This all started when M and I couldn’t agree on a pattern for our living room curtains. I wanted to go with a big graphic floral, but it kinda clashed with the Mexican blanket we wanted to use as a rug. I couldn’t find the right blend of colors and native / geometric patterns on any curtains we were finding, so I decided to paint my own. Now, as you can see from the pictures below, I used house paint. Not sure if that was a bad idea. I didn’t really think about it since, they were the exact colors of our living room (obviously) and we had left over paint—I just went with it. So far it’s been fine, but if I ever try to wash these curtains, we might have a problem.

Supply list:

Paint, painters tape (size and quanitiy depends on your design. I used about 3 rolls of 1 inch thick tape), measuring tape, pencil, plain white curtains (I got these from Ikea) and a sponge for each color. You will also probably need a drop cloth and a paper plate to rest your paint filled sponge on.

Step 1: Tape up your design.

I sketched out a lot of designs before I started taping. I measured 18” from the top, then split that up into 3 6” sections. I then just used my eye to gage the distance in the herringbone pattern and the triangles. For the middle section I used the folds in the fabric to guide my tape. Not very scientific, so do whatever works best for you.

Step 2: Paint

We painted the chair rail in the dining room dark gray, and an accent wall in the living room bright yellow. I used the left over paint to tie the two rooms together. Instead of using a brush that would make everything very even, I used a sponge to make the paint coverage less perfect and to give it more texture by leaving some parts spotty.

Step 3: Remove Tape

This is the fun part. Make sure all the paint is dried before you take the tape off.

Step 4: Hang your curtians!

And that’s it! Hang up those curtains and enjoy your craftiness. Since our windows were wider than 2 curtains, I painted a middle pannel.

I really like how these came out. They tie the room together with the Mexican blanket, and the wall colors. And since I didn’t spend too much money on these, I’d be happy to phase them out in a couple seasons or whenever we need a change.

By the way, this if my first DIY project on this here blog! It’s pretty fun, so I hope you dont’ mind if I share with you some of the other projects on the “to do” list for the new apartment.