DIY Living Room Curtain Ideas

Don't underestimate the importance of curtains in your living room, but how do you pick the right ones? What length is best for your space? Which color or pattern will complement the rest of your decor? Ask your questions here or participate in the discussions happening on our discussion board. Check out our projects, we have lots to offer!

18 Stylish Ideas for Living Room Curtains to Transform Your Home

How to Make Your Curtains Fit

Measure twice, cut once: Measure your curtain drop at least twice. Make sure the length reaches the necessary level before fixing your rail and hanging the curtains.
Curtains and walls should match: Curtain colors should complement your walls. First, match the tone. Second, aim to use a different shade than the main wall color.
Customize your curtains with ease: Secure your curtains to a board. Use a roller and a stencil to apply a 2:1 mix of paint and fabric medium to create an impressive custom look.
Ditch stitches with no-sew curtains: For a custom look, use Heat N Bond adhesive hemming tape to combine fabric scarves. Iron flat and use as many scarves as needed for your drop.
Swap blinds for curtains: Replace blinds with curtains using drapery hooks. Removing the blinds, glue hooks to the top of your curtains and hang from the existing clips.

More Living Room Ideas

Top Projects for Living Room Curtains

Are you ready to see the top DIY living room curtain projects on Hometalk? Enjoy.

No Sew Shower Curtain Valance In No Time!

Here is the finished shower curtain and valance. I couldn't find much on line about this so I thought I would share. It is SO easy and I think the height makes the bathroom feel larger and the shower curtain look custom.

Suzanne

The HAPPIEST Office Curtains in the World.... Made by the Girl Who CAN

I wanted custom office curtains. But I don't sew. And I wanted them like yesterday, so I figured out a way to do it myself!

Jennifer Allwood

Laundry Room With Curtains

My washer and dryer are in my kitchen. It drives me crazy. And until we get to remodeling that part of the house, I needed a temporary fix! So with a few failed attempts at covering them up, I was finally successful with this idea. I wanted to make this as inexpensive as I possibly could. I went to the Dollar Store for the curtain rods and the shower curtain rings. And for the curtains themselves, I scoured the thrift stores for fabric. And without any luck I went through old curtains I had from our previous home that didn't fit the windows of our new (work in progress) home. I found the length I needed (84") and went to work. I knew I wouldn't be using these curtains again so I wasn't hesitant to cut little slits in them to put the curtain rings thru. I first hung the curtain rods from the ceiling. Using a measiring tape to get the exact width and a simple piece of string to help keep everything in line. One those were in place I layed the curtains on the floor stacked one on top of another. I cut slats for 3 curtain rings per panel. And that was it. Hung them up and walked away! I completely love the temp fix to hide the washer and dryer before we can relocate them to the basement. Side Note: I strongly recommend the curtain rings. They make opening and closing the curtains extremely easy. I originally had the curtains hung without the rings and could barely pull them open. Not to mention they came up short in length. The rings make all the difference!!Thanks for checking out my post!!!!

Kimberly Renae

Conceal a Cluttered Shelf

This project has been a long time in the making! My husband is a filmmaker and his movie collection certainly is quite vast as a result of his love for film. We have had a wall full of movies for years and have always talked about tucking it behind some curtains for a less cluttered look, and we finally made it happen! This is an easy and fun way to conceal a projecting shelving unit that is covered in madness. With a long pair of curtains and some copper piping and hardware, you can cover just about any cluttered spot in the house! We want to help you DIY, so some of the materials in this post are linked to sellers. Just so you know, Hometalk may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.

