Curtains are expected to do an impressive amount of work for two pieces of fabriprovide privacy, soften echoes, reduce drafts, and occasionally stop the neighbors from witnessing your 7 a.m. search for clean socks.

Better Homes & Gardens evaluated curtain retailers based on selection, materials, customer service, return policies, and website usability. Its January 26, 2026 update features nine primary retailers. To provide a useful top-10 list without misrepresenting BHG’s review, this guide retains those nine choices and adds Quince as a tenth current option for linen and blackout curtains. 

The Best Curtain Stores at a Glance

The 10 Best Places to Buy Curtains

1. IKEA: Best for Affordable, Extra-Long Curtains

IKEA is an excellent starting point for simple curtains that look polished without creating a dramatic scene on your credit-card statement. Its collection emphasizes white, beige, gray, muted colors, and Scandinavian-inspired textures. Shoppers can choose from sheer, light-filtering, room-darkening, and blackout designs, with many machine-washable options.

The retailer is particularly useful for tall rooms because several designs come in generous lengths, including 118-inch panels that can be mounted near the ceiling. The trade-off is pattern variety: shoppers seeking embroidered florals or elaborate prints may feel underwhelmed. For neutral style, useful length, and whole-home affordability, however, IKEA remains difficult to beat. 3>2. Target: Best Overall for Value and Convenience

Target offers one of the most balanced curtain collections for everyday shoppers. Its assortment includes blackout panels, sheers, linen-look curtains, nursery patterns, café curtains, hardware, and thermal designs. Private labels such as Threshold and Room Essentials cover dependable basics, while outside brands add more decorative choices.

Online filters make it easy to narrow results by length, width, color, material, heading style, and light filtration. Store pickup and straightforward returns also make experimentation less risky. Target does not provide the customization of a specialty drapery company, but its combination of price, availability, familiar brands, and convenient fulfillment makes it the strongest all-around choice for many homes. 3>3. Pottery Barn: Best for Premium Classic Drapes

Pottery Barn is ideal for shoppers who want substantial fabrics, timeless colors, and curtains designed to remain stylish beyond the next three social-media trends. Its selection includes Belgian flax linen, cotton, textured weaves, sheers, lined drapes, and true-blackout styles suited to traditional, farmhouse, coastal, French-country, and transitional rooms.

Some collections offer custom dimensions and multiple hanging methods, helping the finished window treatment look more tailored. The biggest disadvantage is cost, particularly when covering several large windows. Custom products may also have stricter return rules. Pottery Barn works best when fabric quality, refined drape, and long-term durability matter more than finding the lowest possible price. 3>4. West Elm: Best for Modern and Mid-Century Style

West Elm’s curtains pair naturally with streamlined furniture, warm woods, sculptural lighting, and contemporary interiors. The collection favors European flax linen, velvet, canvas, subtle patterns, and sophisticated blackout treatments. Colors tend to be design-conscious without becoming so trendy that they look dated before the delivery box reaches the recycling bin.

Certain curtains are available in custom widths or lengths, which is valuable for unusually tall windows. Shoppers can also coordinate light-filtering living-room panels with blackout bedroom curtains while keeping a consistent aesthetic. The selection is smaller than Amazon or Wayfair, and made-to-order items may be nonreturnable, but the edited assortment makes browsing considerably easier. 3>5. Amazon: Best for Fast, Highly Specific Searches

Amazon is useful when the shopping request sounds unusually precise: two oatmeal-colored, 96-inch blackout panels with back tabs, washable fabric, and quick delivery. Its marketplace carries inexpensive polyester curtains, linen-look panels, velvet drapes, thermal designs, portable blackout covers, extra-wide treatments, and difficult-to-find sizes.

The huge selection requires careful reading. Confirm whether the listing includes one panel or a pair, examine recent customer photographs, review exact dimensions, and check who sells and ships the item. Product consistency and return experiences can vary among third-party sellers. Amazon is best for shoppers who already know their measurements and required features, rather than those hoping for a tightly curated design experience. 3>6. Wayfair: Best for the Widest Online Selection

Wayfair carries thousands of window treatments, including sheers, blackout panels, room dividers, outdoor curtains, café curtains, velvet drapes, extra-wide panels, and patterned designs. Its filters for color, dimensions, material, opacity, header type, price, care instructions, and customer rating are not merely helpful; they are survival equipment.

