When it comes to dressing your windows, you may have asked yourself: ‘Do I need a professional curtain designer and installer, or should I just order my curtains online from a site like Jane Clayton or Just Fabrics?’ It’s a fair question—and one we hear from time to time at Katherine Brown Curtains and Blinds.
So let’s start by stating the obvious: I am a professional curtain designer. I’ve designed, made and installed window dressing schemes for my lovely clients in London, the home counties and overseas. I’ve even been on TV doing it! I work with interior designers to bring their visions to life and do the same for my private clients.
So you’ll probably think I’m going to say that DIY is a bad idea!
Well, I’m not.
There’s no doubt that DIY and online providers have a role to play, and many windows dressed this way look great.
With that said, it’s very hard to replicate the magic that occurs when I sit down with a client and we spend a solid hour or two going through their entire home, picking colours and fabrics, and spotting opportunities for a bold or dramatic style statement. This brings coherence to the end look, which is much harder if you work on it in stops and starts on your own.
Not only that, but of course, with expert curtain makers tailoring each item to your requirements and experienced installers fitting each bespoke piece of hardware, the whole thing flows in a way that delivers an end result that is far beyond what you may ever have imagined possible.
With that, let’s look at the pros and cons of each approach so you can make up your mind.
Katherine’s Key Takeaway: The real magic happens before you reach for a tape measure or a fabric sample. Understanding the architectural context of your curtains or blinds is a very important first step. Equally, it is vital to consider what you want your window dressings to do – is it blackout? Is it daytime privacy? Is it purely a style statement?
Transcript
The differences between buying curtains online and buying through a curtain designer like Katherine Brown Curtains and Blinds is that we will hold your hand at every step of the way.
A lot of people, when they use online curtain companies, they’re focusing very much on the fabric, and often these companies do have a great choice of fabrics, so that’s very tempting.
But actually, when working with a curtain designer such as Katherine Brown, we start right from the beginning. And the important thing we do is we visit our clients’ homes. Take, for example, if you’ve got to put window dressings for your home, what we would do is we’d work through, go each window by turn with you and work out what you want to achieve.
Is it privacy, is it blackout, is it more dress and aesthetics, is it warmth, insulation, et cetera? We would then discuss things like hardware with you, and what’s possible and what’s feasible.
And we often think that is a better place to start and get those basics right. I say basics are actually not that basic and not that easy. But it’s important to get the technical aspect right first.
Otherwise, what you might find is that it doesn’t function how you want it to function, doesn’t fit how you’d expect it to fit, which can impact look and function. And it can just be disappointing.
However much you spend on fabric, and however much you love the fabric, if you don’t get the nuts and bolts right, it’s going to be disappointing. And added to that are things like choosing the right header, choosing the right depth of pleat — those things are so, so important — choosing the right lining.
So we will step through the house with you, advising on suitability of hardware, suitability of heading type, suitability even of fabric, and make a plan and then measure up and then help with fabrics.
It’s, you know, it can be quite fun ordering fabric samples online from Jane Clayton or Just Fabrics, but it can also be pretty frustrating because, you know, you’re either limited to the number of free samples you can have or you end up paying quite a lot for samples.
And it’s not uncommon for people to say to me, “The samples arrived — none of them are right.” The difference with us is that we will collate samples for you, we’ll select samples for you that work. So you’re only really looking at fabrics that will work with your paint colours, that will work with your windows.
So really our process is very much holding your hand from the hardware decisions, the measuring, selecting, helping and guiding in terms of colours and patterns and fabrics, helping you make the right decisions in terms of your linings and your headings, making them to an exceptional standard, and then a professional installation.
And you know, the way in which those curtains are installed and dressed is very important to the overall end result.
If your windows are simple and straightforward, then buying online may be a good idea. However, many houses have quirky windows, especially period homes, which are never ever perfectly symmetrical and often come with additional challenges such as radiators under windows, cornicing, and obstacles like wardrobe doors and furniture, all of which can complicate matters.
A prime example is bay windows, which are lovely but come with challenges: They can be tricky to measure, and choosing the most suitable hardware can be a minefield.
