Budget Friendly Curtains and Drapes That Look Custom
July 28, 2026
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These affordable, extra long curtain panels look GREAT and are well under $100!
If you've ever shopped for window treatments, you know they can get expensive quick.
I have found that most stores don't carry curtains for taller ceilings, usually only the shortest versions around 84 inches or less are readily available.
I recommend hanging your drapery brackets and rod at least a few inches above the window frame, so if you have eight foot ceilings you'll want at least 95 inch drapes.
If your ceiling height is nine feet tall, drapes at 108 inches are ideal so they will brush the ground.
Ideally, your curtains should "kiss" the floor. If you like a puddled look, you'll want them to be a few inches longer.
But there are so many affordable, quality options nowadays, even in LONG lengths! When we moved into our home nine years ago, there weren't nearly as many lovely choices for such a great price.
I've found a bunch of beautiful drapery options that won't break the bank. I can personally vouch for quite a few, as we have them hanging in our home.
My husband really wanted a bit more privacy for our sliding door in the dining room, and curtains were the best option. I found pretty linen-looking drapes in the perfect neutral fabric for this room:
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Not only do these natural linen curtains have a custom touch with sewn pinch pleats, but they come in a bunch of soft, pretty colors and a TON of customizable widths and lengths.
Plus they come with a blackout liner...perfect for a bedroom!
Pleat hooks come with the panels, so you'll only need to grab some curtain rings for installation. They hang beautifully after a quick steaming:
The pleats are a custom addition, and I also love that they come with drapery weights sewn into each corner of the panels at the bottom.
That pinch pleat is definitely an elevated look, and I think makes them look so much more expensive!
I found these gorgeous dark green drapes for our bedroom last year, I absolutely love the color and fabric:
I need complete darkness to sleep, and the blackout liner on these doesn't let a speck of light in!
As with most of these options, there are plenty of colors to pick from and a pack of two (up to 126 inches long) is well under $100!
These also have the pinch pleat at the top, and come with the necessary hardware for those pleats:
I've been working on some changes to our bedroom, I'll be sharing that soon!
These timeless linen textured drapes are also blackout and GREAT quality. I added a ribbon "leading edge" detail to ours to dress them up a bit, but they are a classic as is:
Those come with a back tabs for hanging, so no extra hardware is needed!
We've had these dark gray blackout curtains in our basement for years now, and they came with grommets:
I ended up changing these with my DIY pinch pleats (using this tutorial) pictured on the left, but I like both looks -- the grommets give them a modern look and the pleats are more traditional. I love how easily these are to open and close with the grommets!
Most of these room darkening curtains are labeled as "thermal," which gives a bit of insulation against hot and cold temperatures.
If you're looking for a lighter, light-filtering curtains, these grommet semi-sheer drapes are super pretty and flowy:
These gauzy options would look great in layers!
And these lightweight, sheer curtains can be hung with the rod pocket or from clips:
This sheer fabric looks great paired with roman shades. Perfect for a lighter look in a kitchen or screened porch!
And if you have an IKEA nearby, the Sanela curtains are lovely as well. We had these hanging in our bedroom at our first house and I loved the quality:
They come in long lengths and the fabric is a velvet-like weight and texture. Very pretty!
If you have extra wide or tall ceilings, all of these options look great at crazy good prices. Ours have help up wonderfully over the years!
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