Because products come from many suppliers, quality and color accuracy can vary. Prioritize listings with detailed specifications, customer photographs, and enough reviews to reveal recurring concerns. Many products have a 30-day return window, although exceptions may apply to clearance or seller-specific merchandise. Wayfair is especially useful for unusual dimensions and shoppers who enjoy comparing numerous versions of the same general style. 3>7. Anthropologie: Best for Color and Personality

Anthropologie is where curtains become the room’s main character. Its assortment often includes embroidered florals, velvet, scalloped edges, lace, woven stripes, tassels, saturated colors, and artistic prints. These designs work particularly well in eclectic, bohemian, vintage-inspired, romantic, and maximalist spaces.

A distinctive pair of Anthropologie curtains can perform much of the decorative work normally assigned to artwork, wallpaper, and accessories. The selection and size range are smaller than those of mass-market retailers, and certain fabrics require delicate cleaning. Prices can also be high for single panels. Still, shoppers seeking curtains that look genuinely unusual rather than merely functional will find some of the most memorable options here. 3>8. Walmart: Best for Low-Cost Basics

Walmart is a practical choice when several windows need covering and the budget has already started sending distress signals. The retailer carries low-cost sheers, blackout panels, thermal curtains, printed styles, valances, room-darkening designs, and familiar private labels such as Mainstays and Better Homes & Gardens.

Walmart is particularly useful for rentals, dorms, children’s rooms, guest rooms, and temporary decorating projects. Quality can vary between Walmart’s primary assortment and third-party marketplace listings, so shoppers should check the seller and product specifications carefully. Custom sizing is not a major strength, but the combination of low prices, common lengths, local availability, and store pickup makes Walmart highly accessible. 3>9. Etsy: Best for Custom and Handmade Curtains

Etsy is the strongest destination for unusual windows and highly specific design requests. Independent sellers offer made-to-measure linen panels, blackout linings, café curtains, embroidered fabrics, vintage textiles, Roman shades, extra-wide drapes, and headings such as pinch pleats, back tabs, rod pockets, and grommets.

The quality of the experience depends on the individual shop. Compare reviews, shop history, fabric composition, processing time, shipping terms, and return policies. Confirm whether the price covers one panel or a pair, and communicate exact measurements before ordering. Custom products are frequently final sale. With careful planning, Etsy can deliver a tailored result for less than traditional bespoke draperybut measuring with a phone-charging cable is strongly discouraged. 3>10. Quince: Best for an Elevated Linen Look

Quince is the added tenth retailer in this expanded guide rather than one of the nine stores in BHG’s current roundup. It is a compelling option for shoppers who want natural linen and an elegant drape without immediately entering luxury-custom pricing. Its collection includes European linen in light-filtering, room-darkening, and true-blackout configurations.

Neutral colors and extended sizes make the curtains suitable for modern, organic, coastal, traditional, and quiet-luxury interiors. The assortment is focused and easier to navigate than a large marketplace, although shoppers seeking bright prints, embroidery, or dozens of heading styles may find it restrictive. Quince is best for creating a calm, consistent linen look throughout several rooms. 2>How to Choose the Right Curtains

Decide How Much Light to Block

Sheer curtains soften daylight and offer limited daytime privacy. Light-filtering panels reduce glare while keeping a room bright. Room-darkening curtains block a significant amount of sunlight, while true-blackout curtains use dense construction or a dedicated liner to create much greater darkness.

Bedrooms, nurseries, and media rooms generally benefit from stronger light control. Living rooms often work well with linen or cotton panels that preserve natural light. Even true-blackout curtains may allow light around the edges unless the rod extends beyond the window and the panels provide generous coverage. 3>Measure From the Planned Rod Position

Measure from the top of the planned curtain rod to the floor, not simply from the top of the window. Mounting the rod several inches above the frame and extending it beyond both sides can make the window appear larger while allowing panels to stack beside the glass.

Total curtain width should generally be about 1.5 to 2 times the rod width for attractive fullness. Panels that barely equal the window width may technically close, but they often resemble bedsheets reporting for office duty. 3>Choose a Practical Material

Linen provides relaxed texture and an elegant drape but wrinkles naturally. Cotton is versatile and relatively easy to maintain. Polyester is affordable, durable, colorfast, and commonly used in blackout curtains. Velvet adds visual warmth and depth but may require more careful cleaning. Silk looks luxurious but usually benefits from protective lining.

