They look like you just took them out of the packaging and threw them up! You want all the pleats evenly spaced, not bending where they were folded in the packaging. Iron or steam them.

It also looks like the top rod is pressing against the pleats down ,can you extended a bit out ? This will give them more room.

The sheers make the window treatment look dated to me. If you need privacy swap the sheers foe shutters, blinds or roman shades.

I need the sheers because the sun shines right through the windows, an it also adds lots of heat to the room. We need sunglasses when we eat dinner!

Beautiful fabric, but I think that they're hung too low. They need to be up close to the ceiling. You could have some fabric added along the front leading edge and just continue the fabric down along the hem, rather like an "L" shape on a right drape and a backwards "L" on the left drape. The sheers aren't quite as full as they should be. They should be at least double the width of what they are covering.

I just noticed that the sheers and curtains are a bit short , I had the same problem with mine so I let the hem down a bit ,they are not suppose to touch the floor unless you like that style ...I don't but a little longer yes:)

The curtains are too short. The rod would be better hung higher too.

If you could possibly return these drapes for the next longer size that would be best.

1. Too short - should have gone much closer to the ceiling and should be about 1/4" from the floor
2. Not enough fullness - Store-bought single panels always, always, always, are not enough even for stationary panels. And you need more panels to create enough fullness on the sheers.
3. Wrinkled.
4. Panels don't hang nicely. This is where you see a difference between custom and off the shelf. When panels are sewn by a professional workroom, lined and interlined, they hang better and that combined with proper height and fullness are what create that professional look.
5. I am not a big fan of the exposed double rod if there is room for a cornice. A simple upholstered box cornice from the ceiling to just below the rods to cover all of that would help. But your drapes are too short so that isn't going to fix it without covering about 6" of the top of your window.

Both sets of curtains are too skimpy and hung too low. Buy another two curtains in the same gold to give a fuller look, add a band of contrast fabric to the bottom to lengthen them - measure this from the cornice. Extend the sheers by inserting a panel at the top (you won't notice this because the seam will be over the window frame) and then replace with a simple gathered heading on a plain thin rod. Install both rods just under the cornice.

Several things are wrong. The comments about fullness and shortness are correct. Too short and too skimpy on fullness. Grommets are too industrial for your furnishing style and for the shiny, formal fabric. I don't believe sheers ever work on grommets. It like silk purses trying to look like sow's ears - it just won't workl! You're unlikely to find ready made ones in the big box stores that have the length you need - floor to ceiling. With the style of your windows, you'd be happier with semi-sheer roman shades mounted inside the frames and a stationary drapery panel at each end of the entire window.

I agree more fullness in the sheer the dining room ones look fine, but I thing they would look better if the rods were boxed in the dark stain timber you have around the doors and in your loverly furniture, it would fit in with the classic style you have in your furniture.The drapes do need to be fitted higher on the wall above the windows and make sure they extent beyond the width of the windows as well. I also think the should be a little longer to make sure they just touch the floor. If you need extra length to do this you can always add a panel in a different colour this looks good too your home looks lovely

Your rods for the drapes should be halfway between the top of the window and the ceiling.

Personally, I would lose the sheers. The panels are lovely on there own. Maybe do a different finial on the ends to draw attention to the treatments.

Personally, I would lose the sheers. The panels alone are lovely.

If you raise the curtain rod to the ceiling then it looks like the dining room and living room curtains will be hanging at the same height which would be visually more pleasing form the living room. That also means you need longer curtains. I also think you need rod pocket sheers. i

i agree with another couple of panels of sheers in the living room and a little longer, and if you are like me, it could be the grommet's that dont look right. my personal preference for drapery in the living and dining room is pinch pleated on drapery rings, everytime i try something else, i am not happy(but that could just be me)the colour of the drapes are lovely

sigh....Are you ready to start over? Many suggestions above will help your curtains hang correctly-taller, fuller etc.

They are much too short and much too skimpy. Your side panels need to give the illusion that they could shut--you need at least one more panel on each side for this--do they come double width?

Grommet panels are not meant to shut as you have the sheers now. The beauty of their design is in the folds they create when properly spaced.

You don't need the double rod, that is adding to your feelings of something missing/wrong.

Thank you all for the helpful suggestions.

