A fireplace has worthy presence in any room, and dressing the windows that flank it’s as important as the way you decorate the mantel and wall space above it. With thoughtful planning and the perfect drapes, create a symmetrical look, a dramatic impact, a monochromatic scheme or color-revved setting to suit your personality.
Sizing for Symmetry
If your objective is a symmetrical fireplace, do not let disproportionate windows litter with your design mind. Dress the windows as if they’re exactly the exact same dimensions, letting the wider one take the lead. Position the curtain rod over the narrower window to mirror another, ignoring the off-centered effect. When you stack back the drapes, only expose a lot of the bigger window’s glass to equal that the smaller one. If a single window is higher than another, align toppers to trick the eye.
Centerstage Fireplace
Stacking back both windows’ drapes away in the fireplace creates an impressive screen. Rather than framing every single window, the curtains appear to showcase the fireplace. Hang floor-to-ceiling panels for much more impact. Top the entire screen, instead of only each window, with a cornice to pull everything together. Fill huge voids between the fireplace and windows with bookcases. Sheers soften the look and help control privacy and imagination.
Curtain Color
Unless you are following a white-on-white-on-white monochromatic scheme, choosing a curtain color can be tricky. Dark drapes blending into a dark wall flaunt a white or white pale-colored fireplace, making it appear to come forward. To downsize a too large or visually bossy fireplace, pull wall and curtain colors from its rock or brick surface. Take care away from a dated or ho-hum fireplace with bright-colored or busily patterned drapes — and stunning art over the mantel.
Playing Safe With Fire
It doesn’t matter if you’ve got a conventional fireplace with a beefy surround or a sleek new model that sits flush with the wall, hanging drapes too close creates a fire hazard. Allow a lawn or more between the drapes and a working fireplace to safety. If stacking back the drapes away in the fireplace and hanging blinds for light and privacy control doesn’t appeal to you, leave the windows bare. Bare windows demonstrating good-looking moldings frame the fireplace at compact, contemporary fashion.