3 Designer-Approved Curtain Styles For White Rooms

We wanted to know: what is designers’ preferred curtain style for white rooms? As it turns out, there are quite a few routes one can take. “When choosing your drapery for a white room, it is important to base that decision around whether you are wanting to embrace the white or go for a bold look,” says Ashley Ayer, the founder of Ashley Ayer Interiors in Montgomery, Alabama. Here, she and other Southern designers share three paths to consider when it comes to landing on the perfect curtain option for your space.

Go Floor To Ceiling With White

Many designers are all for using white walls as a launch pad to welcome white curtains into a room. “When we’re working with white walls, we’re typically aiming for a calming backdrop or keeping the focus elsewhere, so we often prefer curtains that blend in rather than stand out,” says Cate Gutter, the founder of CWG Design in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Ayer offers her own insights on specific materials to use. “When embracing the whites, use floor to ceiling drapery in a warm neutral, using airy textures like a linen,” she explains. “This creates a soft, cohesive look that enhances light, height, and an effortless sense of calm.”

Stephanie Bruss, the founder of Designs of the Interior echoes similar sentiments. “When a room has white walls, window treatments do not need to compete for attention,” she says. “In many cases, the most successful ones do the opposite.” Bruss advises using neutral, floor to ceiling curtains as well. “Soft whites, warm linens, light taupes, and gentle oatmeal tones introduce texture rather than pattern, adding depth without pulling focus toward the treatments themselves,” she says.

Make It Bold With Contrasting Elements

On the other hand, if you wish to go the bold route, Ayer has suggestions to that end, too. “Go with a dark colored velvet in a goblet pleat for a more sophisticated look,” she offers. The hardware style you select is important as well, she adds. “Chunkier hardware will add the perfect contrast with the white walls such as a dark gold or oil-rubbed brass with large finials,” Ayer notes.

Patterned curtains are also a great way to spice things up when appropriate. “In kids’ rooms, white walls are a wonderful backdrop for bringing in a bit more playfulness through fabric,” Gutter says. “We love using curtains or shades in soft pattern, gentle color, or even a contrast trim; it adds charm without feeling too busy.”

Land Somewhere In The Middle With Gray

Another option is to take a cue from what Catherine Brooks Giuffre, the founder of CBG Interiors in Houston, Texas, did in a primary bedroom and land on gray curtains in a white room. This is a great route to go if you’re looking to veer beyond white and its counterparts but aren’t quite ready to go bold in color, either. When installing blackout curtains in this space, Giuffre landed on a gray wool fabric. “It provided just the right contrast against the white shiplap walls without feeling too stark or heavy,” she says. “There’s something about that soft, muted tone that brings warmth to a room while still maintaining an elegant, understated presence.”