How to Use Sheer Curtains to Frame a Bed in a Girl's Room

Simple and Basic

• Ceiling-mount curtain rods are easy to install and provide a convenient way to frame the bed with sheer curtain panels. The number of rods needed depends on the location and size of the bed, and the length of each individual rod. If the bed is located in a corner, you need fewer rods. Using just two rods at the head of the bed, hang a length of sheer fabric running horizontally across the ceiling from one side of the bed to the other. Allow an ample length of fabric to hang down on either side of the bed for a simple yet elegant scarf-valence design.

Follow the Path

• A ceiling-mount curtain track system is a little more complicated to install, but once it’s in place, you’ll be able to position curtains all around the bed. Use four separate panels that can be pulled apart during the day and tied at each corner of the bed. Another option is one single panel stretched behind the head of the bed and hung from a single curtain rod accompanied by additional panels hung from the track system.

Hooked on a Ceiling

• Ceiling hooks work well on slanted or vaulted ceilings when you want a canopy to hang at equal levels at both the head and foot of the bed. The ceiling will be higher at the foot of the bed when the head of the bed is against the wall. To make up the difference, hang a length of cord or ribbon from two ceiling hooks centered over each corner at the foot of the bed, so the tops of the curtain panels or canopy are at the same level. The other option is to hang a wide sheer fabric panel so it follows the contour of the ceiling, making it higher at the foot of the bed and lower at the head of the bed. Mount one end of the fabric on a wooden dowel and rest the dowel in two ceiling hooks. Install a curtain rod just under the ceiling at the head of the bed and continue to drape the fabric over that rod and down the wall behind the bed.

Unexpected Extras

• Once you’ve picked a method or a combination of methods to frame a bed in sheer fabric, add a few embellishments if desired. Try putting up a thin strand of tiny string lights attached to the edges of the fabric for a twinkling glow at night. String curtain panels made from fine strips of rayon provide a look similar to a sheer panel. Add a bit of sophistication and a softer look to bunk beds by hanging sheer curtains at the heads and feet of the beds.