I’ll Never Pay for Custom Curtains Again – This $43 Amazon Pair Looks Just as Expensive
I want these Amazon curtains in every room of my house
After more than a decade writing about interior design, one thing has been drilled into my brain above all else: good drapery matters. When window treatments are done right, they can completely transform a room.
The catch? Good drapery tends to be custom, and costs can easily climb into the hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars per window.
So when I decided I wanted pinch pleat cafe curtains for my breakfast nook, I went in fully prepared to spend the money on a custom option. I had previously gone the budget-friendly route and purchased inexpensive rod-pocket cafe curtains, which I’d hung with clip-on curtain rings, and it just wasn’t doing anything for the space. I was set on the tailored, elegant look of pinch pleat curtains, which are almost always custom.
I'd already measured, ordered fabric swatches, and was narrowing down my choices when I came across a curtain brand gaining traction on Amazon for its custom-looking, quick-ship pinch pleat curtains at a fraction of the price of actual custom drapery.
I bought them immediately.
The cost for the Amazon curtains was just $43 for two panels (they come in a bunch of lengths and widths, so costs can vary if you go for a full-length curtain), and they were wide enough that I’d only need one panel for each window. Plus, they came with drapery hooks and a set of curtain rings. I was skeptical, and fully prepared to return them, but for under $50, I had to at least see if they lived up to the hype before committing to custom curtains, which would be three times as expensive.
When the curtains arrived, I pulled them out of the box and immediately knew they were a keeper. The fabric was substantial, the pinch pleats were crisp, and they looked remarkably similar to the custom pinch pleat curtains in my bedroom. On first impression, they very much exceeded my expectations for $43.
Once I decided I was going to hang them, I started inserting the included drapery hooks, which required some finessing at first until I got the hang of it. I did end up purchasing a different set of curtain rings to hang them with, because the set came with black rings and I wanted brass to match my curtain rod. (The rings were just $11 for 40, so my all-in cost for my new cafe curtains was $54). And then, I slid each curtain onto the rod.
Honestly, they look great. A huge improvement over my old rod-pocket style, and they have that tailored, substantial look I was after.
As I mentioned, the fabric is pretty thick. Not blackout-curtain-thick, but they’re double-lined and heavier than a light filtering option. The Amazon listing says “linen” in the title, but it’s actually a blend of cotton, linen, and polyester. Looks-wise, it’s hard to tell that it’s not real linen unless you feel it, and it has a bit more of a sheen than a 100 percent linen curtain would.
Another plus? The curtains come in 17 color options, from neutrals (I went with ‘beige white’, which is a warm ivory/off-white color) to various shades of blue, green, and pink solids. Not every color is available in every length, but there is plenty of variety.
What was honestly the most impressive part of this drapery, aside from the price, is that there are so many sizes and color options, and they all ship in a few days. Typically, if you’re looking for a non-standard drapery size, like a 40” x 30” cafe curtain or a 70” x 102” pinch pleat drapery panel, it would be a custom order that could take weeks to come in. These drapes come in all sorts of options, and most arrive in under 48 hours.
As a custom curtain devotee, it’s safe to say that I didn't expect much from an Amazon curtain. And I was wrong.
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