows are beautiful windows and they’ll look more beautiful with printed voile spring and summer curtains hang behind linen or cotton curtains. During the day you can tie back the linen or cotton curtains so that light and breeze can enter the room through the voile curtains. For a more casual vibe, cotton blinds can also be used to give that spring and summer feel to the room.

The most dominant colors for summer curtains are pastel colors such as yellow, orange and peach – colors associated to the fruitful months of summer. These colors will absolutely liven up a room but at same time cool and soothing enough to give the room a crisp and garden-fresh feeling. For homeowners who are looking for some spice and sophistication in their summer curtains, there are light fabrics with red and other darker colors that are also available. The reds are reminders of the flowers and buds of summer. Greens and blues also bring the summer feel of green meadows and blue crystalline waters, the perfect colors for summer curtains.

For prints, summer curtains feature floral prints; large flowers, small flowers, including abstract floral designs. All over leaf designs, summer meadow print, batik designs, stripes, checks are also great patterns and prints for summer curtains. Fabrics or textiles for summer curtains are also as varied as the designs. Cotton, net or sheer , voile and other soft and billowy fabrics allow the free circulation of air inside a room making these fabrics the prime choices for summer curtains.

In summer, one of the most preferred summer curtains are bamboo curtains. They are used not only to enhance and beautify the room but also to prevent the strong rays of the sun from invading a room. They are the closest to nature one will ever get and they come decorated with floral prints or other summery view and landscape giving the room that absolute feel of summer.

Another use for a string curtain is as a room divider, the best way to create another space or a separate area in a room. You can divide one big room by hanging a string curtain in one corner of the room to create a work or sleeping area. You can also separate the dining area from the kitchen or cooking area by hanging a string curtain in between the two areas. It provides privacy without necessarily building walls.
String curtains can be used in lieu of a door. Hanging it from the door jamb will provide the privacy required by each room. At the same time, the string curtain also allows air and light to flow through the rooms and keep them well-ventilated. Some Asian restaurants use string curtains to separate the private areas from the public rooms in a most delightful and appealing way.
String curtains as wall décor is another use of curtains. A large blank wall can instantly be transformed into an exciting wall space without the use of expensive wall paintings or murals. Match the color and pattern of the string curtain to the décor of the room and you will instantly change the look and mood of the room.

A canopy bed spells romance and fantasy but hanging string curtains as bed curtains will add an exotic vibe reminiscent of a Turkish seraglio where a beautiful and desirable woman is kept. Your bed will become a place of dreams and fancy.

Tab top headings
A tab top heading is a very modern type and less formal heading. This type of heading is created by a series of loops of contrasting or matching fabric sewn onto the top of the curtain. This modern curtain heading type does not require heading tape and works well for fabrics of all weight. Tab top headings are best used with curtain poles.

Eyelet headings
Eyelet headings are contemporary or modern curtain headings that are good alternatives to the conventional heading styles. It also gives a minimalistic look that is simple and very utilitarian. Eyelets are created at the top edge of the curtain where a rod, a string or a pole can be threaded through. This style of hanging a curtain creates deep folds on the fabric, most preferably, fabrics of medium weight. This is a most suitable curtain heading style for a kid’s room or for a living room with a contemporary décor.

Reverse box pleat heading
This type of modern curtain heading is the best type of heading for the trendiest curtain style, floral curtain with a large single flower pattern on the fabric. It has a sleek and modern look and the reverse box pleat provide a smooth front to display the large floral pattern.

Curtain color trends for 2012 are, in general, less complicated and cleaner, providing a general feeling of coziness and ease. The color palette is more feminine since women mostly make the decision for home decoration. Touches of orange, bright red, violet and yellow across all curtain colors provide the bright and cheerful accent.

Nature also influenced curtain color trends for 2012. Green and yellow green with bright hues, cool greens as well as blue green provide an air of genuineness and naturalness. Countryside greens, ochres and yellow and yellow with a green undertone are also feed good colors that are this year’s curtain color trends.

Strong, deep and eye-catching reds, luscious pinks, clean and bright orange are all big favorites to match a wide range of decorating schemes. Rustic tints such as red rust and zesty orange supplement the orange and red palette
Blues and purples are also curtain color trends for 2012. Deep blue is a workable alternative to black and grey while pale and bright blue provide a refreshing and bracing ambiance. For a modern and lavish look, blue is combined with silver. Purple, on the other hand, comes in various shades from soft purple to bright violet.

Neutral colors that reflect wood tones such as beige and brown as well as cool white are also curtain color trends for 2012. These colors provide clean and elegant lines to a window treatment.

The bold prints and sizzling colors of floral curtains create a very bright and cheerful atmosphere. This is toned down by décor accents and furniture with more sedate color and designs to balance the overall look of the room. The most popular curtain color in the market is combination of cool blue and hot red or what is commonly called purple or aubergine as far as the industry is concerned. This color gives an air of mystery to a room at the same time draw out the elegance of the fabric. Other very popular floral curtains are floral prints in contrasting colors on striking and arresting fabrics.

Floral curtain trends for 2012 are not at all the traditional floral curtains of the past but are more contemporary or modern in keeping with the new wave of decorating styles or modes. The market for ready -made floral curtains has been deluged with a huge selection of floral curtains that range from low cost to the more expensive floral curtains. Fabrics of these floral curtains range from hemp, cotton, silk and other environmentally friendly fabrics, Said fabrics give the home owners a closer connection to nature, a trend in home building that has become all the rage.

Room walls as well as décor accents such as cushions, carpets and the like are coordinated with the floral curtains. Styles of floral curtains can be simple or elaborate – tab top curtains, box pleated curtains, café curtains, panel curtains, curtains with valances and other curtain styles are all suitable styles for floral curtains. This floral curtain trend for 2012 is as great looking in the living room as well as in the bedroom and even the kitchen.