There is no denying that curtains can be one of the most interesting elements of your home décor. After all, the essence of great home décor is all about balancing form and function, and few things do that quite as well as curtains.
Curtains’ functions are quite clear – keeping heat or air conditioning in and outside light and heat from filtering in. Their aesthetic functions are just as evident.
From grand Victorian homes to Southern Gothic style homes a la Gone With the Wind to French doors and Parisian-style flats, curtains are a subtle yet powerful way of accentuating your interior décor.
But what if your curtains just won’t stay put? Sure, there’s something to be said for the aesthetic beauty of a summer breeze buffeting your billowing curtains this way and that, but what if you want them to stay closed?
Thankfully, tips such as those listed below can help you do just that.
1 – Consider Your Curtains
First and foremost, you want to take into account what kind of curtains you have in the first place. Needless to say, the lighter the fabric, the easier it will be for the curtains to be blown by the wind.
For that reason, if you really need the curtains to remain closed, you might want to consider thicker curtains that will be harder for the wind to move.
But is that really always wise?
After all, thicker curtains might not fit with your interior décor scheme. There is a reason that light white curtains work so well as curtains. The light linen can give doors and windows that open out to your front or backyard a bright, open feeling.
What’s more, thicker curtains can also potentially trap more heat than you might want, which in turn can make your interior warmer than you wish.
A middle ground might be found with some aspects being thicker and other thinner. For example, thicker edges or top parts of the curtains can help add a bit of weight to it, thereby keeping it in place.
2 – Clothes Pins and Clips
This is a perfect example of ingenuity solving a problem that may seem complex, but is really simple when you look at it.
After all, for many curtain fixtures, part of the reason the curtains are so easy to blow outward is that they are separated from one another. They aren’t a single sheet, but are instead several sheets connected to a topmost part, which is itself connected to a rod.
This allows the breeze to blow between the sheets, and the ripple effect means that once it gets started, it can be that much harder to stop it.
However, if you simply clip the different curtains together, you have a simple yet powerful antidote to this problem.
There are several advantages to this solution besides the implicit simplicity.
For one thing, this is by far one of the most affordable solutions on this list. You don’t have to pay for thicker curtains or any of the other accoutrements listed here. Most of us have clips of some form or another on hand already.
Whether they are clothespins or larger black clips as you would use to hold together a stack of papers, the solution seems clear.
Another good thing about clips is that they hardly ever come loose. This may be a bit more difficult when it comes to clothespins, which are bound to be a bit looser than office clips.
However, this can have its own benefit in avoiding the main drawback of this method, which is that if you pinch delicate curtains too tightly with these pins, it might leave an impression.
You definitely don’t want a $2 clothespin or office clip to damage curtains that may cost hundreds of dollars. At the same time, this isn’t too common, which is why this method is still viable and one of the easiest and most affordable choices on this list.
3 – Magnetic Closures
If you are looking for a still firmer and more elaborate solution, you might want to look into magnetic blinds. As the name would imply, these are blinds that shut together magnetically.
Besides the benefits of keeping your curtains closed by holding them in place, this can also make it that much easier to maintain your privacy. If you have light, thin curtains that may not do the best job of protecting your secrecy on their own, these may be a good bit of added protection.
To make this work, you’ll want to get the curtain rod that is aligned in a way that works with the blinds. To get the most out of this, you’ll want to pull down the curtain rod to a lower point. You may also want to remove the curtain panel entirely.
Once you have done this, it is time to start to work on the magnetic blinds. Lay them flat on a work surface that gives you plenty of room. Make sure that the side that will be facing the window is facing upward.
Throughout this process, you want to make sure to work slowly and deliberately, one panel at a time.
Mark out ahead of time where you plan for the blinds to line up with both the magnets and the curtains. To keep them closed, you’ll want to place the magnets very close to the vertical edge where the opposing panels meet one another.
Once again, you should make sure that everything is marked out ahead of time.
If you wish to sew the blinds to your curtain, now is the time to do so. At this point, it’s also a good idea to test everything to make sure that the magnetic blinds are close enough to one another to be attracted and open and shut properly.
You’ll also want to see where on the wall you want to attach the magnets.
Finally, it’s time to daub some glue on the magnets and stick them to the wall. They should be aligned parallel to the blinds, which should themselves be lined up neatly with your curtains.
4 – Tie Them Together
This is another simple DIY solution. If your curtains keep billowing open, simply tie them shut. Find some string that is thin yet strong enough to hold the two together and sew the two ends of opposite curtains together.
5 – Weight Them with Furniture
The final option here is perhaps the simplest – namely, to simply keep the fabric in place with a piece of furniture. No DIY necessary – simply push a door or footstool up against the curtain, and voila.
That being said, there is still plenty of nuance here. You don’t want to crumple the curtains with furniture that’s too heavy, or that will cause velvet or other softer materials to crease and you don’t want furnishings that clash with the color scheme of the curtains.
Just as there are many ways to make curtains work with your interior décor, there are just as many ways to keep your curtains closed. By choosing the right method for your curtains, you can make sure they stay reliably closed and make your interior décor that much more dependable and refined.
I have two Associate’s degrees, one in Medical Assisting and the other in Computer Technician, and I am roughly five classes from a bachelor’s degree. Though I never ended up working in the medical field, I have five and a half years of experience in IT. I recently became a stay-at-home mom to my two young boys, and I’m so excited to start this adventure with them! In my spare time, I love to bake and read pretty much anything I can get my hands on.