Curtain Trends for 2025 — The 7 Ways Everyone's Going to Be Dressing Their Windows This Year

Just because they're often the backdrop to your room, it doesn't mean curtain trends don't exist. Whether it's the type of curtain, how they're hung, or even the color or material, styles ebb and flow with the trend tides, and what was the essential way to dress a window or door one moment is suddenly out of fashion the next.

I love to write about trends, and it's easy to spot them in design when you spend as much time looking at beautiful houses as I do. In looking to uncover the guiding trends for 2025, what I also found was that there are interior design trends in how curtains are being used too, outside of the perfunctory dressing of windows.

In a lot of ways, curtains are no longer playing that background character role, and it's an exciting time to get creative with textiles. With a little help from interior designers at the forefront of emerging design, here's the cool ways to use curtains in 2025.

1. Color Drench

Let's start, I'd suggest, with one of the biggest trends that extends even beyond curtains. Yes, I'm talking about color drenching.

"I’ve been matching the curtains to the wall paint of each room, which works really nicely," interior designer Filippo Calvagno, founder of Studio Calvagno, tells me. And it's something I've spotted in a lot of interior design schemes of late.

Take this home office curtain idea by designer Clive Lonstein, for example, who uses a green curtain to match the green walls. "Walking into the study, the deep green walls (Farrow & Ball’s Bancha) create a calming, grounded atmosphere, while the Pierre Frey Baltazar drapery fabric adds a rich texture and subtle pattern, creating a sophisticated contrast to the walls while softening the space. The combination brings warmth and elegance, enhancing the room’s inviting, refined feel."

It's not an exact match (let's call it 'double drenching'), but it's enough to pare the palette back while bringing some depth to the color scheme.

2. Terracotta

If you're not color drenching, it's a good idea to look to color trends to help you pick the best curtain color for your room. So, what's hot right now in the world of color?

I mean, there are a million answers to that, but if you want a curtain trend that's still going to feel timeless in a year's time, I've got one suggestion: terracotta. Decorating with neutrals is still big in interiors, but instead of 'sad beige' shades, we're seeing neutrals come through with a little more life, saturation, and even vibrancy.

Just take the above living room designed by Australian design studio Arent & Pyke, where the curtains bring the warmest tones to the scheme, and give a little life to this otherwise neutral space.

3. Sculptural Forms

Where there's been a more relaxed approach to dressing windows in recent years - think slouchier linens and more boho-leaning styles - curtain trends for 2025 are starting to embrace more traditional styles in a modern way, highlighting their sculptural, architectural characteristics.

Dyna Dreer, senior interior designer at OWN LONDON, perhaps explains it best. "Curtains are stepping into the spotlight as more than just functional items, they’re becoming an art form that resembles sculptures framing a space," Dyna explains.

Thinking how curtain ideas relate to the architecture of a space is ever more important, too. "Curtains are increasingly being used to create a seamless extension of the walls rather than a contrasting element," interior designer Portia Fox says. "Selecting fabrics that blend harmoniously with the wall material enhances the sense of space and grandeur. A simple pinch pleat adds just enough structure to maintain a polished, architectural feel."

4. Cafe Curtains

There was once a time that I'd have said cafe curtains were twee, dated, even a bit kitsch. However, in recent times, the use of cafe curtains has evolved, and designers with a more refined, contemporary style, have been embracing this style for its practicality, as well as its good looks.

"We love the use of a cafe curtain behind a tub, as it provides the perfect balance of light and privacy without the need for constant adjustment," co-founders of KOBEL + CO, Mallory Robins and Elizabeth Bennett, tell me, but there's a secret to using this curtain trend in a way the feels modern. "The key to a refined-looking cafe curtain is keeping it tailored with fresh, crisp pleats and avoiding any kind of ruffling or overstuffing."

This example, from a KOBEL + CO project, shows this advice in action - it might be my new favorite bathroom curtain idea.

5. Minimalist Fixings

If I'd have written about curtain trends last year, I think I would have said that when it came to how you hang your curtains, it's all about modern pelmet ideas, and hiding your fixings away.

This year, things have changed a bit. While I'm not seeing as many discreet ceiling-mounted tracks and architectural pelmets as before, the take for 2025 is equally as minimalist.

Think pared-back black metal curtain rods, and simple, fine curtain rings to match in. The best versions don't extend further than the curtains themselves and don't have finials or other decorative elements. It's a simple, humble approach to hanging curtains, but not as difficult to achieve as the big pelmet trend of yesteryear.

6. Curtain Walls

When it comes to unique ways to decorate a room, curtain walls are up there as the most impactful, and it's a trend we're seeing emerge in the more experimental design-led homes.

The design above, part of 2024's Wow!House installation created by interior designer Andrea Benedettini, sees the idea applied across the entire room, cocooning the space in a way that makes it feel so cozy and intimate. "A curtain wall adds an extra layer of texture to a room, instantly making the space feel warm and inviting," Andrea explains to me. "Curtain walls work particularly well in spaces designed for comfort, such as bedrooms, snugs, and libraries, as they create a cocoon-like effect — an enveloping, cozy atmosphere. Additionally, fabric has acoustic properties, further enhancing the sense of comfort and tranquility in the space."

It's an idea that you'll see more commonly used as an accent wall — think a curtain behind a bed, for example — but Andrea's take also means you don't have to hold back on wall decor, even if you opt for curtains all around a room.

"You might think that a curtain wall would make it difficult to hang artwork, but that’s not the case," the designer explains. "We used ceiling-mounted hooks and suspended most of the paintings over the curtains, hanging them from elegant brass chains by Collier Webb. The combination of soft fabric with structured materials such as bronze, glass, and timber frames creates a beautiful contrast and a layered, sophisticated aesthetic."

7. Dopamine Colors

If you came to this round-up of curtain trends for 2025 expecting to see the unexpected, we've saved the best until last. While a lot of these emerging ideas focus on a pared-back, near-minimalist approach, there's also a trend blossoming into decorating boldly with curtains.

Take this design by LA-based multidisciplinary design firm Another Human as a prime example of how you can use curtains to bring design flair to a space. "As the space isn’t huge, I didn’t want to overwhelm the eye – applying rich color to a small area creates a really dramatic effect," Leah Ring, principal of Another Human, told Livingetc's color expert Amy Moorea Wong. "It’s vibrant and fun and doesn’t take itself too seriously."

It's a stark contrast to the all-white curtain trends we've seen in previous years and a brilliant way to use textiles creatively.

FAQs

What Curtain Trends Are We leaving Behind?

Call it controversial, but I'm definitely seeing fewer instances of simple sheer curtains in design in recent years. Styles have become a little more tailored and a little more imposing in the interiors they reside in, and we're seeing less of the relaxed, wafting quality of textile now than we were even a year ago.

If you still want to do these light and airy curtains in 2025, consider layering sheers and black out curtains with eachother.

How Should You Hang Curtains in 2025?

For a modern look, the curtain trend for 2025 is all about using simple hardware to frame windows, rather than using pelmet or recessing tracks into the ceiling. Hang curtain rods as high as possible over windows to ensure curtains are as flattering to your room's proportions, too.

Now you've got the look in mind, you can start to consider the details, such as how high to hang a curtain rod, for example. It might sound like a practical detail, but it'll help make your curtains feel modern, nonetheless.