Best Curtains for a Living Room: How to Choose | Ona

Updated October 2026 · By the Ona team · about 18 min read

Living rooms are the hardest room to buy curtains for. A bedroom has one job: get dark. A living room has four at once. You want daylight, but not glare on the TV. You want privacy at night, but not a boxed-in room by day. You want the window to look finished. And the window itself is usually the biggest in the house.

So this guide does not rank curtains. It matches room problems to specifications, gives you the width and length math with worked examples, and then shows exactly what Ona sells against each one.

In this guide

• Pick by what your room needs
• The six things that decide it
• Why living rooms are not bedrooms
• Fabric and build: what each one does
• Width: the 2× rule and the panel-count formula
• Worked examples: 36″ to 100″ windows and a slider
• Length: what to measure and which size to order
• Blackout, room-darkening or neither?
• Large windows and sliding doors
• Color and texture
• Choose in ten minutes: the step-by-step
• Ona's four living room styles side by side
• Questions, answered

Pick by what your room needs

Find your main problem in the left column. The middle column is what to buy. The right column is what Ona sells that matches it. Nothing here is a ranking.

Your main problem	What to look for	Ona styles that match
Glare on the TV or a bright screen	A lined panel with an opaque backing, hung so it covers past the window on both sides; close it only when you're watching	Linen Texture Blackout Grommet Pair, Wide Grommet Panel, Back-Tab Blackout Pair — all three use 100% blackout fabric
Afternoon sun bakes the room	A lined panel you can close through the hottest hours, hung high and wide so it covers past the glass	The three lined styles above, in any color — the face color does not change how much light the fabric blocks
Neighbors look straight in at night	A dense weave, lined, wide enough to close fully with an overlap in the middle	Any of the four, sized for a full close (see the width math)
You want daylight all day and privacy only at night	A curtain you open fully by day, so buy enough width that the open stack sits off the glass	2 pairs rather than 1 on a wide window; or 2 wide panels
A cold or drafty window	Lined, hung high above the frame, extended past both sides, hem at the floor	All four are listed as thermal insulating, with no insulation rating. The three lined styles are the denser build
A very wide window (80″+) or a picture window	Extra flat width per panel, or more panels; a rod you can support in the middle	Wide Grommet Panel at 70″ flat per panel, used in multiples
A sliding glass door or patio door	Length to clear the door head, width to stack clear of the opening, and a heading that glides	Grommet styles glide most freely. See large windows and sliding doors
A 9′ or 10′ ceiling and you want floor-to-ceiling drama	A long length, measured from the planned rod height, not from the window	Back-Tab Pair to 120″; grommet pair, wide panel and velvet to 108″
Deep color and softer, not blocked, light	Room-darkening rather than blackout; accept that some light comes through	Velvet Room-Darkening Grommet Pair — unlined, not full blackout
You open and close them every single day	A heading that slides easily on a visible rod	Grommet styles (grommet pair, wide panel, velvet)
You want the rod hidden and a tailored top	Back tabs, or a rod pocket	Back-Tab Blackout Pair does both: hidden tabs for a clean front, or thread the rod pocket

The six things that decide it

In rough order of how much each one changes the result:

1. Width. The single biggest mistake. One narrow panel per side on a wide window gives a flat, stretched curtain that can't close. Width is covered below.
2. Length. Second biggest. Curtains that stop above the floor make a ceiling look lower. See length.
3. Where the rod goes. Higher and wider than the window makes the window look bigger and blocks more light at the edges.
4. Lining. A lined panel hangs straighter, blocks more light and gives the window a heavier, more finished line. An unlined panel moves more and glows when the sun is behind it.
5. Heading. Grommets glide, which matters if you open them daily. Back tabs and rod pockets hide the rod for a more tailored top and slide less freely.
6. Color and texture. It matters for the look, and almost not at all for performance. Light-blocking comes from the backing or weave, not the face color.

Key facts for Ona's curtains - Listed sizes are flat dimensions per panel. Folds take up some of that width. - A pair is 2 panels. The wide panel is 1 panel. - Start with 2× your rod width in total flat fabric (Ona's calculator lets you select 1×–3×). - Measure the rod width without the finials. - Measure length from the fabric top to the hem. - Ona sells solid colors only, in no custom sizes, and no hardware — no rods, rings or hooks.

