Choosing Curtains and Blinds for Attic Windows

Why Attic Windows Need Their Own Approach

Attic rooms have a character all of their own: the light is lovely, the views are often the best in the house, and there is something wonderfully snug about being tucked up under the roof. The windows, though, are rarely straightforward. Sloping ceilings, low eaves, dormers set into the pitch and rooflights fixed flat against the glass all mean that off-the-peg curtains and blinds are unlikely to fit properly, and a poor fit shows immediately — in draughts, in light leaking around the edges, and in that slightly unfinished look that nags at you every time you climb the stairs.

The good news is that with a little planning, attic windows can be dressed beautifully. The trick is to treat each window on its own terms. A dormer needs something different from a rooflight, and a gable-end window behaves differently again.

Curtains or Blinds? Matching the Covering to the Window

Start by identifying what kind of window you have, because that determines what will actually work.

• Rooflights and skylights: these sit on the pitch of the roof, so a hanging curtain is impractical. Made-to-measure pleated or roller blinds that fix into the window's own frame are the sensible answer, running along the glass rather than across the room.
• Dormer windows: the happy middle ground. There is usually a vertical wall and enough head height for a slim curtain track or a Roman blind, and either can soften the room nicely.
• Gable-end and full-height windows: here curtains come into their own, adding warmth and texture to what can be a bright, boxy space. Full-length curtains also help to balance a room with a steeply sloping ceiling.
• Small eaves windows: compact roller or Venetian blinds keep the recess clear and let you tilt the light exactly where you want it.

Blackout Linings: Essential for Bedrooms in the Eaves

If your attic room is a bedroom, blackout lining is not a luxury — it is the difference between a proper night's sleep and being woken at half past five in June. Up here you are closer to the sky, and light arrives earlier and lingers later than it does downstairs.

A blackout lining bonded directly to the curtain fabric gives a crisper finish than a separate loose lining, and it blocks far more light. For rooflights, a blackout roller or pleated blind fitted with a frame-mounted cassette and side channels is the most effective solution, because it stops light creeping around the edges. If you would rather have curtains for softness, ask for an overlapping return at the leading edge and a generous width so the panels meet with a good overlap in the middle.

Thermal Fabrics and Comfort Through the Seasons

Heat rises, which means attic rooms feel the benefit of a warm house in winter and the full force of the sun in summer. Thermal fabrics help with both. A lining with a foil or coated backing reflects heat back into the room rather than letting it escape through the glass, and in July the same layer slows the build-up of solar heat.

• Choose a thermal lining or a fabric with an integrated thermal coating for the biggest difference.
• Add interlining if you want extra bulk and a more luxurious drape, particularly on larger gable windows.
• Seal the edges where you can. Hook-and-loop tape along the sides of a blind, or a curtain that returns neatly to the wall, makes a surprising difference to draughts.
• For rooflights, look for blinds with side channels, which hold the fabric against the frame and reduce both light and heat transfer.

Measuring and Fitting on Awkward Angles

Made-to-measure is almost always worth it in an attic, because there is so little tolerance for error. Measure the recess at the top, middle and bottom of the window and take the smallest width; measure the drop in the same way. Note any handles, vents or trickle vents that the covering will need to clear, and check whether the frame is square — old roof timbers rarely are.

For sloping ceilings, a bendy or flexible curtain track can be curved to follow the angle of the roof, which looks far more considered than a straight pole cutting across the space. Fixings matter too: screed into timber rather than plasterboard wherever possible, use short brackets so the track sits close to the ceiling, and consider a corded or wand-operated blind for windows above a bed or a bath, where reaching up is awkward.

Small Details That Make an Attic Room Feel Finished

In a room with limited head height, keep things simple. Light linens, warm neutrals and soft greys bounce light around and stop the space feeling closed in, while a single bold colour used on both curtains and blinds ties an oddly shaped room together.

Allow roughly one and a half to two times the window width in fabric so the curtains hang with proper fullness, and choose a pencil pleat or pinch pleat heading rather than eyelets, which need a pole and rarely suit a sloped wall. Finally, remember that rooflight blinds collect dust quickly in a warm loft — a quick vacuum with a brush attachment every few months keeps them looking sharp and working smoothly for years.