Amanda C, Hometalk Team

Burlap Bag Curtain

Lately I've been trying to evaluate my decor, get rid of things that aren't really my style anymore, and come up with new things to make. One of those things that I decided to make was a curtain over my side entry door (we use this as our main door). Ever since moving in to our house almost 4 years ago, there has been a nasty blind hanging from/taped on the door window. (Yes, the sides of the blinds were legit taped down with masking tape...I'm assuming the person living here before didn't want them banging against the door every time he opened it.). I'm constantly on the go and stay busy, so I never really stopped to let it bother me too much until this past week. I finally said to myself, "okay those disgusting blinds HAVE to go!" When I was down in South Carolina visiting my mom a few years ago, we went to this AAAAAMAZING antique mall where several vendors have their antiques, repurposed items and other creations set up, and I found 2 burlap sacks. Being the crafting hoarder that I am, I purchased them ($30 for both) with the intention of eventually making stool/ottoman cushions out of them. That never happened -- so this week when I was looking at my gross blinds, I decided to finally use one of my burlap sacks. I was pleasantly surprised at how quick and easy this facelift was for my door window!

Rob & Courtney M, Hometalk Team

No-Sew Curtains & Curtain Rod for Less Than $15!

Let's face it, curtains and curtain rods can be EXPENSIVE! Especially, if you are looking for prints or patterns. I found a solution that is inexpensive and involves absolutely no sewing, which is a bonus for a lot of people. All you need is a flat sheet and a little plumbing/electrical hardware.

Julien K., Hometalk Team

Giving New Life to the Old

I converted my deck into a room and did not have heat or air vents installed so I left the old window openings open and where the door was I added a French door.

Blu Jay

Window Covering Solution for Odd-shaped Windows

This is my first post, I hope I get everything right. We own a modified A-Frame home built in the 1970's. The entire front of the house is glass, most of which are odd-shaped windows. Since the house faces mostly East, we get the glaring sun directly into our living room every morning. I have spent many years trying to find window coverings for these 2 windows that don't look funny. I think I have found the answer and I owe it all Suzy at susyssitcom.com, she is fantastic and one of her projects that I saw on Hometalk gave me the inspiration and motivation to create this project. Unfortunately I don't have before pictures but they are plain non-opening glass corner windows.

Diane Ochoa

Window Treatment With Placemats

My kitchen window has nice wooden blinds but needed some sprucing up. I bought some placemats to use as a valance and attached them with Velcro.

Jody Burge

Creative Cheap Easy Curtain Hack

I have a big long window over my kitchen sink. Even though I have blinds on them I still like having a curtain too. A valance is the best size but sometimes they are hard to find.

Stephanie Sanders

No Sew Shower Curtain Valance In No Time!

Suzanne

The HAPPIEST Office Curtains in the World.... Made by the Girl Who CAN

I wanted custom office curtains. But I don't sew. And I wanted them like yesterday, so I figured out a way to do it myself!

Jennifer Allwood

Laundry Room With Curtains

Kimberly Renae

Conceal a Cluttered Shelf

Amanda C, Hometalk Team

Burlap Bag Curtain

Rob & Courtney M, Hometalk Team

No-Sew Curtains & Curtain Rod for Less Than $15!

Julien K., Hometalk Team

Giving New Life to the Old

I converted my deck into a room and did not have heat or air vents installed so I left the old window openings open and where the door was I added a French door.

Blu Jay

Window Covering Solution for Odd-shaped Windows

Diane Ochoa

Window Treatment With Placemats

My kitchen window has nice wooden blinds but needed some sprucing up. I bought some placemats to use as a valance and attached them with Velcro.

Jody Burge

Creative Cheap Easy Curtain Hack

I have a big long window over my kitchen sink. Even though I have blinds on them I still like having a curtain too. A valance is the best size but sometimes they are hard to find.

Stephanie Sanders

Living Room Curtain Videos

DIY video tutorials on how to make your own living room curtains. Go on in.

Quick, Affordable Renter-friendly Bedroom Makeover: Color, Storage,...

It doesn't need to cost a lot or take a lot of time to freshen up a bedroom and give it new life! When you live in a rental apartment, it makes sense to not spend too much time or money to decorate, so in this makeover, everything is quick and easy to do on a budget.

