We needed new curtains for our bedroom to bring in color and complement our duvet’s golden-green leaves. The photo below shows the room before the mirror was painted white (see that update):
We wanted to DIY the curtains (we used this method) and avoid anything too busy that would compete with the duvet’s large-scale print. The aim was a restful, slightly warm green-gold tone—not a loud pattern—so we started hunting for plain or subtly textured fabric in that hue.
The search turned into a multi-day mission. We visited every fabric store in Richmond, sometimes twice, holding a few paint swatches in Sherry’s purse for reference. On the first day we left with only one small fabric sample from U-Fab. It was better than nothing, but in person it read too lime and not golden enough; placing it on the bed made the whole arrangement feel too energetic instead of calm.
On day two we grabbed a wider variety of swatches—store lighting can be deceiving, so we wanted to see everything in our own space. From that haul we narrowed it to two strong contenders: a heavy linen-like fabric and a rich suede-ish option. Both had the warm, muted quality we were after, but we couldn’t decide which would work best when hung.
We taped the two favorites to the wall to judge them in the room’s actual light. That simple test made a dramatic difference—both swatches suddenly looked much browner and darker than they had on the bed or under overhead lighting.
Seeing them on the wall revealed they would weigh the room down too much. So we kept hunting and finally checked a Hancock Fabrics we’d skipped the first day. There we found a subtle, ribbed fabric that felt like the right balance—closer to the duvet but a touch greener and cheerier, with enough body to hang nicely without being heavy or patterned.
It had no bold print, just a fine rib texture and a cotton-duck-like weight that promised good drape. Best of all, Hancock was running a 50% off sale, so the fabric was affordable at $8.49 per yard. We tracked down enough yardage across two stores—about 12.5 yards total—to cover both windows and a closet panel, and felt relieved to have found a fabric that coordinated without competing.
We also picked up curtain rods and ring clips from Target for around $40. Next steps: measuring, cutting, hemming, and hanging. From what we can already see, these curtains will pair nicely with the duvet—calming and cohesive, with just the right hint of green-gold warmth.
Ignore the wrinkles in the duvet—that’s just proof it’s loved.
Psst—check out our niece and nephews’ profiles and see how we made John’s parents misty-eyed over on Babycenter.