How to hang sheer curtains behind drapes.

Learn how to mount sheer curtains behind drapes for 24-hour privacy.

Sheer curtains are an investment that provides softness and elegance by diffusing natural light. The lightweight fabric allows light to enter the room while protecting your privacy during the daytime.

Pairing sheer curtains with heavier drapes can add a romantic feel to a room. Blackout drapes also make it easy to darken any room, as needed. Whether you choose opulent drapes or modern blackout curtains, the addition of sheer curtains can elevate any room.

Perfect your home with sheer curtains from iSeekBlinds. When you choose your fabric and mounting option, we will send your custom-made curtains ready for DIY installation.

Why mount sheer curtains behind drapes?

Combining sheer curtains with thicker drapes helps to insulate a room. Multiple layers of fabric create air pockets that trap warm or cool air. Layering curtains will help to keep your room cooler in summer and warmer in winter, so you get more benefit from your heating and cooling systems.

Layering sheer curtains with blackout curtains or drapes will ensure that the room stays private when you open the drapes to allow sunlight through. Our double curtain track makes it easy to layer these two styles of curtains together. 

How to hang sheer curtains behind drapes

When you know the right steps, hanging sheer curtains behind drapes is easy.

Step 1: Choose your sheer curtains

Before you can hang your curtains, you need to choose the style, measure the window, and ensure that the sheer fabric highlights the room in an advantageous way.

Sheer curtains from iSeekBlinds come with a minimum of 200% fullness and s-fold hanging style. The curtains are custom-made to fit your window with the tracks included, so you are ready to install them right away.

Sheer curtains are usually closed throughout the day when drapes are pulled open, so it is the sheer curtains you will be looking at most of the time.

TIP: Sheer curtains are the most visible curtains, so choose a fabric style that complements your decor and colour scheme.

Step 2: Choose your drapes

Drapes (blockout curtains) are usually thick fabric, often lined to add an extra layer of light blocking and insulation. Drapes should generally run along on a separate row of curtain tracks to sheer curtains. Using a second curtain track allows enough space for the sheer curtains to hang between the drapes and the window.

When choosing the fabric, consider which colours match best with your sheer curtains. For inspiration, you can browse our photo gallery. Pick out the curtain styles that you like best before ordering your curtains.

Step 3: Decide how to mount your curtains

You can mount sheer curtains and drapes directly onto the wall above the window or the ceiling. It will depend on the style of window treatment that you want to achieve.

When layering curtains, both layers will be mounted in the same way, with space to allow each layer to open and close independently.

At iSeekBlinds, you can order double curtains which come supplied with a double curtain track, to make measuring and installing your double curtains easy.

Our recommended mounting style is ceiling mounting your double curtain tracks. Our double S-fold tracks give curtains an elegant drop that will set high-quality fabrics to advantage in any lighting.

Step 4: Hang your curtains

Our curtains and curtain tracks come with detailed instructions on how to install them, but we also have handy how-to videos to show you how to install your curtains. Brackets should be spaced around 600mm apart to ensure the curtain rail is attached securely to the wall or ceiling.

TIP: Lighter curtains can have brackets spaced a little further apart, whilst heavier curtains will need brackets spaced closer together.

If you are a visual learner or want more guidance, I show you how to install your sheer curtains and drapes in this handy video.

Step 5: Add ties to style drapes

You can frame your window space elegantly with a classic vintage style using ties to hold back drapes. Instead of opening the curtains fully along the curtain rail, this allows the fabric to drape around the window to form a styled frame.

It’s easy to install ties. Here’s a quick guide:

• Decide the height of the tie. If adding curtain ties to both sides of the window, measure each side to the same position.
• Drill a hole into the all at the desired location and insert a raw plug.
• Screw the curtain tie hook into the raw plug.
• Fit the tie back loop to the hook, pass it behind and around the curtain and secure it at the front.
• TIP: Tie-backs look best installed about one-third of the way up the curtain height.

Do sheer curtains have to go behind drapes?

Sheer curtains have traditionally been placed closer to the window, with heavier drapes closer to the living spaces. However, to maintain the softness of sheer curtains once the drapes are closed, you may place sheer curtains in front of the drapes. This arrangement may help thick fabric curtains to keep the room warmer as well.

It all depends on the sheer fabric chosen for your curtains and the style you prefer. Before arranging sheer curtains in front of heavier drapes, make sure that the lighter cloth looks good when placed over the heavier curtain fabric. You can do this during the planning phase when you order your free fabric samples from us.

How to maintain your curtains and drapes

After some time, curtains and drapes need cleaning. Regular cleaning ensures they stay in good condition for longer, adding value to your home. Cleaning of curtain fabric is straightforward, depending on your chosen fabric type. Our article ‘How to clean sheer curtains‘ explains in detail how to clean your sheer curtains to keep them looking fresh.

 

What next?

If you’re in need of some inspiration, visit our gallery or Instagram page for ideas and real-life photos from our customers.  Once you’ve decided which product you prefer, make use of our free fabric samples. They will allow you to see and feel the fabrics before selecting the one you like best.