Why living rooms are not bedrooms

Most "best curtains" advice is really bedroom advice. Three things are genuinely different in a living room:

• You use the room while it's light. A bedroom curtain is judged closed. A living room curtain is judged open, most of the day. That makes the open stack, and how much glass it covers, a real decision rather than an afterthought.
• The window is bigger. Bedroom windows are often one 36–54″ unit. Living rooms get picture windows, two or three ganged units, bays and sliders. Panel count matters more than fabric choice.
• Darkness is not the goal. You rarely need the room black. You need glare control, evening privacy and a window that looks intentional. That is why a "100% blackout" label is useful here but is not the point, and why a room-darkening curtain can be the better choice.

Fabric and build: what each one does

Build	How it looks	Light	Privacy	Opens and closes	Living room fit
Textured, linen-look face with a blackout backing (lined)	Matte, slightly slubby, hangs straight	100% blackout fabric; light still enters at the top, sides and center	High, closed	Freely on grommets; less freely on back tabs	The default for most living rooms: neutral, blocks glare, looks tailored
Velvet (unlined)	Deep, soft, light-catching pile	Room-darkening, not full blackout; some light comes through	High, closed	Freely on grommets	For color and a heavier, cosier room where you don't need true blackout
Sheer or voile	Floaty, translucent	Diffuses light only	Daytime only	Freely	Layering fabric. Ona does not sell a sheer
Unlined cotton or poly, mid-weight	Casual, moves easily	Filters; glows backlit	Partial	Freely	Fine for a bright room with no glare or privacy problem

A note on words. "Linen texture" and "linen-look" describe how the fabric looks, not what it's made of. "Linen" is also one of Ona's color names. And "blackout" describes the fabric, not your room: a blackout panel still lets light in around the top, sides, center gap and hem.

Width: the 2× rule and the panel-count formula

Buy width by the rod, not the window.

Step 1 — rod width. Extend the rod past the window trim on both sides. For a living room, 8–12″ per side is a good range: it lets the curtains clear the glass when open, and cover trim and some wall when closed.

`` rod width = window trim width + (extension × 2) ``

Step 2 — total flat fabric. Fullness is the ratio of flat fabric to rod width. 2× is Ona's starting point.

`` total flat fabric = rod width × fullness ``

Fullness	Look	Use it when
1.5×	Light folds; closes with little overlap	Panels are decorative and stay open
2×	Even, full folds; closes with an overlap	The default for a living room
2.5–3×	Deep, dense folds; a large open stack	A formal room, or a thin fabric that needs body

Step 3 — panel count. Divide by the flat width of one panel, then round up. Round up to an even number if you want the curtains to open from the center.

`` panels = ⌈(rod width × fullness) ÷ flat width of one panel⌉ ``

Ona's flat widths are 42″, 52″ and 70″ per panel. Remember a pair is 2 panels.

Worked examples: 36″ to 100″ windows and a slider

Each row is the same arithmetic. Fullness is total flat fabric ÷ rod width.

A 36″ window

Rod = 36 + 8 + 8 = 52″. At 2×: 52 × 2 = 104″ of flat fabric.

Option	Panels	Total flat	Fullness	Verdict
1 pair, 52″ panels	2	104″	2.0×	Exactly 2×. The clean answer
1 pair, 42″ panels	2	84″	1.6×	Lighter folds; closes with almost no overlap

A 54″ window

Rod = 54 + 8 + 8 = 70″. At 2×: 140″.

Option	Panels	Total flat	Fullness	Verdict
1 pair, 52″ panels	2	104″	1.5×	Decorative; thin when closed
2 wide panels, 70″	2	140″	2.0×	Exactly 2× with only two panels
2 pairs, 42″ panels	4	168″	2.4×	Fuller, and a bigger stack when open

A 72″ window

Rod = 72 + 10 + 10 = 92″. At 2×: 184″.

Option	Panels	Total flat	Fullness	Verdict
2 wide panels, 70″	2	140″	1.5×	Stretched; won't close with an overlap
2 pairs, 52″ panels	4	208″	2.3×	Full, closes with a generous overlap
3 wide panels, 70″	3	210″	2.3×	Same fullness in fewer panels, but an odd count: plan a one-way draw or a 2 + 1 split

A 100″ picture window

Rod = 100 + 10 + 10 = 120″. At 2×: 240″.

Option	Panels	Total flat	Fullness	Verdict
2 pairs, 52″ panels	4	208″	1.7×	Under 2×; acceptable if they stay open
4 wide panels, 70″	4	280″	2.3×	Full, with the fewest seams across a wide span
3 pairs, 52″ panels	6	312″	2.6×	Very full; a deep stack at each end

A rod this long needs a center support bracket. Ona does not sell rods, so check the bracket spacing the rod maker specifies.