JMittman, thanks for your input. The panels do not come in double width.
Would you think that using panel sheers would work better?
I feel my choices are limited because
1- I have large windows so need longer curtains, and not all color/ designs come in extended lengths
2- I want a color and design that works with all the furniture in the open floor plan living area

Two words: Custom draperies. ;0) Then your choices will be completely unlimited. When you look at the window treatments everyone drools over in the photos all throughout Houzz, those treatments are inevitably custom window treatments. I know you said you spent "a lot of money" and that is a subjective thing. My rule of thumb for custom window treatments is approximately $1500 per side ... you have 4 sides total for these two windows so that means if you were my client, I would be preparing you for a ballpark of $6000. We often come in lower if we get a good price on the yardage (and it can be more if you choose something super luxurious), but at least my clients are prepared. There are many designers who specialize in window treatments, and many stores that specialize in custom window treatments so you may be able to get help in your area -- check the Houzz professionals listings. In my professional opinion, custom window treatments are worth every penny. They are a HUGE part of the room's decor and really set the tone for the look and feel of a room. A beautiful room can be just about ruined by the look of off-the-shelf window treatments. I'm with J Mittman ... it's time to start over.

What exactly do you mean by panel sheers? Just side sheer panels? I thought you needed privacy?
Your colors do not seem that unusual for you to be able to find in longer lengths, widths. Where did you purchase these? How wide are your windows?

P.S. I love Pangaea's philosophy, but don't be frightened by the pricing mentioned. There are many, many variables--including region, to consider, and custom, in many cases is not nearly that expensive.

The curtains are too short. They shouldn't be any more than I inch off the floor. Hang the rod higher, preferably 1/2 way between top of window and ceiling. Get the next length longer and place all on the one rod

If the same colours from the draperies located at the sides of the sheer panels are draped at the top creating a spiral effect at the top of the heading of the curtains. This may create a different dimension to the standard outlook of the curtain as well as establishing fullness to the total window dressing.

-- It is possible to achieve a custom look by finding window coverings that will not break the bank. You have a great start and just need to learn from this go-around and use the suggestions above to find your solution. If possible, return the sheers and get some that have a rod pocket at the top and purchase more of them. Same thing with the side drapery panels. The grommet style is too contemporary and/or casual for your furniture so think about pleated panels.

Measure the top of the window frame to the floor and go to the next drapery length. Hang the rod at the height that allows your draperies to hit just above the floor. It would be nice to have your window treatments hung higher, and I know that you can find them out there - on line too.

Oh, I know that hanging draperies from the ceiling is a hot look right now but what you have done is a classic look and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. What is unsettling tho is the length of the current draperies and and the grommets - you really should fix those parts.

Haven't read the comments before me, but I think the curtain rod is too low. But.. When you'd raise it, the curtains will be too short.. Maybe you could add a chocolate colored similar fabric on the bottom to lengthen them? (plus the curtains lack volume)
Or add a neutral wooden valance.

I must admit in the second picture it doesn't look all that bad, because the height resembles the lowered ceiling.

What if you put a curtain in the middle, give illusion of two windows? Break up the whiteness of sheer... Maybe to a fancy tie back for the middle one?

I agree with both Genevieve and ringreation. Raise the curtains higher.... If you raise the curtains higher it will create the illusion that the room is bigger and the ceiling is higher. Think of it as framing a large beautiful view that's obfuscated by sheers for privacy.

Lots of great suggestions here so I'll focus on your "blinded by the light" comment - if you don't have double-pane windows consider adding a low-e film to them. It's VERY easy to do yourself (and consequently a very inexpensive do-it-yourself project). This will not only reduce the glare, it will decrease the heat transfer through the glass, and here's the biggie - it will protect your expensive fabrics and even wood surfaces from the degrading effects of the suns uv rays!

Here's the cheap trick we use with model homes when we are stuck with pre-made panels. Raise the rods to just below the ceiling. Find a contrasting fabric in the same weight as the panels. Sew it to the bottom of both the sheers and the side panels, so that they still grace the floor. The solid fabric attached to the sheers is fun. It will be below the sills. Use a solid faux silk similar to you side panels. Add a row of trim to the inside edges of the side panels.

It's all too 'square' ... just soften a little with something light weight in the corners and curved and raise the rod 9' - 12' ..it'll be fine...all the best x

these sheers shouldn't be on a pole , should be fuller and evenly spaced. The dress curtains are skimpy and should be hung from the end of the pole . Both are too short. Hope you didn't pay a fortune !

