Choosing your Fabric
Curtains play a key role in finishing a room — softening hard edges, adding warmth, enhancing privacy, and controlling light to create comfort and style. It’s often said that a window without curtains doesn’t feel complete, and the right choice can make a noticeable difference to any space.
Choosing new curtains does involve a few decisions, with fabric selection being the most important. Choosing the right fabric should balance how it looks, how it performs in the space, and what suits your budget.
Whatever style or fabric you choose, well‑designed curtains bring everything together, adding the final layer to a cohesive and beautifully finished room.
Fabrics can naturally shrink or stretch due to changes in temperature and humidity.
Because of this, some movement in curtain length can occur after making or installation.
A variation of up to +/- 3% in the finished drop is considered normal.
For fabrics made from linen, cotton, or viscose, a larger variation of up to +/- 6% is normal due to the natural properties of these fibres.
As a result of these natural changes, the exact finished length may vary slightly, and the desired length cannot always be guaranteed.
Fabric Care & Sunlight
New Zealand has very strong sunlight and high UV levels. This can affect all window furnishings over time, so it’s important to keep this in mind when choosing fabrics.
All fabrics will fade and weaken if exposed to sunlight or reflected UV light, no matter the fabric type or colour.
To help protect your curtains, we recommend using a good-quality sun‑filter blind or lining where curtains receive direct or reflected sunlight. This applies even if your windows are double‑glazed or tinted.
A quality lining will help extend the life of your curtains and give better overall performance.
Curtain leading edges (the sides closest to the window glass) are most vulnerable to UV exposure. To help reduce uneven fading, curtains can be swapped from left to right occasionally.
Adequate ‘stack-back’ should be allowed when curtains are drawn open during the day to minimise direct sunlight exposure. While closing curtains may assist with temperature control, prolonged exposure to heat trapped between the glass and fabric can be highly damaging, increasing the risk of fabric weakening, tearing, or disintegration.