A 72″ × 80″ sliding glass door

Rod = 72 + 12 + 12 = 96″. At 2×: 192″.

Option	Panels	Total flat	Fullness	Verdict
2 pairs, 52″ panels	4	208″	2.2×	Full; stack splits to both sides, clear of the opening
3 wide panels, 70″	3	210″	2.2×	Good for a one-way draw that stacks on the non-opening side

Order every panel for one window in the same order. Colors can differ slightly between production lots.

Length: what to measure and which size to order

Measure the drop: from where the top of the fabric will sit down to the floor. Not from the top of the window.

Then choose a hem finish and order the nearest available length:

Hem finish	Where the hem lands	Order
Float	about ½″ above the floor	drop − ½″
Floor kiss	just touching	drop
Puddle	fabric pools on the floor	drop + 4″

A living room reads most finished at a kiss or a float. A puddle suits a formal room and panels you rarely move.

One catch for grommet curtains. The fabric top sits slightly above the rod, because the rod passes through grommets set down from the top edge. A back-tab or rod-pocket top does the opposite: the fabric hangs from below the rod. So at the same listed length a grommet panel's hem finishes slightly higher off the floor than a back-tab panel's, and the drop you measure for a grommet curtain starts a little above the rod. The difference is on the order of an inch or two, which matters when you are deciding between two stock lengths.

Ceiling height → rod height → length

Hanging close to the ceiling is the cheapest way to make a living room look taller. Here is the arithmetic for three common ceilings, with the rod set 4″ below the ceiling:

Ceiling	Rod height above the floor	Drop to measure	Nearest Ona lengths	What that gives you
8′ (96″)	92″	92″	90″ or 96″	90″ hangs about 2″ above the floor (a high float); 96″ pools about 4″
9′ (108″)	104″	104″	96″ or 108″	96″ is about 8″ short — too short; 108″ pools about 4″
10′ (120″)	116″	116″	120″	Pools about 4″. Nothing shorter gets near the floor, so either puddle it or drop the rod

Ona's available lengths are 63, 72, 84, 90, 96, 108 and 120″, and not every style goes to every length. Only the back-tab pair reaches 120″, so a 10′ ceiling with a ceiling-height rod points at that style. The wide panel starts at 90″, so it is a tall-window panel by design.

If the rod has to sit lower — a soffit, a beam, a window set low in the wall — redo the drop from the real rod height. Don't guess from the ceiling.

The curtain calculator runs all of this against Ona's real sizes, and the measuring guide shows where to put the tape.

Blackout, room-darkening or neither?

Three labels, and they describe the fabric, not the room you end up with.

• Blackout describes the fabric: an opaque backing, coating or weave stops light passing through the cloth. It does not mean a dark room. Light still enters at the top, the sides, the center gap and the hem.
• Room-darkening means the fabric noticeably dims daylight, but some light passes through. Unlined velvet is the classic example.
• Light-filtering or sheer diffuses light without blocking it.

Should you get blackout curtains for a living room? Usually a lined, light-blocking panel is worth it even here — not for darkness, but because the same density that stops light also kills glare, hangs straighter and gives real evening privacy. You just use it differently: open most of the day, closed for a film or after dark.

Skip blackout if the room's only job is soft daylight and you never fight glare. Then a room-darkening or mid-weight panel is the better-looking choice.

On Ona's curtains: the grommet pair, the wide panel and the back-tab pair all use 100% blackout fabric, with light still entering at the top, sides and center. The velvet pair is room-darkening, unlined, and not full blackout. All four are listed as thermal insulating, with no insulation rating. Ona has not tested any style for light or heat, so there is no measured light percentage, no R-value and no temperature or energy claim anywhere on this page.

If you want more darkness from a curtain you already own, the fix is almost always fit, not fabric: raise the rod, extend it further past both sides, overlap the panels in the center by about 4″, and get the hem to the floor.

Large windows and sliding doors

This is where living rooms differ most from the rest of the house.

Picture and ganged windows. Treat the whole run as one window. Set one rod across all of it, extend 10–12″ past each end, and buy to 2× that rod width. Four 70″ wide panels cover a 120″ rod at 2.3×; see the 100″ example. Separate rods on separate units chop the wall up and make the room look narrower.

