Jake Arnold Says the ‘Curtain Effect’ Is One of the Most Transformative Design Moves You Can Make – And His New Everhem Collaboration Proves It
The interior designer brings his A-list eye to window treatments, launching a new range of drapes and shades that prove just how powerful good proportions can be
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Cucina
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There’s been a surge of enviable room transformations circulating on social media touting the ‘curtain effect’ – a deceptively simple technique that delivers an outsized return on drama, depth, and polish from a well-dressed window (or even a bare wall). Anyone can do it. Designers, however, do it best – which is why Jake Arnold decided to take his A-list window treatment wisdom public, partnering with Everhem to make this surprisingly powerful design move more available to the rest of us.
The new Jake Arnold x Everhem collection spans nearly every window treatment scenario imaginable. From full drapery and Roman shades to café curtains and newly introduced fixed panels. Standouts include the sculptural London Shade, the relaxed Jake Pleat Drapery, and the Sudare Woven Wood Shade, which takes cues from traditional Japanese weaving.
When it comes to drapes, ‘scale is everything,’ notes Jake. ‘Go wider than you think and longer than you think. Curtains should often kiss the floor or break slightly. Fullness is what creates that luxurious drape, so I typically recommend generous panel widths. When proportion is right, the drama feels elegant rather than overwhelming.’ Essentially, it’s the curtain effect, perfected.
‘I’ve always believed in the “curtain effect,” long before it had a name,’ Jake confesses. ‘Full, well-proportioned drapery can completely change how a room reads. It softens edges, improves acoustics, and makes a space feel layered and intentional’ – qualities, he says, that stem from scale and fullness.
Both are a little elusive, but with Everhem’s famed customization optionality, it's easy to execute this ceiling-skimming, floor-kissing look Jake describes. 'When curtains span wider than the window and are hung high, they become part of the architecture rather than an accessory,’ he continues. ‘This collection absolutely supports that look,’ pointing to the importance of fabric and texture. ‘The fabrics and pleats are designed to drape beautifully when done generously, which is what creates that enveloping feeling.’
Designed to let the light in without giving everything away, brand-new linen fixed panels from Jake's Everhem collaboration give windows the full A-list treatment.
This collection's overall energy, Jake says, is ‘calm and grounded,’ noting that ‘nothing feels loud or overly decorative. The intention was to create pieces that bring serenity to a space.' Curtains, after all, are not just window treatments – they’re how a room sets the stage. 'Curtains are one of the most transformative yet understated elements in a room,' Jake muses.
Curtains ‘bring softness, movement, and a sense of finish that’s hard to achieve any other way,’ says Jake. ‘I’ve always approached interiors holistically, and window treatments are a big part of how a space ultimately feels.’ Here, they’re no longer an afterthought – they’re the main character.
Shop the Collection
Come for the drama. Stay for the serenity. Ahead, shop H&G's favorite treatments from the collection.
With eleven fabric options – from whisper-light sheers and Manor Linen to a predominantly viscose herringbone – these petitely-pleated drapes can be as breezy or tailored as you like. We’re partial to Manor Linen in Citrine for its soft, warming glow.
On a more organic note, these woven wood shades, inspired by traditional Japanese sudare, layer in texture while gently filtering the world outside. Ideal wherever you want to calm the mood. Choose from three trim options, including Willow (earthy green), Medallion (blue-gray diamond), or Lotus (navy and citrine floral).
We simply cannot get enough of the new fixed panels – this unassuming little layer offers all of the privacy you need, plus a lot of romance. The Windsor Diamond in Parchment feels like an particularly fated match, lending a quiet character with all-over crisscross motifs.
The full drapery fabric lineup applies to café curtains, too, so let the kitchen have its moment. We’re love the Parlor Stripe Sheer for its barely-there, almost angelic lightness (thanks to a 95% linen, 5% viscose blend), but 'tis the beauty of Everhem's customization: you can tailor the opacity to suit your cookspace.
If you’re familiar with Everhem, you already know the clean-lined Flat Roman Shade is its calling card – making it the ideal playground for Jake’s new material palette. The Herringbone (a 62% viscose, 24% cotton, 14% linen blend) has a nuanced hand, and even more so in this tonal blue-gray colorway, adding depth without reading overly austere.
Linen is the ideal accessory for little windows and doors. Its light-filtering quality softens what’s outside without blocking it entirely, stretching our sense of scale. We opted (again) for the saturated golden linen to warm the daylight slightly – nothing extreme, but certainly enough to shift the atmosphere.
We don’t typically think of window treatments as a kitchen idea essential, but according to this collection, they absolutely are. ‘A chic café curtain is simple and tailored,’ says Jake, noting that ‘lightweight linens or cottons with natural texture feel timeless, while anything too heavy can skew dated.’
‘Placement matters as well,’ he continues. ‘They should align with window mullions or tile lines, never feel arbitrary. And fullness matters – too skimpy feels unfinished, too gathered feels fussy. Balance is what keeps them current,’ not ‘grandma' – as they are so often (and unfairly) labeled.
Follow these rules, and you’ll unlock a softer, sweeter culinary space – plus it's a lesser-known, no-reno trick that designers swear makes small kitchens feel bigger.
