I'm just back from a readers' day hosted by Homes & Gardens and Sanderson at Bowood in Wiltshire. Aside from a tour of this exquisite 18th-century stately home and its gardens, there was just one item on the day's agenda - curtains. As well as talks by Sanderson experts, there was also a inspirational lecture by curtain expert, Rebecca Day. Judging by the subsequent e-mails we've had, I suspect that we could have devoted a whole week to the subject.

The enthusiastic response was similar to the reaction we had to the Curtain and Blind Bible that we produced in collaboration with Sanderson last October, which led to a gratifying 17 per cent increase in sales. So what is it about curtains that appears to hit such a nerve with Homes & Gardens readers? The answer, I suspect, lies in a combination of the infinite number of choices that curtains present - and the striking impact that they have on a room.

Once you get involved in the intricacies of curtain headings, tracks and fabrics, you realise that the possibilities are endless. If you missed the reader event, don't worry, as there is information on the courses organised by Rebecca Day's company Merrick & Day at www.merrick-day.com. And the chances are we might stage a similar readers' day next year.