Sliding glass doors. Three rules:

1. Mount high enough to clear the door head. A standard slider is about 80″ tall, though taller doors run to 96″. With an 80″ door, a rod 12″ above the head sits about 92″ off the floor, so the drop is about 92″ and you are ordering a 90″ or 96″ panel, not an 84″.
2. Buy enough width that the open stack clears the moving panel. If the door opens to one side, plan a one-way draw stacking on the fixed side.
3. Choose a heading that glides, because this curtain moves every time someone goes outside. Grommets on a smooth rod are the easiest.

Bay windows and corners. Ona's panels are flat rectangles and there is no custom sizing, so a bay needs either one panel per facet on separate rods or a bay rod set. Measure each facet separately.

Color and texture

Three decisions that cover nearly every living room:

• Match the wall, one shade off. Curtains within a shade or two of the wall make the window recede and the room feel larger. This is the safest choice for a small or busy living room.
• Go darker than the wall for weight. A deeper curtain frames the window and anchors a tall room. It also shows dust and sun fade more.
• Pick texture over pattern. A woven or slubby texture in one solid color reads as more considered than a print, and it dates far more slowly. Ona sells solid colors only, with no patterns.

With white walls, the two reliable directions are a warm neutral a shade off the white — Light Beige, Linen, Ivory, Greyish White — or a single deep accent such as Dark Grey, Black or a velvet Dark Green or Burgundy.

Face color does not change light blocking. That comes from the backing or the weave. So a light beige lined panel and a black lined panel in the same fabric block light the same way.

One honest caveat: every room image on Ona's site is a styling visualization, not a photograph of the product in a real room. Treat it as styling, not as proof of color, size or opacity. Screens shift color too.

Choose in ten minutes: the step-by-step

1. Name the problem. Glare, privacy, cold, a huge window, or just a bare window. Pick one primary. Use the decision table.
2. Measure the window trim width, then decide your extension — 8–12″ per side for a living room. Add them: that is your rod width.
3. Multiply the rod width by 2. That is the total flat fabric to buy.
4. Divide by a panel's flat width (42″, 52″ or 70″) and round up, to an even number if the curtains open from the center. That is your panel count.
5. Decide the rod height — about 4″ below the ceiling for the tallest look, or at least 4–6″ above the trim — then measure the drop from there to the floor.
6. Pick a hem (float, kiss or puddle) and order the nearest available length. Round to the nearest Ona length, and remember a grommet top sits slightly above the rod.
7. Choose light control: a lined, light-blocking panel for glare and privacy, or room-darkening for color and softer light.
8. Choose the heading: grommets if you open them daily, back tabs or a rod pocket for a hidden rod.
9. Choose the color — a shade off the wall, or one deep accent — and buy every panel for that window in one order.

Ona's four living room styles side by side

Specifications, not a ranking. All four are sold as pairs except the wide panel, which is a single panel. Prices are live at the time of writing and can change.

	Linen Texture Blackout Grommet Pair	Wide Grommet Panel	Back-Tab & Rod-Pocket Blackout Pair	Velvet Room-Darkening Grommet Pair
In the set	1 pair · 2 panels	1 panel	1 pair · 2 panels	1 pair · 2 panels
Flat width per panel	42″ or 52″	70″	52″	52″
Lengths	63, 72, 84, 90, 96″ (42″ wide); 63–108″ (52″ wide)	90, 96, 108″	63, 72, 84, 90, 96, 108, 120″	63–108″; not every color in every length
Heading	Metal grommets	Metal grommets	Hidden back tabs and a rod pocket	Metal grommets
Construction	Lined: textured face, blackout backing	Lined: textured face, blackout backing	Lined, with a dedicated liner per the spec	Unlined; specifications list 100% polyester
Light	100% blackout fabric; light can still enter at the top, sides and center	Same	Same	Room-darkening, not full blackout
Thermal	Listed as thermal insulating; no insulation rating	Same	Same	Same
Colors	Light Beige, Linen, Greyish White, Sage Green, Light Grey, Dark Grey, Denim Blue, Black	Same 8	Ivory, Linen, Light Beige, Sage Green, Cappuccino, Light Grey	Dark Green, Burgundy, Dark Gray, Sage Green
Price	$189–$239 per pair	$139–$159 per panel	$189–$219 per pair	$139–$149 per pair
Best suited to	Most living room windows up to about 70″	Windows 80″+ and sliders, used in multiples	A hidden rod, a tailored top, and 10′ ceilings at 120″	Color and softer light, where blackout isn't needed

What we can and can't tell you. The blackout and thermal descriptions come from the fabric specifications, as the product pages say. Ona has not tested any style, so there is no measured light figure, no insulation rating and no energy or temperature claim. What we stand behind is which styles are lined, the exact flat size and color of every panel, the live price, and the fit math above. For care, follow the sewn-in care label.

