I can still remember the pink curtains that hung in my dorm room. You know the feeling—you’re off to college and have a new space to decorate as your own. Just me? Ok, maybe I should have stuck it out in interior design school. But I didn’t, and here we are.

Curtains. Let’s talk about them. Have you ever walked into a room and you’re immediately drawn to the curtains? Maybe they’re lavender and white damask print that someone sewed out of a sheet set to hang in their early 20s apartment—also me. Did I find them recently in a basket full of random fabric? Also, yes.

Lavender and white curtains from my early 20s apartment.

But, maybe the color, texture, length, and position are so perfect that they look like they came out of a magazine-styled home. Believe it or not, there are a few rules you can follow to help you get that designer look. Simple tweaks can completely transform your room.

Let’s get down to the basics—who knows how to hang a curtain rod correctly? If you answered yes, you may be the exception because most people actually have no idea how to hang a curtain rod. Think of this as the basis of all your problems. Ha! Here are a few tips to help make sure your curtain rods don’t look like you hung them with the archaic tools you received in a toolset for high school graduation.

Start by choosing a curtain rod that is wide enough to not only cover the width of your window but also extend 3 to 6 inches past the window frame on each side. This extension will allow you to gain more sunlight through your window and give the illusion that your room is bigger than it really is.

Next step—hang the rod about 10 to 12 inches above the top of the window. For an even more dramatic effect, hang the rod a few inches from the ceiling. Again, we’re magicians here and creating illusions. This one makes the ceilings feel taller.

What about curtain rod color? Most come in metallic finishes, so consider it as one of the metals in your room (along with light fixtures, door hardware, etc.). If you need a few tips on mixing metals, check out “How to Mix Metals.”

Now we’re finally ready to talk about the actual curtains. If you remember anything, please remember that one size DOES NOT fit all. Do not buy curtains that are “just right” for your window, either. Meaning…they only cover the window. Leave that trend in our ‘00s door rooms, and let’s move on.

Purchase panels that are long enough to go from the curtain rod all the way to the floor—either brushing the floor or “pooling” slightly on the floor. You’re most likely going to be looking for 96, 108, or even 120-inch-long panels. Don’t even bat an eye at the 84-inch panels—they’ll be too short. The panels should frame the window, not cover it.

If you want to take it a step further, you can layer your window treatments. Typically, this is an addition of blinds or shades made to fit the window and installed inside the casing. If you are layering, keep one heavier than the other. What does that mean? If you choose bamboo blinds, which are typically visually heavy and dense, opt for a more sheer or lighter window panel to compliment them.

But what if you don’t want to layer or have traditional curtain panels? Great! In our house, we have millwork around our doors and windows. I didn’t want to cover it up with curtain panels, so we only have bamboo blinds.

Let’s high-five that 20-something girl that got us to where we are today. Hanging lavender curtains with yellow accent pillows, so we don’t have to.