So, if you’ve got a home that could benefit from a refresh, let us help you! The DIY process is easy to follow, and it will make a world of difference to your home, we promise.

Need some help? You can either Contact our customer service team or book in a free design consultation with me.

Thanks for reading!
Cheers, 

Mike Gubby. 

Accent a contemporary or traditional room with double curtains.

In this post, I’m going to show you how you can use layers of curtains, to add softness and luxury to any home. Whether you love the vintage style of lace curtains and heavy drapes or prefer a striking modern look, there many curtain layering combinations to consider.

Dark sheers over blackout curtains are one modern style that you may have seen trending on Instagram. Another popular style is layering neutral fabrics for a bohemian vibe. To inspire you, here are some of the creative ways you can combine sheer and blackout curtains.

Whatever your style, you can find the fabrics and advice to achieve the look you want with iSeekBlinds custom made curtains.

Blackout curtains over sheer curtains.

Placing sheer curtains close to the window glass and blackout curtains towards the inside of the room allows for privacy during daylight and darker hours.

During the daytime, opening blackout curtains will allow natural light to flow into the room. Sheer curtains can remain closed as these transparent fabrics allow light to enter, softening the harsh sunlight in the summer months. In the cooler months, you may open sheer curtains to allow maximum light to fill the room.

In the evening, you can maintain privacy and warmth by closing the blackout curtains.

Sheer curtains and blockout curtains can be hung as single or multiple panels. Two panels create traditional centre-opening curtains, multiple panels can be free-floating and move along the track to where you want them to sit, whereas one single curtain will gather on one side when open.

Sheer curtains over blackout curtains.

Blockout curtains can help improve sleep, but you may prefer the visual softness of sheer curtains facing the inside of a room. This modern curtain layering style is perfect when you want a contemporary twist on a traditional window treatment. This is also the favoured option of the iSeekBlinds team as it allows our beautiful sheer curtain fabrics to really shine!

Bringing sheer curtains to the inside is an elegant way to soften any room’s decor. S-fold sheer curtains can be allowed to hang to the floor, or you may drape curtains back with ties for a more theatrical and romantic effect.

Ceiling mounted sheer and blackout curtains.

Mounting curtains from the ceiling adds a sense of height to the room while enhancing elegance with smooth visual lines. Ceiling-mounted curtains can open on the left, right, and centre, or be free-floating, to suit your room and style.

If you want both curtain layers to move freely and independently, mounting S-fold curtains on separate tracks is most effective. Our curtain tracks have a small profile that blends seamlessly with the ceiling, hiding the brackets for an elegant finish.

Wall-mounted sheer and blackout curtains.

Wall-mounted curtains are attached to the wall directly above the window. Different bracket lengths ensure that sheer curtains and blackout curtains can both move freely.

Wall-mounted curtains often have a centre opening, but you could also use a left-hand or right-hand stack, or free-floating curtains, to suit the layout of the room you are decorating.

Choose motorised curtain tracks for blackout curtains.

For added modernisation, you can choose motorised curtain tracks. Motorised curtain tracks allow the curtains to be opened at a distance, even when you are still in bed.

This style of curtain track is ideal for blackout curtains. Imagine being able to set a timer so that the curtains open automatically, allowing light into the room for a natural awakening — no alarm necessary!

You may choose to mount both curtain layers on motorised tracks or mount sheer curtains on hand-operated tracks and blackout curtains on motorised rails

Which curtain layer should be longer?

Before ordering sheer and blackout curtains for layering, you will need to plan the curtain length. The total length of the curtain is known as the ‘drop’. The drop is the length of the curtain from the curtain tracks at the top to the floor.

When layering sheer curtains with heavier drapes, the lighter fabric can fall slightly shorter than the heavier fabric to maintain movement. For example, if your sheer curtains are measured to hover just above the floor, your blackout curtains might lightly touch the flooring.

Sheer curtains mounted over blackout curtains will look elegant with a longer length. While blackout curtains might hover or barely touch the floor, sheers facing into the room may break gently to provide a sense of luxury.

Ultimately the choice is yours – you can make them the same drop, or one longer,  it’s totally up to you — with custom-made curtains, you can achieve the exact look you are after.

You can find instructions on exactly how to measure for sheer and blackout curtains, and our founder Mike has prepared video demonstrations for each step to guide you on your DIY journey!

Benefits of layering curtains.

Combining sheer curtains with blackout curtains has many advantages. Here are just a few:

• Layering curtains can help maintain the room temperature
• Curtains can help protect furnishings and decor from fading in the sunlight
• Blockout curtains can reduce sound from outside
• You can customise the level of light in any room to suit the season and your requirements

What next?

If you’re in need of some inspiration, visit our gallery or Instagram page for ideas and real-life photos from our customers.  Once you’ve decided which product you prefer, make use of our free fabric samples. They will allow you to see and feel the fabrics before selecting the one you like best.

So, if you’ve got a bedroom that could benefit from a refresh, let us help you! The DIY process is easy to follow, and it will make a world of difference to your home, we promise.

Need some help? You can either Contact our customer service team or book in a free design consultation with me.

Thanks for reading!
Cheers, 

Mike Gubby.