Curtain Buying Guide

How to choose the size

You’ve finally chosen the colour and style curtain that you want... and have an idea of how you want them to look. So now it’s time to dig out your tape measure and get measuring so you know how many of which size to pop in your shopping bag.


Mostly curtains will be hung in pairs, but some of our curtains are sold as individual panels, so you will need to purchase two to get your pair.

Kit list:

Measuring your pole or track

If your track or pole isn’t yet installed, then you might want to consider your curtain length options before drilling any holes in the wall. We think it’s best when the pole sits at least 15cm above the window to ensure the window isn’t obstructed by your curtain fixings, but you may need to position your pole a little higher or lower to give yourself the drop you want. If you have a small window and would like to make it appear bigger, a sneaky trick is to raise the curtain pole even higher to allow for a longer curtain and give the illusion of space.

Choosing the correct curtain length will depend on where you want your curtains to fall: either to sill level, below sill level or all the way to the floor.

For a curtain that falls to the sill, measure from the top of your curtain pole to 1cm above the sill level. For a curtain that hangs just below your window sill, measure again from the top of your pole down to where you'd like the curtains to fall to. For curtains that are full length to the floor measure from the top of your pole to 1cm above the floor.

Your track or pole should extend either side of the window by around 15-20cm. This is especially important if you’re installing blackout curtains to ensure that the light won’t leak around the side of your curtain when it’s closed, but it also enables you to draw them right back so they don’t obstruct the light coming through the window when they’re open. To measure what curtain width you need, measure the total length of your pole between the finials (the decorative pieces at each end of your pole), or if using a track which overlaps in the middle then make sure to measure the full length of both tracks.

You will then need to multiply this width calculation in order to work out how much fabric you need to give the look you desire. We normally recommend having 1.5 - 2 times as much fabric as your pole width to allow for some gathering.

So if your window is 200cm, then we would suggest having 300 - 400cm of fabric. The wider the curtain, the more generous the gather will be.

If you are purchasing a pair of curtains then you will need to divide this number by two as the curtain dimensions given are for each panel. For example, on a 200cm pole each curtain would need to be 150-200cm wide. A pair of our 168cm width curtains would be perfect for this window.

You have a little more flexibility if you go with our pencil pleat curtains. They have a simple curtain header tape sewn across the top back of each panel. This tape incorporates strings which allow you to gather your curtain to fit your window and it’s where you insert the hooks that will attach to your curtain rail or curtain rings (on a pole). You have three options as to where you insert your hooks. If you put your hooks on the top level then your curtains will hang a bit longer whereas using the bottom row will raise your curtains up a little. We would recommend using the lower row for your hooks if you’re hanging on a track as there will be a little more fabric at the very top of your curtain to hide the track.

The sizes we offer 

We have curtains to fit most size of window. Our curtains are all longer length and, depending on the curtain, will be available in one or more of these three lengths: 229cm, 260cm and 300cm. We then have three different widths for you to choose from, again not all curtains will be available in all widths: 117cm, 168cm and 228cm. 

In general, the basic linen panels are 168cm wide and 229cm long, with longer and wider options available in our more popular colours. 

The blackout curtains are mostly available in three sizes – 168cm x 229cm, 168cm x 260cm and 228cm x 229cm – with further options for the most popular colours. 

You will need to refer to the product listing for the curtain you’re interested in to check which sizes are available.