I was lucky enough to pick up and move back into my parents’ home in early March. Leaving behind an apartment decorated with the minimalist taste of a 20-something, I suddenly found myself back in my rather girly childhood bedroom that hasn’t changed a lick since I turned 18. Luckily, I did have the foresight at that age to rip down all the fashion magazine spreads that lined the walls.
But still, I was trapped in a Shabby Chic lavender-hued palace—twin bedding from the aforementioned brand and all. A few months into quarantine I had enough of reliving my childhood and was determined to update my semi-permanent residence. I got rid of the excess pale wood furniture and upgraded the twin bed to a full, including a simple set of white Brooklinen sheets. All of these were relatively quick and easy refreshes that did quite a bit for the space (and I have to say, Facebook Marketplace is the place to go for quickly offloading excess furniture) without having to paint or rip up the floral carpet.
But then, there were still my curtains: floor-to-ceiling lavender velvet (a brag-worthy score from PB Teen at the time) that I honestly thought looked fine but not impressive by any means. However, they didn’t fit with my dream image of the space and they were actually a bit too good at blocking out the morning light—something I need to actually get out of bed when my alarm goes off.
So I got my hands on Parachute’s Washed Linen curtains ($196), the brand’s first foray into window treatments. (And, fun fact, they were inspired to create these after learning their customers were fashioning their own out of Parachute sheets, duvets, you name it.) And as you can see from the before-and-after above, the addition of these new curtains instantly brightened up the room. Not only that, they modernized the entire space and made the floral print carpet seem slightly less childlike.
Once I took the curtains out of the packaging, it took just a few minutes to slide them onto my existing curtain rod. After a quick run through with my handheld steamer (after they were hung, of course) my room upgrade was fully complete. Total, it took about seven minutes for that install—and required no additional tools, aside from a stepstool.
Though the brand recommends just one 50’ x 84’ curtain for the 48-inch width of my double windows, I decided to go with two of the medium-weight curtains so the wall looks more even when I pull the drapes apart. Not to mention, it creates more of a balanced look, especially for a bedroom like mine where the window isn’t dead center on the wall. And if you’d prefer to hang your curtains on hooks, there’s a reinforced strip of fabric to handle that.
Clearly, the most obvious upgrade that the new curtains provide is far more natural sunlight. I’m sorry, but there’s no lighting fixture in the world that quite compares to the sun’s rays that have been softly diffused through a layer of washed linen (FYI, these do have an interior cotton lining). I also have blinds layered underneath these Parachute shades, which I find helps block the sunlight even better in the early morning. Unlike their unsightly velvet predecessor, Parachute’s curtains actually encourage me to jump out of bed—even on a workday—and I have that natural light to thank for that.
Parachute is currently sold out of the curtains in my exact dimensions and color, but the white in the 50’ x 96’ option is in stock as well as the chambray gray in both colorways. But regardless of what color you choose, just know that these curtains are the easiest way to give your bedroom (or living room!) a facelift—without causing you to break into a sweat.
