Curtains were the next step for our bedroom refresh. We’d made progress in the space and wanted to introduce more color to complement the new duvet cover (photo taken before the mirror went white):
After debating deep blue or shimmery silver, we decided to DIY curtains using a simple method to highlight the golden-green leaves in the duvet. We didn’t want a bold pattern that would compete with the large-scale print on the bed, since this is a bedroom and we wanted a calm, restful feel rather than something overly busy. With a color in mind and a few paint swatches for reference, we began hunting for plain or subtly textured fabric in that greeny-gold hue.
It turned into quite the search.
We checked every fabric source in Richmond—local shops and chains—often more than once. After dismissing many options for being too plain, the wrong tone, or too expensive, we left one evening with a single small sample from U-Fab so we wouldn’t come home empty-handed.
In person that sample read too lime and not golden enough. We weren’t looking for a perfect match—subtle variation is actually nice—but this one felt off. Laying that small scrap on the bed made the whole bedding look chaotic, which confirmed that even a small pattern would compete with the duvet. That was disappointing because we love geometric prints and usually enjoy mixing patterns when they work together, but not here.
So on Day Two we came home with every promising sample we could find—store lighting can be misleading, and you don’t really know until you test fabrics in your own space.
From that pile we narrowed the candidates to two: a heavy linen-like fabric (left) and a richer, suede-like option (right).
We taped both swatches to the wall to see how they would look hanging in normal room light. That step changed everything.
On the wall they read much browner and darker than they had on the bed, so both would have weighed down the room more than we wanted. That sent us back out on Day Three, this time remembering to stop at Hancock Fabrics—a chain we’d skipped earlier in favor of local stores. It paid off when we found a small ribbed fabric that felt just right.
It was close to the duvet’s tone but a touch greener—more avocado than gold—with no distracting pattern and a pleasant, slightly heavy hand my wife described as “cotton duck-esque.” Best of all, Hancock was running a 50% off sale, so the fabric was the cheapest we’d found during the search at $8.49 per yard. We ended up visiting two Hancock locations to get the full 12.5 yards needed for both windows and a closet panel, and left feeling relieved and excited after all that driving.
Now we just need to cut, hem, and hang them. We picked up curtain rods and ring clips from Target (about $40) during the second day of shopping. So far, the new fabric seems like it will pair nicely with the duvet.
And don’t worry about the wrinkles in the duvet—that just shows it’s well loved.
Psst—Check out our niece and nephews’ profiles and see how we made John’s parents a bit misty-eyed in a feature on Babycenter.