You mentioned that you need the sheers to soften the glare you are getting from the sun, and sheers do that effectively. But that is not the only option available to you.
If you can return the sheers, that simplifies the window treatment, and you could add Silhouette shadings or Comfortex's Shangri-La shading, which are a little like blinds, but made out of sheer fabric in the front and back, and a soft semi-sheer vane. That gives you improved privacy when they are closed, uv filtering when they are open, the ability to raise it completely if it's a gray day and you want more sun, and a cleaner look at the window. I've attached a photo of a Silhouette shading at a window.
If you cannot return the sheers, the suggestions to add a contrast fabric to the hem to give yourself a longer length is a good beginning, but you also need to simplify the look. A drapery pole across another grommeted drapery does not work for a double rod treatment, because the grommeted panel is designed to have a simplicity of the fabric folds interacting with the pole. That works for the drapery panels, because you have them at the top layer, but for the sheers having the drapery pole in front the grommets of the second layer (the sheers) is a little like looking at a photo of a person with a line drawn across their eyes. The first pole is interfering with what you want to see on the second. This feeling doesn't happen if the sheers are stationary rod pocket panels, pushed onto their pole, but that is not as contemporary a look, if that is preferred. Once the grommets are in a sheer panel, however, the only way to have a rod pocket at the top is to cut off the grommetted heading, and start over, which shortens them, so you still need a contrast fabric at the hem.
By the time you pay for extra length being added, as well as the new fabric, unless you plan to sew it yourself ( a tricky thing with sheers), you may find you could have afforded the Silhouette or Shangrila shading.
A final option if you cannot return the sheers, and do decide to replace them, is to donate them to a charity and take a tax deduction for the full value of the sheers, since they are new. You wouldn't get much for them if you tried to re-sell them.
If you like the grommeted sheers, remove the pole in front of them, and install a taller stationary panel on each side mounted on a contemporary pole, ideally a separate pole for each side, and a little bit higher than the sheers.
If you do not want to purchase custom draperies, there are economical semi-custom "made to measure" programs out there in some stores, such as J.C. Penny's, which can order the length you need, while having stock fabrics and widths of the drapery panels. But even in custom draperies, there are a range of prices.
If you are open to exploring custom draperies, go to www.wcaa.org, the Window Coverings Association of America, and look for a window fashions professional in your area.
Best of luck to you.
-Linda

Add a piece on top or spread it out and put it in sections

Maybe if you put it in sections or add a piece on top

hang the drapery curtain rod higher

DEAD THREAD - Aug 2013

The grommets of the sheers look awkward on the second rod - like they are squished. One rod if you are not closing them. Are the drapes not full enough as suggested? That's my call. They could have been hung a bit higher. Maybe that will not be an issue if they are on one rod.

I think the problem is that the curtains are too short. Can you exchange for a longer size? That way, you could hang them higher, a few inches from the ceiling and won't get the bunched up look with the sheers. I think the sheers are full enough and don't think that's the problem. But I also think Masterworks is right- a sheer blind would also look nice.

Old post

I think they should go all the way to the ceiling and all the way to the floor. I would use sheers with a rod pocket and add another panel or two. They are a pretty color.

You have grommet on grommet and that does not work for the back rod. I agree with the pocket sheers instead and the sheers you need more fullness. The rod needs to be up another 6" to look nice. I was talking to a home interior draper person and they said to never use a grommet curtain on a double rod because they never fit right due to the depth of the grommet running into the rod behind it. Does anyone have a comment on this? Should a person use grommet curtains on a double rod system if you plan to close the curtains?

West Elm, Pier One carry longer curtains, without high cost of custom made! Also, Overstock.com and JC Penney have few longer lengths! I feel your pain! Good luck! :)

Nothing. Just add some tie backs, so look softer and less boxy when open.

I think this was from a few years ago.

LOL! From 6 years ago. Too funny how these things hang around on the internet. I'm thinking she must have the curtains figured out by now. ;-)

I am thankful that this old post is still around because folks are always wanting to try new things. They say when possible to learn from others' mistakes. I read every opinion and now know what to do - hang high, touch the floor, rod pocket on the back rod for affordability... and get fancier on the next makeover.