Not sure about length? Read should curtains touch the floor? For panel counts on an unusual window, see how many curtain panels do I need?

Questions, answered

What are the best curtains for a living room?

The best living room curtain is the one that fixes your room's main problem, hung at the right size. For most living rooms that is a lined, light-blocking panel in a solid neutral, bought at about twice the rod width in total flat fabric and long enough to reach the floor. If you only want softer daylight and some color, a room-darkening curtain is the better choice.

What type of curtains are best for a living room?

Lined panels on a rod wider and higher than the window. Grommet tops if you open them every day, back tabs or a rod pocket if you want the rod hidden. Extra-wide panels, or more pairs, once the window passes about 80″.

What material curtains are best for a living room?

A textured, matte, mid-to-heavy weave with a lining is the most forgiving: it hangs straight, blocks glare and suits most rooms. Velvet gives depth and color but is warmer-looking and, unlined, lets some light through. Sheers are for layering, not for privacy or glare.

Should I get blackout curtains for the living room?

Usually yes, but not for darkness. The density that blocks light also kills screen glare, hangs straighter and gives real evening privacy, and you can leave the curtains open all day. Skip blackout only if the room has no glare or privacy problem and you want soft daylight.

What length should living room curtains be?

Floor length. Measure from where the top of the fabric will sit down to the floor, then order that drop for a floor kiss, half an inch less to float, or four inches more to puddle. With a rod 4″ below an 8′ ceiling the drop is about 92″, so the nearest stock length is 90″, hanging about 2″ above the floor. Short, sill-length curtains make a living room look lower and smaller.

How wide should living room curtains be?

Buy about twice your rod width in total flat fabric. Rod width is the window trim width plus 8–12″ on each side. So a 54″ window gives a 70″ rod and about 140″ of flat fabric — two 70″ wide panels hit that exactly, and two pairs of 42″ panels (168″) go fuller at 2.4×.

How many curtain panels do I need for a living room?

Divide the total flat fabric by one panel's flat width and round up, to an even number if the curtains open from the center. The formula is panels = (rod width × 2) ÷ flat panel width. A 120″ rod needs 240″, which is four 70″ panels or three pairs of 52″ panels.

What color curtains are best for a living room?

A shade or two off the wall color makes the window recede and the room feel larger; a deeper color frames the window and anchors a tall room. Texture in a solid color dates more slowly than a pattern. Face color has no effect on light blocking, which comes from the backing or the weave.

What curtains go with white walls in a living room?

Either a warm neutral a shade off the white — beige, linen, ivory or a greyish white — or one deep accent such as dark grey, black or a velvet dark green or burgundy. Both read as deliberate; mid-tone muddy colors next to white walls rarely do.

Should living room curtains touch the floor?

Yes, in almost every case. A floor kiss or a half-inch float looks finished and makes the ceiling read higher. End at the sill only when something sits below the window, such as a radiator, a window seat or a built-in.

What are the best curtains for a living room sliding door?

Panels long enough to clear the door head, wide enough that the open stack sits clear of the moving panel, and a heading that glides. A standard 80″ slider with a rod 12″ above it gives a drop of about 92″, so a 90″ or 96″ length. For a 72″-wide door, plan a 96″ rod and about 192″ of flat fabric.

What curtains work on very large living room windows?

Treat the whole run as one window with one rod, extend 10–12″ past each end, and buy to twice that rod width. Extra-wide panels of about 70″ flat get you there in fewer panels and fewer seams. A rod past roughly 100″ needs a center support bracket.

Are grommet or back-tab curtains better for a living room?

Neither is better in general. Grommets glide most freely, so pick them if the curtains move daily or sit on a slider. Back tabs hide the rod for a more tailored top and slide less freely, so they suit panels that stay mostly open or closed.

How much should I spend on living room curtains?

Budget by window, not by panel, because a wide window needs several panels. Ona's pairs run $189–$239 and single wide panels $139–$159, so a 120″ picture window at full fullness is a four-panel purchase. Work out the panel count first, then compare.

Sources

• Ona product facts — flat sizes, colors, headings, lining, lengths and prices — from the live Ona product listings, October 2026. Blackout and thermal descriptions come from the product spec and have not been independently tested by Ona.
• Fit guidance (2× starting fullness, rod width measured without finials, measuring from the fabric top to the hem, and the float / kiss / puddle hem finishes) follows Ona's measuring guide and curtain calculator.
• Room images on Ona's site are styling visualizations, not product photographs.