Almost every curtain that looks wrong looks wrong for the same reason, and it is not the fabric. It is that somebody measured the window instead of measuring where the curtain actually goes.
Four numbers decide the result: the track width, the drop, the fullness and the stack back. Get those right and a mid-priced fabric looks expensive. Get them wrong and the most expensive linen in the shop hangs like a bedsheet.
This is written so you can understand what we are doing when we measure, and so you can judge a quotation from anyone else. We would still rather measure it ourselves, for the reason at the end.
Almost every curtain that looks wrong is not a fabric problem. It is a measurement that was taken from the window instead of from the track.
1. Track width, not window width
This is the number people get wrong most often, and it is the most expensive to get wrong.
The track should extend well past the glass on both sides — not stop at the edge of the window, and not stop at the edge of the reveal. Typically 15 to 25cm past the opening on each side, more on a wide window.
Why: when the curtain is open, the fabric has to go somewhere. If the track stops at the glass, the open curtain sits on the glass. You lose light, you lose the view, and the room looks smaller. People then assume the curtains are too bulky. They are not. The track is too short.
A curtain that clears the glass completely when open is the single clearest sign of a window that was measured properly.
2. Drop measured from the track, not the frame
Measure from where the track will be fixed down to where you want the fabric to end. Not from the top of the window frame.
Fix the track at or near the ceiling wherever the ceiling allows it. A curtain that starts at the ceiling makes the room read as taller; a curtain that starts at the top of the frame cuts the wall in half and makes the ceiling feel lower. It costs a little more fabric and it is the cheapest way to make a room look better.
At the bottom you have three choices. Just off the floor, around 1cm clear, is the usual answer and the easiest to live with. Breaking, where the fabric touches and bends slightly, looks softer and is used in formal rooms. Pooling, with several centimetres on the floor, looks dramatic in photographs and collects dust in Dubai, which is why we rarely recommend it outside a show villa.
Measure the drop in at least three places across a wide window. Dubai floors and ceilings are not always as level as they look, and a curtain cut to one measurement across a four-metre run can finish visibly higher at one end.
3. Fullness: how much fabric the track needs
Fullness is the ratio of fabric width to track width, and it is where cheap quotations quietly save money.
Most headings want two to two and a half times the track width. A three-metre track needs six to seven and a half metres of fabric across. Less than twice and the curtain hangs flat, the folds look thin, and it reads as a panel rather than a curtain — whatever you paid for the cloth.
Different headings need different fullness. Wave and S-fold have a fixed ratio built into the tape and the track, so there is less to decide. Pinch pleat and pencil pleat let you choose, and the choice is visible from across the room. Sheers often look better at higher fullness because the gathering is the whole effect.
When you compare two quotations, compare the fullness before you compare the price. A cheaper quotation at lower fullness is not a cheaper curtain; it is less curtain.
4. Stack back: where the curtain goes when it is open
Stack back is the width the gathered fabric occupies at each end when the curtain is fully open. It is the number nobody asks about and everybody notices afterwards.
It depends on the fabric weight, the lining and the heading. A heavy interlined velvet stacks far deeper than an unlined sheer. On a wide window with a heavy fabric the stack can be substantial, which is exactly why the track needs to extend past the glass.
Where it matters most: next to a door you walk through, in front of a wall light or a switch, and beside a sliding door onto a terrace, where a deep stack can block part of the opening.
Inside or outside the recess
For blinds, and for curtains in a deep reveal, there is one more decision.
Inside the recess looks neater and keeps the window line clean, but you must measure the recess depth as well as the width, and there will be a small light gap at the edges.
Outside, face fixed covers the whole opening and blocks far more light, which is why bedrooms are usually face fixed.
If you are measuring a recess yourself, measure the width in three places — top, middle and bottom — and use the smallest. Openings are rarely square. Using the largest is how a blind ends up not fitting.
The mistakes that cost the most
Measuring the curtain you already own. It may have been wrong all along, and it has probably moved with washing.
Measuring with a cloth tape. Fabric tapes stretch. A steel tape or a laser measure is what we use.
Rounding. Round down on the drop and the curtain is short; round up and it drags. Write the actual number.
Measuring before the flooring is in. If tiling, parquet or carpet is still to be laid, the finished floor level changes and so does the drop. Measure after, or tell whoever is measuring exactly what is still to come.
Assuming the ceiling is level. On a long run it often is not, and the curtain will show it.
Why we measure it ourselves
We will not make curtains to measurements sent to us, and that is not an upsell. Once the fabric is cut, a wrong number is not recoverable — the cloth is gone.
Measuring on site also lets us see what a number cannot tell us: whether the ceiling can take a recessed track, where the power is for a motor, how deep the reveal is, how level the floor is, which way the window faces and therefore how hard the sun hits it, and whether the stack will land in front of a door or a light switch.
The visit and the measurement are free, there is no obligation, and we bring fabric samples so you can see colour in your own light rather than under showroom lighting.
Where to go next. See custom made curtains for headings, linings, fabrics and tracks, motorised curtains for tall or hard-to-reach windows, villa curtains if you are doing a whole house, and sheer vs blackout curtains to decide the layers.
Frequently asked questions
How much wider than the window should a curtain track be?
Typically 15 to 25cm past the opening on each side, and more on a wide window. The aim is that the open curtain clears the glass completely so it does not block light or the view.
Should curtains touch the floor?
In most Dubai homes, just off the floor — around 1cm clear — is the practical choice. Breaking slightly suits formal rooms. Pooling on the floor looks dramatic but collects dust here.
How much fabric do I need for curtains?
Two to two and a half times the track width for most headings. Below twice the width the curtain hangs flat however good the fabric is.
Should I measure the window or the track?
The track, always. The curtain hangs from the track, not from the window, and that is why the two measurements are different.
Can I measure the windows myself and send you the sizes?
We would rather measure them. Once fabric is cut a wrong measurement cannot be undone, and measuring on site also tells us things a number cannot — ceiling construction, reveal depth, floor level, orientation and where the stack will land.
When should windows be measured during a renovation?
After the flooring is laid, or at least once the finished floor level is confirmed, because the drop depends on it. Track type and any motor power should be agreed before the ceiling closes.
