Such simple things, with so many great functions! As a kid I remember in the winter time how important the moment was that we closed the curtains in the evening. It meant that everyone was inside for the night, that food was about to be prepared , that Dad would come home soon and have his first drink, and if we were lucky, he would start a fire in the fireplace.
I think the main reason my parents had curtains in their house was because, well, that’s what everyone did. Houses were supposed to have curtains, anything else just wouldn’t have made sense! The practical reason to have curtains is because they keep the house warmer. In the winter time, most of the heat leaves the house through the ceiling and the windows. Thick wool curtains over the windows can help you give the house the “sweater” it needs. These days most people have mini (or “Venetian”) blinds over their windows. While these might help keep a little heat in, the following experiment can show you just how much: On a cold winter day, take off all your clothes and wrap your self in some mini blinds. Step outside and see what you feel. Then repeat the experiment with a heavy wool curtain. Note the difference!
Curtains can also keep the heat out. If your windows let in a lot of sun in the summer, your house can quickly overheat. Closing the curtains can trap that heat in between the glass and the curtain material. In the case of consistent heat and sun penetration, you would be better off protecting the window on the outside of the house, with window shutters, “external” curtains, or shade cloth.
As the night encroaches on us, curtains help us feel safe. Even though windows have glass in them, we still experience them as holes in the wall. They tend to be much weaker than the actual wall of the house and therefore can make us feel less safe and more vulnerable on a subconscious level. More directly, with the light on inside and the darkness outside, we can’t see what is happening outside, while everyone walking by the house can see inside. The reverse is true during the day, which is a lot more comfortable. People like to be able to see what is going on outside the house, hence the popularity of motion detector-lights.
With the introduction of dual-pane glass, houses that were located along noisy streets suddenly became a lot quieter. Adding a curtain can significantly reduce the amount of un-wanted outside noise that you hear inside. The introduction of all that cloth in your house also improves the sound quality within your house. Conversations are easier, rooms are less “echoey,” hums and buzzes are less prominent. If you play music, the sound will be “more true” as it does not bounce around the house so much. If you have difficulty hearing, you will find a house with lots of soft materials inside a welcome relief. We all know the difference of the quality of the sound we hear walking through a completely empty house, especially if it has high ceilings, lots of glass and hardwood floors. It sounds hollow and it is tiring to have a conversation or to listen to music.
When my father turned 81 I had organized a special dinner for him. I flew across the ocean back to the Netherlands, as did my youngest brother who then lived in Dubai. We had made reservations in a nice restaurant for him and his wife and his 4 sons. It had been 10 years since we had all been together. Unfortunately, the restaurant had a 30 foot ceiling and hard, rectilinear surfaces all around. The windows did not have curtains so that people on the street could look inside the restaurant. It was nearly impossible to have a conversation. There are several restaurants in my home town with the same problem and I avoid them. For me conversation is at least as important as the food. If you have a restaurant like that, try to bring in as many soft materials as possible, perhaps in the form of curtains. You don’t even have to hang them in front of the windows. They just function as sound dampeners. Everyone working in the restaurant will love it as well because they won’t have to yell all night long…
Visually, a curtain does several things. In the first place, it gets rid of all those shiny black “mirrors” that your windows will turn into once it is dark outside. I find this mirror effect to be a distraction and even a little erie. Secondly, the color of your cloth can create a nice contrast with the rest of the house. Even, or maybe especially, if your house is painted white, curtains can really help to liven up a room. Thirdly, whether opened or closed, the waves and creases in the curtain provide patterns of “repetition with variation”, which in combination with the fact that there is always a slight movement in a curtain, gives you the feeling of aliveness. A door opens, someone walks by, a breeze comes through the window, the curtain will notice it and you will notice the curtain. Hence you are connecting with these, often very subtle, events.
Lastly, the curtains frame the windows, especially during the day. This will draw more attention to them, and what is outside, helping us to connect with the outside world. Even if you don’t have the most beautiful view outside, framing a window makes it look more special and attractive than it would without the curtains.
A final advantage to curtains over mini-blinds or shades is that you can make them yourself! A few hours with a sewing machine is all it will take to outfit your whole house with curtains in the colors of your choosing. In addition to saving money, you’ll have the satisfaction of looking every day at something you made.