Living Room Curtain Ideas for Two Windows Side by Side

Before you purchase curtains for your side by side living room windows, select the affect you wish to achieve. Perhaps you want the most open appearance possible to visually enlarge your space. Visually increasing the size of the two windows might be your priority. Having maximum flexibility to bring in outdoor light as quickly as possible could be at the top of your list too. The way you install your curtains can provide the visual impact and functionality that you desire.

If your goal is to maintain quick access to both windows independently, installing separate window treatments for each is an ideal solution. Framing each window with curtain panels, allows you to open or close them individually. You can control the amount and location of light that streams into your living room through one or both windows at a time. Close the curtains on one window to block glare and provide some privacy while you lounge on your sofa, leaving the other set open to keep some natural light streaming into the room.

To create the appearance of one large, single window instead of two, decorate them with a joint curtain treatment. Install one curtain panel on the outside of each window. Minimize the division between the two by covering the panes of glass on both windows with a single, adjustable panel to raise and lower as needed. Adding a single window topper treatment, such as a cornice or valance, across the tops of both windows will further the appearance of one large window.

To make your two windows appear wider, hide their outer edges behind curtains. Install a curtain rod across the entire width of the wall along the ceiling and hang a panel down to the floor along the outside edge of each window. Allow the panels to cover the space between the window and wall. Covering the wall area and window edges hides where the windows end, giving the illusion of additional width.

Camouflage the height of your two windows by incorporating a curtain valance. By hanging it from curtain rods secured along the ceiling and down over the top edges of the windows, the true window height is hidden. The tops of the windows appear to extend up to the ceiling. Extend the curtain panels down to the floor to give the illusion that the windows begin at the floor.