How to Cover Windows Above a Radiator
Explore the window treatments — and window treatment combinations — that can work in this space
Laura Gaskill
3 August 2017
Houzz Contributor. I cover decorating ideas, Houzz tours & the monthly home maintenance checklist. My favorite pieces to write center around the emotional aspects of home and savoring life's simple pleasures. Decluttering course + discount for Houzzers: https://www.lauragaskill.com/welcome-houzzers
Houzz Contributor. I cover decorating ideas, Houzz tours & the monthly home maintenance... More
If you live in a home with radiators, you know how tricky it can be to choose window treatments with those big, blocky structures in the way, especially if you have your heart set on curtains. From working with layers to the dos and don’ts of short curtains, these pointers will help you navigate your options.
Stationary curtain panels + wood blinds. With a large radiator cover in the way, hanging regular floor-length curtains that can close is simply not possible. One way around this is to hang the floor-length curtains you want but use stationary panels (meaning they do not close). A second window treatment, like the wood blinds shown here, will let you adjust the levels of sunlight and privacy.
Cellular blinds + ceiling track curtains. Cellular blinds, particularly those that can be lowered from the top down, are a great option for adjusting light levels without sacrificing privacy. Instead of using traditional curtain rods, consider curtains on a ceiling-mounted track system. In the right space, this can be a clever way to include curtains that fully close, even with a large radiator in the way.
You might also like How to Choose Window Treatments to Keep Your Home Cool
You might also like How to Choose Window Treatments to Keep Your Home Cool
Floor-length curtains + roller blinds. In the bedroom, where privacy and complete darkness at night are more important than adjusting sun levels during the day, try roller blinds with blackout liners and layer a set of floor-length curtains on top.
Tip: Hang curtains on extended rod brackets. Floor-length curtains hung in front of a smaller radiator may be able to close with the help of extended brackets that hold the curtains away from the wall.
Tip: Hang curtains on extended rod brackets. Floor-length curtains hung in front of a smaller radiator may be able to close with the help of extended brackets that hold the curtains away from the wall.
Woven blinds + floor-length curtains. This combination is good when you want a more finished look, like in a formal dining room. It really doesn’t matter if you can’t close the curtains – this look is all about the contrast between textured blinds and lush drapery.
Short curtains. Short curtains are a style choice that can be quite divisive – most people find they either like windowsill-length curtains or can’t stand them. As a general rule, more casual spaces, like a child’s room or a den, take better to short curtains.
If your heart is set on doing short curtains in the living room, try to avoid heavy fabrics and intense colours, which would call attention to the hovering curtains. Instead, you could do rumpled white linen curtains, hemmed to break on top of the radiator covers, for a very casual look.
If your heart is set on doing short curtains in the living room, try to avoid heavy fabrics and intense colours, which would call attention to the hovering curtains. Instead, you could do rumpled white linen curtains, hemmed to break on top of the radiator covers, for a very casual look.
Shutters. Wood shutters in crisp white, are classic and practical. Open just the top shutters to let in light while preserving privacy, or open them all. Shutters work best on their own, so if you want to add curtains too, it’s better to go with wood blinds.
Roman blinds. Roman blinds are a classic choice that always works. But they are especially smart in the bath and bedroom, where you need the most privacy, and in the kitchen, where curtains would get in the way of cooking. Roman blinds also work well layered with floor-length drapes for an elegant look.
Mixing window treatments in the same room. If you have radiators under just some windows in your room, one option is to treat the windows differently. Take this space, for example: Roller blinds are used on the windows with radiators, while drapers are used for the glass doors. When mixing window treatments, make sure the colours and patterns coordinate — when in doubt, keep things simple with white and solid neutrals.
Consult a local window treatment pro to find a solution for you
Tell us…
Do you have radiators beneath windows in your home? How do you deal with them? Share a photo of your window in the Comments.
Consult a local window treatment pro to find a solution for you
Tell us…
Do you have radiators beneath windows in your home? How do you deal with them? Share a photo of your window in the Comments.
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I would say not as I have been covering very hot radiators with curtains in a variety of materials for years now :D However Sandra is quite right, it isn't very sensible from an economic point of view! Like I said I'm a bit of an idiot... ;) In my defence I live in a Georgian terraced house with very thick external walls, that is enclosed by other (mostly) Georgian properties and I have a wood burning stove, also some of the largest radiators aren't under a window anyway, so if anything the house can get too hot in the winter and I have to turn most of them down! Of course the downside to all this incidental insulation is that the house doesn't get much light downstairs but you can't have it all...
This is a relief to get clarity on a problem that has held me back from completing my projects. Thank you.
I have made numerous curtains and blinds for various houses we have lived in over the years and most of the living room and bedroom windows have had radiators underneath. As I cannot stand short curtains, they look so awful to me, a big no no, I usually go for a combination option. That is, make long curtains, these can be dress ones only, so dont need to be very wide, and then roman blinds underneath. I always use black out lining for the blinds, to keep out dark, but also keep in heat. Our present home has a wood burner in the sitting room as well as radiator under window, so if we have central heating on, we keep the curtains pulled back and just lower the blind over window in winter. If it is exceptionally cold, we use the wood burner and then, as the heating is off (the wood burner is so hot we don't need central heating on as well) we can just pull the curtains across window in normal way. Even if you buy curtains, which have done occassionally, this combination works really well and is quite decorative, the two fabrics don't have to be the same, you can be quite creative in your choices. My husband, who is a scientist, says the reason radiators are under windows is to do with air displacement, in theory the warm air coming from radiator is blown into the room by any cold air coming in from window frame; although in practice this is a less necessary now if you're double glazing is very effective, it is still a tradition builders tend to stick to.