The Curtain Trick That Doesn’t Need a Window

Posted by admin

September 27, 2026

On September 27, 2026

The landing is one spot in our house you don’t get to see as much. It’s the second-story pass-through with a Juliet balcony that hangs over the living room, and our girls’ rooms are across the way.

The girls read a lot, and this landing has become a central spot for their library. So rather than styling and restyling shelves that are being used every single day, we decided to put up curtains and partially conceal the very lived-in shelves.

Built-in white bookcase on an open upstairs landing, filled with colorful books, vases and a red jar, with a slatted wood bench and brass floor lamp in front and a vintage guitar hanging on the wall to the left — The Curtain Trick That Doesn't Need a Window 7

It’s the same principle we used for our pantry doors. Rather than style and decant everything in there, we hung curtains! It feels tidy and elevated.

Picking the color

I tried a couple of options and ended up with two finalists for the curtain color: a velvet slate blue (a color I’ve used a few times now) and a mushroom taupe. I leaned toward the taupe almost immediately, and that’s what won. It’s warm without being beige, it goes soft against the white trim, and it lets the books be the color in the room instead of competing with them.

Hanging the rod

Chris mounted the curtain rod on the top of the bookcase, a couple of inches below the trim. A good rule for hanging curtains is that they should be high and wide. In this case, we measured so they would just “kiss” the floor. (If you’re into pooling curtains, order some that are a little longer.) Then we added two panels on each side. You want the volume — that’s what sells it. Also the curtain rod curves around the sides so the curtains go flush against the wall. No gap between the curtain rod and the wall!

Upstairs landing with a built-in bookcase framed by floor-length mushroom taupe velvet curtains, tied back with tassels, beside a slatted wood bench and an arched opening to the stairs — The Curtain Trick That Doesn't Need a Window 8

Getting the drape right

Don’t underestimate how pleating can make or break a curtain. We centered the panels first so they hung flush against the wall, then pulled them all the way to the middle so both sides met evenly. Then came a little peekaboo, curtains drawn back just enough to show what’s behind them.

The Curtain Trick That Doesn’t Need a Window — The Curtain Trick That Doesn't Need a Window 9

Chris put a screw into the side of the bookcase frame on each side, and we hung the tassel tiebacks from those. Then we spent a while finessing, making sure the panels just touched at the top and that the pleats fell evenly all the way down to the tie.

The landing is still open and bright (nothing about the light changed), but the bookcase reads like a styled space that’s more restful than busy.