Basement Curtains & Window Drapes: Top Ideas & Tips

 

Basements have come a long way from being dim, dusty junkyards and forgotten utilitarian spaces. In contemporary homes, they are found proudly moonlighting as anything from man caves and home theatres, to guest suites and game rooms. But with this transformation comes a design challenge: how to drape those awkward, high-set small windows—too small for drama, too visible to ignore. And yet, why should this thoughtfully reimagined space be deprived of the soft elegance that curtains bring to the rest of the home’s windows? Fact is, there’s a strong case to be made for basement window drapes, and it’s not just about aesthetics. If you’re in the middle of a basement makeover right now, stay with us. In this blog, we’ll share clever tips, practical insights, and stylists’ tricks to make your basement curtains shine, no matter how small the window.

From Sheer to Statement: Set the Mood with the Right Fabric

 

Calling fabric the make-or-break factor in made-to-measure curtains for the basement is no exaggeration. In a space where daylight is already at a premium, the material you choose can either maximise the little light available or dim it further.  

If your basement serves as a hobby room, home gym, or casual bar, light-filtering curtains are your best bet. Lightweight materials—both sheer and non-sheer fabrics—help diffuse sun glare while still allowing inflow of the little daylight instead of completely blocking it. On the other hand, if your basement embraces its cocoon-like character as a bedroom or media room, then opaque fabrics, preferably with blackout linings, are your allies. Light-blocking blackout curtains help craft the dark and moody aesthetic ideal for restful sleep or a cinema-style screen experience. 

So, before you pick your basement window curtains, pause and consider the purpose of the room. Whether you want to maximise the light in or lean into the shadows, the right fabric composition—sheer, non-sheer, or blackout—can shape the mood of your basement.

Colour Optics: Use Palette to Open Up your Basement

 

Curtains do more than just frame a window—they help set the tone, mood and colour narrative of the room. And, in a basement where light is limited and the space can feel tight, your curtain’s palette becomes both a stylistic choice and a strategic one. Here are some clever tricks that can help you choose colours that not only reflect your taste, but also serve your basement space better:

• Curtains matching the wall colour help maintain a continuous visual line across the basement, unbroken by stark tonal contrasts. Lacking sharp contrast, the curtains’ silhouettes blur, bringing a sense of visual continuity that makes the space ‘feel’ larger, taller, and roomier. If this tone-on-tone approach is too pared-back for your vibrant decor style, opt for a mild contrast—a shade a few tones lighter or darker than the wall to maintain the harmonious visual flow while offering more depth. In any case, avoid colours that make a glaring contrast with the wall to avoid emphasising the smallness of the window.

• Light-coloured curtains are especially useful in basements as access to daylight is minimal. Soft neutrals and delicate pastels help reflect available light, enhancing the overall brightness of the space and saving the basement from feeling too enclosed. Darker colours offer more drama but tend to absorb more light, making a low-lit basement feel visually heavier—best reserved for a moody aesthetic.

Both of these visual tricks will make your basement feel less like a tucked-away enclosure and more like a seamless extension of your home. 

Illusive Shapes: Elongate Petite Windows with Clever Pattern Play

 

Pattern adds life and personality to a space, so if your decor style leans on pattern play, there’s no reason your basement should be left out. That said, in a low-lit compact room, restraint will prove not just tasteful but also tactical. That’s because patterns are visually engaging, and when overdone, can make a space feel too busy and small. Hence, when dressing your basement with patterned drapes, keeping a few points in mind will help:

• Keep scale in check, especially if your windows are small. Large motifs will overwhelm a small window and accentuate its smallness, whereas small and medium-sized motifs look proportionately fitting.

• Opt for a subtle contrast so that the space does not look visually cluttered. Low-contrast patterns keep the basement’s overall appeal light and airy while adding visual interest.

• Use elongating patterns like stripes, climbing vines, and chevrons that have a prominent directional orientation. Vertical patterns make the windows appear taller, while horizontal patterns can make a narrow room seem wider.

In summary, patterned curtains can make your basement look taller, wider, and well-designed when selected thoughtfully. And when it comes to adding that final flourish of personality or tying together your decor story, few things deliver like a well-considered patterned drapery!

Length Decisions: Find Your Curtain’s Ideal Drop

 

Small windows call for short curtains—isn’t it? True for some settings but basements are not one of them - especially those with windows placed halfway up the wall or flush with the ceiling. Here, short curtains will do a disservice by emphasizing the petiteness and awkward placement of the window. Sure, short curtains may be kinder to your wallet, but once you see the transformative power of long, flowy drapes in a basement, you’ll understand why they’re worth every penny. They don’t just dress a window—they elevate the entire space.

Long curtains shift the focus to the overall height of the room, helping the basement feel taller. This is where curtains have an edge over perfect-fit window treatments like blinds — that curtains can be extended to the floor. For the biggest impact, go for full-scale curtains that accentuate the height of the ceiling by making an uninterrupted visual line connecting the floors to the ceiling. For styling tips, refer to our blog on floor-to-ceiling curtains, where we share practical insights on the various drop points you can consider.

Width Discernment: Dial Down the Fullness

 

Making the basement feel open and bright often comes down to subtle design decisions, and drapery’s fullness (density of pleats and gather) is one of them. While densely pleated high-volume curtains look apt in grand, tall, light-inundated rooms, they tend to overwhelm a basement. Visually heavy and light-blocking, they can unintentionally add to the very issues you might be trying to counter in a basement: limited light and a sense of enclosure.

Instead, opt for low-body curtains with gentle gather and shallow pleats, allowing better airflow and subtle translucency. If you’re aiming for room-darkening, let the blackout lining do the heavy lifting, and keep the curtain’s volume itself trimmed to avoid visual weightage. 

In basements, less fullness does not mean less style—it means more light, more space, and a far more considered finish. Think of basement curtains not as intrusive walls but as graceful wall-dressings that add softness and texture. Aim for a fullness level up to 1.5x, that is, curtain width not exceeding 1.5 times the width of the window. For a clearer explanation with a step-by-step breakdown, visit our Drapery Measurement Guide. 

Above and Beyond: Be Smart with Hardware Placement

 

The way you position the drapery pole/track can influence how tall or wide the basement feels overall. Placed with care, it can maximise the light, visually elongate your windows, and create the illusion of a taller room. Coming below are two hardware tricks that will help you achieve it:

• Mount the drapery pole higher, as close to the ceiling as possible. Even if your window sits high on the wall, resist the urge to place the rod just above it. Placing the hardware higher up helps to emphasise the height of the room, besides offering a neat, seamless finish.

• Extend the pole beyond the window, at least 6-12 inches on both sides. This will enable the curtains to slide past the window completely with no overlaps when you gather and stack them to the side. Thus, you can bring in more light and also prevent the window from appearing visually cramped.

Thoughtful hardware placement can make your basement feel bigger and brighter. So, go higher and wider for the best results.

Shop Basement Curtains & Drapes at The White Window

 

Basement windows may not offer the grandeur of their above-ground counterparts—but with the right curtains, they don’t need to. The most unassuming basement window can be turned into a quietly elegant feature by choosing the most suitable fabric, scaling the curtains aptly, and positioning the hardware fittingly. So, go ahead, elevate your basement with a well-thought-out drapery. With over 2000 premium fabrics at your disposal at The White Window, finding the drapery that communicates your style will be a cakewalk. So, let’s not keep you waiting anymore, hop on to our catalogue and start exploring. Find the curtains that will adorn your basement with soft light and textural warmth today. Happy draping!