Sheer curtains

What sheers do — and don't

Sheers are for daylight. They take the glare off a bright room, soften the view and give daytime privacy from the street while the light is stronger outside than in. After dark, with lamps on inside, a sheer alone will not give privacy — which is why most rooms layer a sheer on the window side of a heavier drape on a double rod or track.

Linen-look voiles give a matte, relaxed finish; embroidered and lattice sheers add pattern that only shows when the sun is behind them. Ivory and white brighten a room; black or charcoal sheers cut glare harder and read more architectural.

Sizing and fullness

Sheers want more fullness than a heavy curtain — 2× to 2.5× the window width — so the cloth breaks into soft, continuous folds rather than hanging flat. Each curtain comes in two panel widths — about 130 cm and 254 cm — in standard drops from 160 cm to 274 cm, and you can enter your own width and drop on the product page for anything else. Widths are per panel and each pack is two panels, so the narrower pair covers a window up to about 130 cm wide at 2× fullness, and the 254 cm pair a window up to about 240 cm.

Headings

Every curtain is made in the heading you choose on the product page: eyelet, pinch pleat, triple pleat, reverse tab or S-fold. Eyelets suit a rod and give deep, even folds; pinch and triple pleats hang from hooks on a track or rings and read more formal; reverse (back) tab hides the rod behind the fabric; S-fold needs a wave track and gives the continuous ripple you see in hotels. For sheers, S-fold wave and pinch pleat give the most even ripple; eyelet works well on a slim rod.

How to measure

Fit the rod or track first, 10–15 cm above the frame and extending 15–25 cm past it each side, then measure from the top of the rod (or the underside of the track) to where you want the hem: sill, 1 cm above the floor, or puddled. Measure the drop at both ends and use the shorter figure. Our measuring guide walks through it with diagrams.

Lead time, delivery and samples

Made-to-measure curtains leave the workroom four to six weeks after you sign off the size and heading. Delivery is Australia-wide, tracked and insured — complimentary on every Australian order, with no minimum spend. Free fabric samples are posted within one working day so you can check colour and weight in your own light before ordering.