Engineer Your Space

Dip Dyed Drop Cloth Curtains

Using drop cloth curtains is so easy and affordable, as well as stylish with their rustic farmhouse charm. I have been using drop cloths as curtain panels indoors and outdoors for years. Even though I love the look of a plain drop cloth curtain panel, I wanted to see if I could spice things up a bit.Find the full details of this project on my blog.

Heather Cammack

Dear Hometalk: How Can I Decorate With White Twin Sheets?

Have some plain white sheets lying around? Check out these incredible ways to put them to good use!

Dear Hometalk

5 Kool- Aid Dyeing Techniques Most People Don't Know

Have some extra Kool- Aid packets lying around? Check out these unconventional dyeing techniques to put them to good use!

Abbie M

Hometalkers' Favorite DIY Living Room Curtain Projects

Looking for the best DIY living room curtain projects? Look no further!

Easy Custom-sized Curtain Rods

Our house has a ton of windows, which is great for natural light, not so great on a wallet when it comes to dressing them. To top it off, we have several bay windows and other weirdly-sized windows that can’t use a standard curtain rod from the store.This process below has become my go-to for curtain rods (and can even be used for shower curtains and outdoor curtains!), and is perfect when you have a ton of windows to cover on a less-than-ideal budget.

Amanda

Magnetic Curtain Tie Backs

Get the tutorial here - http://www.thehandymansdaughter.com/2016/08/08/pokemon-magnetic-curtain-tie-backs/

Vineta @ The Handyman's Daughter

Great Idea for Salvage Curtain Rods!

If you are looking for a new way to add architecture to your décor, check these out!

Yvonne Day Aka Miss Ruby

Adding Color to the Kitchen Window

This project brought an array of color to what had been a rather plain kitchen window.

Townsend Walton

Privacy Area for Kitty Litter

When space is at a premium- my condo is 800 sq ft- you have to be creative with how its used. I have a kitty SweetPea and had his litter box in the bathtub for years. Moving it when I needed the shower and keeping the tub free of litter was annoying!I recently changed out the faucet in the bathroom sink- and when I had the vanity doors off to access the pipes- I had an idea that I could use the space under the sink for a new cat litterbox home!I wanted to use whatever I had around the house; I already had a tension rod that didn't work for another project and several curtain valances. I chose a floral, which went well with my Victorian/eclectic style decor. I found I didn't have to remove the hardware on the vanity since the valance covered the hinges and I may want to replace the doors one day. The box fit, with room enough for a small container holding a litter scooper. SweetPea likes his new personal, private area and I like that I have my shower back!

Denise Elkins

Drab Drop Cloth Seeks Dramatic Makeover

A drop cloth goes from drab to fab!A few weeks ago I purchased a drop cloth at a local hardware store that I did not end up using. I had been trying to decide what to use for a new curtain/valance for my kitchen window. I had run across this awesome curtain idea on pinterest, and while I did not save the link at the time, I was so inspired to try it , that I did not forget it. I just needed to find the right material for my Idea. My old curtain was nice but it was making my kitchen feel a bit too dark and with spring (fingers crossed) right around the corner , I wanted to lighten it up. So , while cleaning up my 'creative' area I again came across the drop cloth and had a heck of an 'aha!' moment. I loved the rough texture of the material and the fact it was not perfect was...well, perfect! The color was perfect too. I washed it and decided that this was indeed what I was looking for. It definitely wanted to be something more than just a drop cloth...

Charlee Hunter

Easy Custom-sized Curtain Rods

Amanda

Magnetic Curtain Tie Backs

Get the tutorial here - http://www.thehandymansdaughter.com/2016/08/08/pokemon-magnetic-curtain-tie-backs/

Vineta @ The Handyman's Daughter

Great Idea for Salvage Curtain Rods!

If you are looking for a new way to add architecture to your décor, check these out!

Yvonne Day Aka Miss Ruby

Adding Color to the Kitchen Window

This project brought an array of color to what had been a rather plain kitchen window.