Always check care instructions before purchasing. Dry-clean-only curtains may be reasonable in a formal room but less practical around pets, children, kitchen grease, or anyone with a deep philosophical objection to visiting the dry cleaner.

Read the Return Policy

Ready-made curtains are generally easier to return than custom panels. Made-to-order sizes, altered lengths, personalized fabrics, and clearance merchandise may be final sale. When available, order fabric swatches and view them in the room during morning, afternoon, and evening light. Computer screens are enthusiastic liars about beige. 2>Common Curtain-Buying Mistakes

• Buying too little width: Curtains should remain visibly gathered when closed.
• Assuming every package contains two panels: Many retailers price curtains individually.
• Mounting the rod too low: A higher, wider installation usually creates a more polished appearance.
• Confusing room darkening with blackout: These labels indicate different levels of light control.
• Ignoring care instructions: Beautiful fabric is less charming when it cannot survive your household.
• Forgetting hardware: Rods, brackets, rings, hooks, and anchors must support the curtain’s weight.

Extra Experience: What Curtain Shopping Is Really Like

A realistic curtain-shopping experience usually begins with confidence and a tape measure, then becomes an unexpectedly detailed lesson in geometry. Window width is only the beginning. You must decide where the rod will sit, how far it will extend, how full the panels should appear, and whether the fabric should float above the floor, kiss it, break slightly, or puddle dramatically like it has received troubling news in a period drama.

The most successful approach is to shop by room function first. In a bedroom, blackout performance matters more than whether the product photograph includes an attractive ceramic vase. A proper blackout liner, generous panel width, and a rod mounted beyond the frame will make a greater difference than fashionable fabric with weak coverage. In a living room, the priorities may reverse. Linen or cotton curtains that filter daylight can soften the space without making it feel closed off.

The next lesson is that fabric samples can prevent expensive mistakes. A warm ivory seen online may look green beside your wall paint, while a tasteful terracotta may become aggressively orange in western afternoon light. Fabric also changes when backlit. A substantial-looking linen panel can become surprisingly transparent at noon, and a pale blackout curtain may reveal edge leakage more clearly than a dark one.

Installation teaches another important truth: affordable curtains can look expensive, while expensive curtains can look oddly cheap. Placement and fullness often matter more than the brand name. Raising the rod creates a taller visual line. Extending it past the frame allows the curtains to rest beside the glass instead of blocking daylight. Using enough fabric produces natural folds. Steaming wrinkles and training the pleats may sound fussy, but these details separate a finished room from a temporary setup that accidentally became permanent.

Retailer choice matters most when a problem appears. Target, IKEA, Walmart, Amazon, and Wayfair are useful for lower-risk experimentation because ready-made products are plentiful. Pottery Barn and West Elm make more sense when refined fabric and custom dimensions justify extra planning. Anthropologie works when the curtain itself must provide the personality. Etsy rewards accurate measurements and clear communication, while Quince suits shoppers who want a consistent linen look without sorting through thousands of marketplace listings.

Finally, live with the curtains for several days before declaring victory. Check the bedroom at sunrise, the living room during television glare, and the street view after dark. Make sure the panels slide smoothly, cover the full window, clear radiators and vents, and do not become a recreational climbing wall for the cat. Curtains are moving pieces of fabric architecture. When size, lining, material, and placement work together, the entire room feels quieter, taller, softer, and more intentional. 2>Final Verdict

There is no single best curtain store for every home. IKEA leads for affordable long panels, Target offers the best overall balance, Pottery Barn excels in premium classics, and West Elm suits modern interiors. Amazon and Wayfair provide unmatched variety, Anthropologie offers bold personality, Walmart covers tight budgets, Etsy solves custom-size problems, and Quince delivers an appealing linen-focused middle ground.

The smartest purchase begins before opening a shopping tab. Define the required light control, measure the planned rod position, calculate enough fullness, select a maintainable fabric, and verify the return policy. Follow those steps and inexpensive curtains can look custom. Skip them and your new drapes may spend their first week being repackaged with the energy of a defeated parachute.

Note: This guide synthesizes BHG’s updated retailer evaluation with current retailer assortments and guidance from established U.S. home, retail, energy, and shopping websites. Product availability, prices, delivery terms, and return policies may change. Verify final details before ordering, particularly for custom products and third-party marketplace listings.

SEO Tags