So, you have finally settled into your bare apartment that is littered with unopened boxes. “What next?,” you ask. Or you may have lived there for some time now but certain things are starting to get to you. The fact that your neighbour can peer directly into your living room, for instance. Or the squealing and screaming that comes from a nearby playground.

Living in apartments can be tricky because it means that you are sharing the grounds with a lot of other people. And the way some apartments are designed — placement of windows, balconies, walkways, etc. —  can make it hard for you to maintain your privacy while ensuring that spaces are generously lit during the day. Additionally, there is also a need to ensure proper air circulation, particularly if you cook in the apartment.

To solve problems that are related to privacy, lighting, and air circulation, your choice of curtains will help a fair bit. Additionally, curtains can also serve to keep the heat out and minimise the sounds that come from outdoors. The latter is a priority if you live near a busy road or highway —  the sounds of traffic can be particularly bothersome if you or any members of your family are light sleepers.

Most curtains will generally help with the issues that have been mentioned above. For now, however, we will delve into the eyelet curtain, which is the choice of many modern homeowners for its clean, simple look and relatively easy maintenance.

It goes without saying that one of the best things about living in a bungalow is the luxury of space. High ceilings, large windows, a garden of your own, patios, open spaces — it feels pleasing just to think about the possibilities of decorating those spaces and making it your own.

The windows and glass doors, in particular, present us with so many opportunities. Blinds, curtains, shutters, or drapes? There are simply so many options to choose from! Of course, if you are working with an interior decorator, he or she would be able to whittle down those options for you. But you will have to choose eventually and this guide will lay out some of the key considerations to help you decide.

In particular, we will be focusing on eyelet curtains and the rooms or areas where this curtain style will absolutely shine. Apart from that, we will also discuss the importance of choosing the right fabric, colours, and designs to accentuate space as well as lighting. So, let’s dive right into it.

If you have any doubt about how important the bedroom is, let this fact sink in: According to a study involving 2,000 Americans, it turns out that we spend nearly half our lives laying in bed. That’s approximately 11 hours a day or, collectively, 36 years over our lifetime. Now, you may argue that Malaysians have different sleeping habits and that may be true. But even if it is just reduced to sleeping time alone, that is still probably an average of 8 hours a day.

Lighting is one of the most crucial elements in a home — and more so in the bedroom. This means that elements that control lighting quality (type of lights, window size, curtains) are particularly important in the bedroom. The ability to control lighting will likely determine your comfort level for all sorts of activities that take place in the bedroom. For example, if you are someone who likes to read at night, a bedside lamp or wall-mounted reading light will allow you to read comfortably without causing much disturbance for your partner.

To most of us, curtains are simply something — a piece of fabric, maybe — that we use to cover or adorn our windows. When we shop for curtains, we probably look at colours, prints, and general design before anything else. And that is okay because we have to like how it looks; curtains are usually long-term investments and we do not want to be stuck with a colour or design that we do not really fancy.

However, there are some homeowners amongst us who are connoisseurs. They want a certain look for their home and would prefer if everything is unified under a general interior scheme. For instance, some people may prefer the natural, quirky, and free-flowing vibe of a hipster decor. So, they may select curtains in neutral colours or blinds made of recyclable bamboo, for example.

I will let you in on a secret -- one of the things that interior decorators, architects, or other designers often do is shop. Or rather, window shop, since we mostly do not end up buying anything but add yet another catalogue (or catalogues) to an already excessive collection. These will take up precious space but it will be something that we are ready to forgo because you really need to, first, be aware of what is in the market and, secondly, have a large number of materials to work with.

To the layperson, a sheer fabric is just that -- a sheer fabric. But as designers, we look at how dense the weave is. Is this too sheer? And, hence, does it let in too much light? Does the fabric feature any kind of grain and will it go with the decor? What material is it made of and will it be easy to care for and will it drape nicely after a year or so? Is this fabric suited for layers or will it look better on its own?