How to Hang Linen Curtains: Measuring, Lining and Styling

Linen curtains do something no other fabric quite manages: they filter light, soften a room and look better slightly rumpled than perfectly pressed. But they are also heavier and less forgiving than a thin cotton voile, which means the hanging matters. Choose the wrong hardware and the panels sag; under-order the fabric and they hang flat as paper. Get the measurement, the fullness and the lining right, and the curtains will do most of the work themselves.

Start With the Hardware: Pole or Track

Poles and tracks each solve a different problem, so decide before you measure anything.

A track is discreet and practical. It suits bay windows, where bends are easy to accommodate, and rooms where you want the curtain to disappear behind a linen valance or pelmet. Corded tracks are worth considering for tall or wide windows — pulling a heavy linen panel by hand every evening gets old quickly.

A pole makes more of a statement. Linen, with its visible weave and natural slubs, sits well on a simple wooden or slim metal pole. Choose a diameter that matches the weight of the fabric: a 28mm pole looks right with medium-weight linen, while a 35mm pole carries a lined and interlined panel without bowing. Eyelet curtains need a pole; pencil pleat and pinch pleat work on either.

Whatever you choose, fix it into something solid. Plasterboard alone will not hold a lined linen curtain in a bay window, and a pole that pulls away from the wall is a miserable thing to live with.

Measuring: Width First, Then Drop

Measure twice and write it down. Floors, ceilings and window reveals are rarely as level as they look.

1. Fit the pole or track wider than the window. Extending 15–20cm beyond the reveal at each side lets the open curtains sit over wall rather than glass, so you keep more daylight.
2. Measure the fitting width — the full length of the pole between the finials, or the full length of the track.
3. Measure the drop. From the eye of the curtain ring, or from the top of the track, down to where you want the hem. Allow 1–2cm of clearance above the floor for full-length curtains, or finish just below the sill or 15cm beneath it if you prefer a shorter look.
4. Check the obstacles. Radiators, sills, sockets, door handles and furniture below the window all affect where the hem should land.
5. Measure the drop in two or three places across the window and use the shortest figure.

One detail that catches people out: eyelet curtains are measured from the top of the pole, while pencil pleat curtains are measured from the ring or hook. They are not the same number.

Working Out Fullness

Fullness is simply the total flat width of fabric divided by the width of the pole or track. It is what separates a curtain that hangs in soft, generous folds from one stretched flat across the glass.

• Pencil pleat and pinch pleat: 2 to 2.5 times the fitting width.
• Eyelet: 1.5 to 2 times, since the fabric forms folds naturally around the pole.
• Wave heading: roughly 2 times.

Heavier linens hold a fold well, so 2 times is often plenty. Thinner linen blends can look limp and benefit from closer to 2.5 times. Add a little extra if the fabric is patterned and you need to match the repeat across panels.

As a worked example: a 180cm pole with pencil pleat at 2 times fullness needs 360cm of fabric across both panels — two panels of 180cm each, flat.

Lining: Privacy, Warmth and Weight

Lining is doing three jobs at once, and it is worth thinking about which one matters most to you.

• Standard lining gives the curtain body, hides the back of the fabric and protects the linen from sunlight, which slows fading.
• Blackout lining is the obvious choice for bedrooms and for anyone sensitive to early summer light.
• Thermal or bonded lining reduces draughts at the window and slows heat loss. It helps, but treat it as a comfort measure rather than a substitute for proper insulation or double glazing.
• Interlining adds a third layer between the linen and the lining. It makes the curtain noticeably heavier, which improves the drape and muffles sound.

Bear in mind that linings and face fabrics can behave differently in the wash. Check the care labels before you commit, and if you are making curtains yourself, pre-wash or steam the linen first.

Hanging and Dressing for an Even Drape

1. Space the hooks evenly. Allow one hook per pleat and keep the gaps identical from the first pleat to the last. Uneven spacing is the single most common reason a curtain hangs crookedly.
2. Use the right hook row. Three-prong hooks give you a choice of drop: the upper rows shorten the curtain, the lower rows lengthen it. Pick one row and use it across both panels.
3. Pleat by hand before you hang. Form each fold between finger and thumb so the pleats face the same way.
4. Dress the curtains. Once hung, run your hands down each fold to the floor and tie the panels loosely with soft fabric strips for two or three days. The weight of the fabric does the rest.
5. Steam, don't press. A gentle steamer relaxes creases without flattening the weave.

If you are hemming linen yourself, hang the panels for a few days before you mark the final length. Natural linen can settle and drop slightly, particularly in a humid room.

Small Styling Details

Curtain weights in the hem keep a wide panel from flapping, and a proper return back to the wall stops light leaking around the edges. Tiebacks and holdbacks should gather the curtain clear of the glass so the folds stack neatly. And resist the urge to iron linen flat: the creases and slubs are the point.

Getting It Right First Time

Order the fabric after you have fitted the pole, not before. Measure the drop to the shortest point, add fullness that suits the weight of the linen, and line according to whether you need privacy, warmth or simply a better drape. Hang the panels, dress the folds, and leave them alone for a few days. Linen softens with use, and curtains that looked crisp on day one will look better still by the end of the month.

Photo: HONG SON / Pexels