Vertical blinds… We all had them or at least wanted them in our house. In the ’80s and ’90s, they were the thing. Especially over sliding glass doors. They slid, they swayed, they made that plastic clicking sound. It was a moment.
But it’s not that moment anymore.
Nate Berkus — yep, the HGTV guy — has a better idea. In a piece with The Washington Post, he basically said: ditch the vertical blinds and go for real curtains.
Todays trends call to tall, soft linen curtains, hung way up near the ceiling, floating down to just above the floor. Suddenly your sliding glass door doesn’t look dated, it looks elevated. Nate even said it himself on Instagram: “When you walk into a space, you want your eye to go up. You don’t want your eye to be cut off,”.” That one change? Game-changer.
Why vertical blinds aren’t It anymore
They’re loud. They’re stiff. They break. They don’t do your room any favors. But also they’re plastic, and we are now in a more “natural vibe” era.. leaning towards translucent natural fabric that invites the day light in and move along with the breeze.
Vertical blinds were fine back then for a reason, but they don’t fit into today’s vibe anymore and it’s time to say “thank you” and let them go.
That’s where curtains come in. They frame the window, they help with interior lighting, and they just feel… better. Linen especially (linen curtains) hits that perfect spot between cozy and breezy. No effort required.
If you’re rethinking your interior design, start here. You’d be surprised what a fabric swap can do.
What Nate actually recommends (and it’s not complicated)
Here’s how to do it like Nate does it:
- Get a simple rod (nothing chunky)
- Mount it high, like, almost at the ceiling
- Hang full-length curtains on each side of your sliding door
- If your wall’s tight, stack everything to one side
- Done
“I’m not a fan of draperies that are mounted right above the window frame. They should all come from the top of the wall or at least the highest point.” Berkus told the Washington Post.
He loves ripple folds or reverse fold, they fall in clean, soft waves. No weird bunching, no stiff pleats. And make sure your curtains just skim the floor. Not dragging, not floating awkwardly mid-calf. Just right.
And if you are on a budged, you can totally DIY the rod. It doesn’t have to be fancy to look custom.
If you’re looking to brighter your room, curtains can help
Curtains can completely change a room.
If you’ve got dark walls or a room that doesn’t get so much of light, you can try floor-to-ceiling curtains in ivory, off-white, chalk… something soft. In one of his Instagram posts, Nate showed how light linen curtains made a dark space feel open. Not because the walls changed, just because the fabric balanced them out.
“What you notice isn’t the darkness of the room any longer. You notice the contrast,” he says. It’s that contrast that makes everything feel brighter since the curtain actually take now space out of that room. And it’s probably the easiest design win you’ll ever pull off.
What’s even more exciting, is that it also works the other way around: If your room is too bright (white walls and big windows letting natural light in) the curtains will filter the excess of light, making the space look not smaller, but a bit more private and adding the perfect cosy vibe
So yeah. If you’ve still got those plastic blinds hanging? No judgment — but also, it’s time. Curtains are calling.