Katherine’s Key Takeaway: If you’re brave enough to go it alone with an online provider, I recommend having the hardware in place before measuring for your new curtains
If you have an expert come and help you, you will undoubtedly need less time overall for the project. They’ll stop you wasting time on ideas that don’t work, tell you what can be achieved and explain what is on offer that suits your windows.
Using an online supplier will require you to spend more time doing:
Even the fun part is going to take much longer because most online suppliers will limit you to five free fabric samples in one go. Whereas with a professional, there is no limit to the number of samples, and what’s more, the samples will have been beautifully curated to suit your home and your taste.
Katherine’s Key Takeaway: When you take on a professional team, you’re benefiting from years of combined experience. This experience not only allows the project to move more quickly but avoids dozens of potential problems that can occur. This gives you the time to focus on the nice bits – choosing the right fabrics and fittings.
It’s quite common for me to meet a client who has seen some wonderful spaces, possibly on their travels or in magazines, and whilst being clear on what they like, translating it into their own space is not as straightforward for them as they had expected.
Whilst you are immersed in your career or home life every day, a professional curtain designer is spending their time day in and day out working with colours, patterns and fabrics in all sorts of buildings. This builds a depth of experience that means they can visualise how a room can be styled and what needs to be done to achieve the look you want.
Choosing the right colours, patterns and fabrics for your window dressings is a worthwhile investment in your daily happiness – after all, seeing a set of curtains that gives you a little moment of joy each day is going to make a huge difference over the lifetime of your curtains.
Katherine’s Key Takeaway: One of the most enjoyable parts of my work is seeing the results of people feeling confident enough to make bold decisions, knowing that they are guided and supported by me and my team.
There is no doubt at all that an online curtain supplier will be cheaper. Why is this?
With all this said, there’s no doubt a place for online providers – it may not be your forever home, or it may be a rental where investment is not appropriate. Companies such as Jane Clayton offer a number of online DIY guides and a huge range of fabrics.
Katherine’s Key Takeaway: An interior designer client we work with came to us having used an online service, saying, ‘ I’ll never do that again – the curtains arrived creased and were a big let down. Not only did I have to put them up, but I had to steam them first.’
If this sounds stressful, that’s because it is. It is so easy to make a mistake – the classic is where 205cm magically becomes 250cm somewhere in the process, and the curtains arrive far too long (or short).
One tip I’d always add is that measuring is much easier if you are using existing hardware and can measure with it already in place.
Katherine’s Key Takeaway: On our projects, Tom, who leads the installation team, always comes with us to measure up. It removes a considerable opportunity for errors to creep in and it means we spot any challenges at the start rather than on installation day.
To answer the question: Professional Curtain Designer vs. Buying Curtains Online, you should first answer this: ‘Is 95% good enough or are you secretly a bit of a perfectionist?’ It really is tough to get a perfect result on your own versus working with people who do nothing but design, make and install curtains all day, every day. We do meet people who have finally become too irritated with something being not quite right, having done their own measuring and installation, and they say things like:
‘The curtains are just a fraction too short’
‘I get irritated every time I close them’
‘They let in too much light at the side’
Clearly, for some, it doesn’t matter if something is a little wonky. If you think that minor imperfections will annoy you, then it will probably be worth using a professional designer.
Katherine’s Key Takeaway: There’s a huge place for online services – kids’ bedrooms where the dressings need to change often are a good example! It’s not uncommon for people to use a professional for the most important rooms and online DIY for the less important ones.
There’s no doubt that in this age of YouTube experts to support us, DIY installation has become somewhat easier. On the other hand, if being up a ladder, drilling into walls and understanding all the various fittings is not your thing, then when it comes to Professional Curtain Designer vs. Buying Curtains Online, it will be best to avoid DIY installation!
As professionals, we are learning all the time. For one thing, every time a new fabric is launched, the manufacturer makes sure we get a sample! New hardware is always being invented, and we also get to know about that and see it in action to understand the best applications. Collaborating with wonderful interior designers and, of course, keeping up with the latest trends in magazines and at shows all adds up to a wealth of knowledge that we love to bring to bear on your home.
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We are always keen to hear about your vision for your window dressings and look forward to helping you to love where you live!
