Quick Q&A: Are my drapes too short? : Annie Elliott Design

Dear Annie, I just hung drapes and they are like 4 inches from the floor 🥺 please tell me it’s ok – @michelle_outdoors via TikTok

Oh, Michelle. How I wish I could give you the response you seek! But alas, I must be the unfortunate truth-bearer: your drapes are too short.

Don’t beat yourself up! We’ve all been there. This was my very own DR long, long ago. I can’t remember why the drapes were the way they were — I might have been hoping the weight of the fabric would pull them down gradually, as can happen.

Floral drapes that are too short — Eek! We’ll talk about where to mount your drapery rods later; this isn’t ideal, but I had my reasons at the time ;)

Those drapes are only about 2 inches short, but they look like a little boy’s pants after a growth spurt! Floods!

Ideally, drapes will “kiss the floor,” as my fabricator says. Just barely touch.

Pink room with green floral drapes — “Kissing the floor”

Some people like a small break in their drapes (again, like men’s trousers), but I find that confusing.

Don’t even talk to me about “puddling,” that ill-advised design move from the ’80s. Inexplicably, puddling still has a few fans.

Gray drapes puddling on floor — You CANNOT tell me this doesn’t look messy — and lazy

Don’t despair, though: you have some options.

Hem them to windowsill length curtains if the fabric is pretty lightweight — not velvet, in other words. (Btw, I call long panels “drapes” and short ones “curtains,” but technically “curtains” is correct either way.) If you’re not a seamstress, your dry cleaner can probably hem them, or you can use Stitch Witchery and an iron.
Re-pin the drapes to the rings as low as you can. Some people don’t realize that most drapes aren’t sewn to drapery rings; they’re pinned. If this is the case for you, experiment.

Finally, you can hide the drapes behind furniture. I have chairs in front of my living room window, and the room looks pretty good.

Pink living room with green flowered drapes — See? Or rather, don’t see? I moved those drapes from the DR to the LR, and they fit better here.

Good luck, Michelle!

Annie Elliott Design is based in Washington, DC, but we travel for fun projects. Those TikTok users post all sorts of decorating questions to my TikTok account!