How to Hang & Layer Ikea Gjertrud Curtains & Heritage Plush Half Price Drapes
How to Hang & Layer Ikea Gjertrud sheer panels
and plush velvet panels from Half Price Drapes
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First things first, let's get into the texture and color of these panels. The sheer panel is the Ikea "Gjertrud", which comes in a set of 2 for $17.99! Yes, less than $20. I got two packages of these, so four panels total.
The luscious heavy weight green number is the Retro Green Heritage Plush Velvet curtain from Half Price Drapes. They're pricier than Ikea and are sold as singles, but the quality?? Easily comparable to custom made window treatments which can run in the thousands of dollars. You can also order up to five FREE fabric swatches from HPD to get a better idea of color and texture before committing. This sounds like an ad, but it's not. (not yet, anyway...hey HPD!). I've been shopping HPD for a few years for my home and my client projects and when I like something, I stick with it.
To layer or not to layer?
I knew two things when it came to the bedroom window treatments: 1) the blinds needed to go and 2) I wanted layers and contrast. I envisioned a cozy (...can't even say the word without singing the song, thanks bey lol) and sophisticated bedroom that gave hotel vibes.
The green curtains were in our old living room; I decided they'd work much better in our new bedroom while the sheer panels would allow the perfect amount of natural light. We weren't concerned about privacy because we're on the top floor of our building and there's a huge tree in front of window blocking all views from outside.
Tip #2 - Make sure you pick the right hardware
Ikea is my go to for curtain hardware for several reasons. Price, selection and finishes to name a few. Their hardware is modular so you can buy individual pieces to create exactly what you need. It's customization, essentially. I bought all of my pieces separately over a few months --because indecisive-- but you can buy the double rod system with the rods (Racka + Hugad), brackets and mounting hardware (Betydlig) included.
The other items I bought are:
Riktig curtain hangers for pleating the panels. I used around 1 box for two panels.
Raffig finials for the ends of the rods.
Syrlig curtain rings + clips for hanging the panels on the rod.
Pick your pleat (or curtain header) style
I was today years old when I realized how many curtain pleating styles existed. I spent a few hours on youtube watching through tutorials and decided to keep it simple with a single pleat style which I also saw referred to as a New York pleat. I cannot confirm nor deny if that's the correct name.
This is where the Riktig curtains hangers come into play. Not all brands of curtain headers are made equally. Ikea's all have the three tiers of hanger openings while the green panels from Half Price Drapes only has one.
This part takes practice so pack your patience when trying this for the first time.
Mount your hardware + Hang the curtains
You can see the video of me mounting the hardware and hanging the curtains on my IG: @decuratedinteriors.
Once the blinds were down, I hung the sheer panels on the back rod and the green ones on the front. There'e a slight overlap between the two which covers the sides of the sill and gives the illusion of a wider window. Since I used rings, I can simply pull the green panels shut when I want to darken the room a bit.
So what do you think? I'm in love!
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