What curtain color to choose according to your room and your decor

Choosing the color according to the room

Adult bedroom: soft, calm tones

The bedroom is the room where people most often look for a calm atmosphere. Soft tones suit it well: blue, grey, off-white, beige, green.

If you want a calm atmosphere, avoid bright colours in the bedroom (red, orange, bright yellow), which are more lively.

Baby's room: soft pastels and blackout

Pastel tones (mint green, sky blue, beige) create a serene atmosphere. Important point: a light blackout curtain blocks as much light as a dark curtain. At Kurtens, the 3-in-1 and the single-layer blackout curtain are 100%* blackout in all their colours: blackout depends on the construction of the fabric, not the colour. You can choose a bright beige for the baby's room and still make the room completely dark for naps.

Living room and lounge: creative freedom

The living room offers the greatest color freedom. The curtain is a decorative element in its own right. The fundamental principle: echo a color already present in the room (sofa, rug, cushions) in a slightly different shade to create harmony without monotony. In a 20 to 30 m² living room, a wide curtain is one of the most striking visual elements, so the color choice deserves consideration.

Office and teleworking: neutral and distraction-free

For working in good conditions, prefer neutral and non-distracting colors: grey, cream beige, soft blue. The NF EN 12464-1 standard recommends 300 to 500 lux for screen work: a light curtain preserves this natural light when open. For video conferencing, a blackout curtain allows you to control backlighting. Grey and blue are the most flattering colors for a video call background.

Choosing the color according to your walls

The monochrome technique: choose a curtain color in the same family as the walls, but in a lighter or darker version. Example: light grey walls with anthracite grey curtains, or beige walls with cream beige curtains. This approach consistently produces a harmonious result, even without decoration skills.

Light or dark colors: what impact on the room

Light colors (off-white, cream beige, mint green) reflect 60 to 80% of incident light. They visually enlarge the space and are suitable for small rooms (less than 12 m²), low ceilings, and north-facing rooms that lack natural light.

Dark colors (anthracite grey, navy blue, dark green) absorb 60 to 80% of light. They create an enveloping, cocoon-like atmosphere, suitable for large rooms (more than 20 m²) where intimacy is sought. They add a touch of luxury and depth.

Common misconception to correct: a blackout curtain does not need to be dark to block light. A Kurtens 3-in-1 curtain in Beige blocks exactly as much light (100%*) as a grey curtain. Blackout depends on the construction of the fabric (the internal membrane of the 3-in-1, a blackout fabric in a single layer for the single-layer curtain), not the surface colour. So you can choose a light color for a baby's room or a small room while achieving total darkness.

Does color affect the performance of a technical curtain?

No. At Kurtens, all 14 colours of the 3-in-1 Thermal and Acoustic Blackout Curtain offer exactly the same performance:

• 100% blackout*
• Thermal: up to 7 °C, measured in the laboratory
• Up to 22 dB sound attenuation*

These performances come from the multi-layer structure of the fabric (620 g/m², 3 technical layers), not the color. The light-blocking layer is integrated into the internal structure of the curtain, regardless of the shade of the outer decorative fabric. A 3-in-1 curtain in Beige for a baby's room offers the same thermal, acoustic, and light insulation as a grey curtain for a home cinema.

This is a fundamental difference from a non-blackout curtain, where a light fabric does indeed let more light through than a dark fabric (light passes through the fabric). On a blackout curtain, it is the construction of the fabric that blocks light, not the colour: the internal membrane on the 3-in-1; the Kurtens single-layer blackout curtain is also 100% blackout in all its colours.

Our colors: which choice for which ambiance

The 14 colors are available in 4 standard sizes (100x150, 150x230, 250x230, 300x270 cm) or custom-made to the exact dimensions of your window, depending on the combination of width and height. To view the actual shades, consult the Kurtens color guide.

The 3 most frequent color mistakes

• Mistake 1: choosing a dark curtain in a small room. An anthracite grey or navy blue curtain in a 9 m² north-facing bedroom visually darkens and shrinks the space. Prefer cream beige, off-white, or mint green to reflect light and enlarge the room.
• Mistake 2: believing a blackout curtain must be dark. False. A Kurtens 3-in-1 curtain in Beige blocks 100%* of the light thanks to its internal membrane, exactly like a grey curtain. Color is a purely aesthetic choice.
• Mistake 3: ignoring elements already present in the room. Before choosing, observe your sofa, rug, cushions, and bed linen. The curtain should echo tones already present in the room, in a lighter or darker version, for natural harmony. A color chosen in isolation, however beautiful, may seem out of place once the curtain is installed.

To choose the right dimensions for your window, consult the size guide. And for the type of fastening, the fastening guide will help you.

*Data from tests performed under optimal conditions.

What colour curtains should you choose for a living room?

In a living room, pick up a colour already in the room, from the sofa, rug or cushions, in a lighter or darker shade. A neutral (Off-White, Beige, Light Grey) leaves the stage to the furniture. Petrol Blue or Orange makes the curtain the focal point. In a bedroom, favour soft tones.

The colours named here are those of the 3-in-1 Thermal and Acoustic Blackout Curtain, available in 14 colours. The single-layer blackout curtain has its own palette of 6 colours, from Sky Blue to Anthracite Grey. In a dark or north-facing living room, a light shade weighs less on the room when the curtain is open; closed, a blackout curtain darkens the room whatever its colour. To match the curtain to your walls, see the table “Choosing the color according to your walls” above and our selection of living room curtains.

In a bedroom, the soft, muted tones of the 3-in-1, such as Pastel Blue, Lavender, Mint Green or Powder Pink, keep the mood calm. To make the room dark, colour does not decide: the 3-in-1 and the single-layer blackout curtain are 100% blackout in all their colours.

What is the best colour for thermal curtains?

Against the sun, a light colour facing the glass generally limits overheating best: a dark shade absorbs more radiation and heats the fabric. For insulation against the cold, colour does not count: the curtain's construction and its fit decide. On the Kurtens 3-in-1, the side facing the glass is identical in all 14 colours.

On the 3-in-1 Thermal and Acoustic Blackout Curtain, the decorative colour stays on the room side; the side exposed to the sun, facing the window, is a quilted grey lining, the same in all 14 colours. The colour therefore does not change the thermal performance, up to 7 °C, measured in the laboratory: choose it for your decor. See the made-to-measure thermal curtain.

The single-layer blackout curtain (315 g/m²) is reversible: the chosen colour also faces the glass. The available data do not allow its 6 colours to be ranked by the heat they reflect. This range blocks light but is not a thermal curtain: for insulation, choose the 3-in-1.

Frequently asked questions