Townsend Walton

Privacy Area for Kitty Litter

Denise Elkins

Drab Drop Cloth Seeks Dramatic Makeover

Charlee Hunter

Popular Living Room Curtain Discussions

Here are the popular discussions happening right now about DIY living room curtains.

How to clean beaded curtains?

/> Carla

What is the best way to clean hanging beaded curtins.

View discussion

Hanging curtains in mobile home

/> June Morone

Seen self-adhesive rods for hanging curtains but am not sure if they would work. I'm moving into mobile home and need curtains don't want to put nails in walls. Do u have any suggestions how to make putting up curtains easy for me?

View discussion

Blackout curtains behind vertical blinds

/> Diane

I have two 6' patio doors, and I want to add blackout curtains to keep the sun/cold out. What is the best way to hang them, and what can I use to push the curtains back when not in use?

View discussion

Can I use grommet curtains with a traverse curtain rod

/> Ire29678907

I want to get rid of my 30+ year old verticals and replace it with curtains. I love the colors I can get with a gommet curtain. Can I use these curtains with a traverse rod?

View discussion

New Living Room Curtain Projects

We have new projects for DIY living room curtains here. Find your inspiration.

DIY Designer Curtains!

Today I am going to show you the step by step process to make your own DIY Designer Curtains! Several years ago I contacted someone to have a set of custom curtains made and when I received the quote I was shocked at how much they were. Guy’s I’m talking $500.00 to $800.00 for a set! There is absolutely no way the hubs would ever go for me spending that much on curtains.So I thought if I had a sewing machine surely I could make them myself. Even though my 7th grade home economics class was the last time I had been behind a sewing machine. Christmas was quickly approaching so I asked for a machine as one of my gifts and started practicing sewing a straight line as soon as I opened it.Once I thought I had it down I spent one Sunday sewing my first set and they turned out okay, but they could have been better. Fast forward to last week I knew I needed to finish the curtain project I had been putting off for over a year for the room to finally look somewhat complete. So I started tackling the project and they turned out great! Much better than the first time around and I wanted to share my process with you in hopes that you can learn to make your own and also save some major money.Plus I’ve included a Free Printable Guide at the end of this post! Materials NeededSewing MachineSeam RipperIroning BoardIronFabric Shears or Sharp ScissorsFabric (I used 6 yards you will need to calculate it depending on how long you want the curtains to be)Thread (same color as fabric)

Project Allen Designs

5 Minute Drop Cloth Curtains

When we moved from an apartment to a house, we didn't have nearly enough curtains for all of the windows! With a tight budget and lots of oddly sized windows to dress, we used a little ingenuity and made some drop cloth curtains.

Melissa Haag

DIY Outdoor Drop Cloth Curtains

Create your own outdoor oasis this summer with DIY drop cloth curtains! They are super easy to make, inexpensive and beautiful!

Suzanne

Make Thermal, Insulated Blackout Shades

This project is an easy and cost-effective way to temporarily insulate your windows. We're loving these shades so far this winter. It's an excellent solution if your windows aren't that great but you can't replace them.

By Brittany Goldwyn

My DIY Baby Room Curtain

We have finally decided to move our baby boy into his own room. It's taken a while, but little by little, we have gotten the room ready. Once we built the crib and moved the changing table, we realized we needed a curtain for our egress window. Part of our apartment is in the basement, so we don't get a ton of light like we do in our living room, but there's still enough light that it can be bothersome when sleeping. After looking at expensive and boring store-bought curtains, I decided it would be cheaper and nicer to make my own.

Sarit N.

DIY Side Light Curtains

I have been searching for the right sidelight window covering option and have come up empty handed. The options that I have seen were SUPER expensive, so I had to come up with my own. The best part about this project is there is NO sewing (if you choose). Materials Needed: One curtain panel One Dowel Rod - size of your choosing Four small tea cup hooks Four cabinet drawer pulls Hot glue Hem Tape Iron Spray paint (your choice)