While the idea of custom curtains may seem like a service catered exclusively to those with an Open Door–level budget, we can tell you firsthand that they’re more accessible than meets the eye. Though easily overlooked, the right window treatment (one that’s made to measure to fit oddly angled window casings or a niche type of blinds) can bring your interior design scheme full circle, shading a room from prying eyes, softly diffusing light, or even obscuring faults in the construction of your home. Besides their practicality, this particular design feature is a great opportunity to hone in on a color palette, lean into texture, or even experiment with natural light levels to see how it enhances the ambiance and general character of a room.
You may be asking yourself, What do custom curtain services provide that a speedy Home Depot visit or Wayfair haul won’t? We asked ourselves the same question—and tested a handful of premium custom curtain services to get the low-down on what to expect from the process. Below, three AD editors weigh in on the process, cost, and quality of using popular services like The Shade Store and Everhem. Use their findings to draw your own conclusions on which kinds of custom drapes (and retailers) are right for your home.
The Shade Store Waterfall Wood Shades
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The experience: The Shade Store specializes in end-to-end service and customization to outfit your windows with perfectly fitted fixtures. Upon entry to the brand’s website, visitors are offered a free professional measurement, swatches, and even a consultation. The selection ranges from shades and blinds to drapes, where unexpected materials like metal and wood are standouts among more ubiquitous linen options. AD PRO associate director Lila Allen’s priority was finding a chic set of curtains for her new living room, landing on an outside mount waterfall shade paired with tidy-looking teak blinds that still preserved some millwork she wanted to keep exposed.
“I love them! I’m happy we were able to come up with a solution that worked for my difficult windows—and the shades are a perfect fit,” says Allen. Stress-free installation is another perk of the service with technicians available to handle assembly and mounting. “The entire process took less than half an hour, and, in white-glove fashion, he also took all of the packaging with him.”
What it costs: Prices can range considerably, depending on the size of the window, material, and style of shade. “Mine were $850 per window, based on the pricing tier and measurements (tier A, and a size of 33 3/8" x 59 5/8"). That amounts to $3,400 for the four windows in the room.”
Time frame: In total, the order-to-installation turnaround takes around a month.
Everhem Roman Shades
The experience: Everhem was the perfect service to satisfy commerce director Rachel Fletcher’s need for roman shades that complemented her bedroom’s existing drapes. The brand offers consultations at their Sherman Oaks location or virtual consultations for anyone who needs a little extra design guidance, including measurement assistance (something Fletcher highly recommends).
“I ended up going with a more classic sheer linen in the shade of bone because I decided ultimately that, while I love gingham, a personality packed pattern might be better suited for a duvet cover or something that could be easily swapped out.” After a (mostly) painless installation process, Fletcher was particularly impressed by the look and high quality of her blinds. “I’ve had them for months now and have seen them perform through several season changes and they continue to look and work beautifully,” she says, adding that her new shades have helped her achieve a sense of privacy and shield the room from bright direct light without totally shutting it out.
What it costs: The cost of two custom-sized Roman Shades with no hardware came to $1,500. That said, the brand has a calculator function built into the order process so you can get a fairly good read on what your costs would be with just a few clicks once you select the desired size, fabric, pleat and lining. According to the brand, pricing breaks down per window like so:
- Drapery: starting from $815
- Shades: starting from $465
- Cafe Curtains: starting from $330
Time frame: For swatches, items will ship within three business days. For drapery, café curtains, shades, or hardware current ship time estimates are within six to eight weeks.
The Hues Cronin Curtains
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The experience: Commerce editor Audrey Lee knew she wanted some type of blackout curtains for her space to emulate hotel living year-round. Enter: The Hues (formerly known as Nicetown), a retailer that offers an extensive selection of window treatments by style, material, and function. Besides blackout curtains, the brand also offers soundproof, room darkening, light filtering, and thermal options. The brand’s Cronin curtain in particular is a blackout eyelet linen curtain that Lee chose for its additional soundproofing and thermal benefits, which were the perfect solution to her previously sheer curtains.
While the drapes are custom made, everything is done online so you can browse the website and choose a fabric color, grommets, header and lining type, and size. You can also either choose from pre-set standard sizes or enter custom measurements for a bespoke treatment. “These curtains are amazing for keeping the sun out,” says Lee. “The first few weeks I had them, it felt bizarre to be woken up by my alarm in such darkness—however, soundproof they are not.” She notes that while they slightly muffle some of the outside train noise, there isn’t much to be done about traffic and other ambient sounds besides pop in some additional ear plugs.
What it costs: For the pre-sized Cronin Curtains, prices range from $290 (52" x 84")—$876 (100" x 108"). Swatches are available for $6 per kit should you want to preview the materials beforehand.
Time frame: Orders placed before March 1 currently have an ETA of 15 to 22 days.
Twopages Sara Le Cordless Roman Shade
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The experience: Allen was impressed at the quick ship time for her Sara Le–designed cordless Roman shades from Twopages, another self-service platform that requires shoppers to take their own measurements (don’t fret—the site makes helpful recommendations on how to measure windows for a precise fit). “I had planned to hang the shades above my windows to make them feel taller, but those plans were foiled by an impenetrable metal backing in my wall,” Allen says. She ended up just mounting them to her window frame instead, which ended up being a happy compromise.
The job required a few tools, namely a drill and a screwdriver, though Allen did call out some difficulties along the way: “The instructions were small and difficult to read, so I turned to an online video. It moves quickly and doesn’t have written directions or narration, both of which would have been helpful—but thanks to some emailed advice from the Twopages team, we got there.”
What it costs: Hard to beat the price for a custom shade, these came out to around $178 per window, including shipping to Allen’s home in upstate New York.
Time frame: The shades arrived at my house quickly—lead time is just over two weeks, which is zippy for custom drapery.
How We Tested
Consider us your personal curtain connoisseurs, here to guide towards the right fixtures for your living spaces. Some of the questions we asked our testers were about their selection process (did they get swatches? Go to a storefront?) and how they narrowed down their options to find the perfect curtains. We also made sure that we tested a variety of curtain styles—from the roman shades Rachel tested to Audrey’s blackout drapes—and asked editors why these particular styles worked in the designated spaces they chose for installation. Testers then detailed the entire process for us—from initial digital browsing to actual installation—and we highlighted standout information shoppers should be aware of, including notes about set up, how the curtains have held up, as well as costs and timeline for each of the services.
