*Today’s post was made possible by UniCurt Curtains, and features gifted product for the purposes of a candid review. All opinions are my own.

Looking to freshen up a room in the new year? Try adding new custom drapes! This is something that I’ve always ruled out in all the homes we’ve lived in over the years because I assumed that it was completely out of budget, but it turns out that I was so wrong on that score. You really can afford made-to-order curtain panels, even if you have very little to spend on home decor, like us. Take our guest room as an example.

Up until now, we had the room outfitted with really cheap white curtain panels from a big box store (that shall remain nameless). Sure, they worked okay, but they weren’t anything special either. They were a pure white color and the fabric was totally flat. There was no texture or anything that popped about the design. In other words, they blended right into the beige botanical wallpapered walls. The thing that I vehemently hated about these drapes, though, was the fact that they never ever laid right on the curtain rod. You may be able to see in the photos above that they bunched up nice and even toward the outside edges, but they always splayed out unevenly on the inside edges. Maybe it’s silly, but this detail always bothered me.

I craved the look of even pleats on our guest room drapes, which is the number one reason that I agreed to try out custom UniCurt curtain panels when they reached out to pitch the idea of teaming up. Oh, my goodness, am I glad I did. I am 100 percent converted to the idea of custom curtains now that I’ve had a chance to try these new panels out.

You’re able to order samples from UniCurt to test out the colors and fabric textures in your own home (this is key, in my opinion, to ensure a good investment). Once you narrow things down, you place your order based on the specific measurements of your room, and then you install the panels once they arrive using the included clips, if you opted to go the pleated route like we did. They provide adjustable clips for double/triple pinch pleat headers that allow for 1-2 inches of wiggle room with the panel height from the floor so you can adjust as needed during installation. It was so easy to place an order, and the curtains looked absolutely stunning when I finally stepped back to evaluate things.

I’ve always been an enthusiastic fan of hotel curtains. I’m talking about the kind that you can throw back and forth with a quick “shink!” of the wrist. The curtain hardware slides crisply over the rod and leaves you with either a clear view of the landscape or a completely blacked-out room on the inside. Happily, this is exactly the effect we get from these custom lined drapes from UniCurt. The panels are so much easier to move across the window now, and I love how the higher contrast color of the curtain fabric gives this room more gravitas and personality. We got the Sara curtains in Greyish Beige, by the way, and I used these curtain hooks to install them on our existing rods using the included UniCurt panel clips.

In fact, I love the new custom curtains so much that I’m planning on upgrading our guest bed frame in the new year. Currently, the plush fabric headboard of our guest bed is pressed up against the window/drywall to keep it in place. In other words, it’s not part of a bed frame. I think it’s time to get a proper bed frame with a real attached headboard so that I can leave room to move the curtain panels freely behind it, if that makes sense. Stay tuned in the new year to see what I mean.

Click here to see all of the different styles, patterns, and colors of custom panels that UniCurt has to offer for your own space. They’re collection is 1-2 times more affordable than other custom curtain brands, and they have plenty of header styles to choose from based on your aesthetic: Grommet, Rod Pocket, Back Tap, Tap Top, Double Pinch Pleat, Triple Pinch Pleat, and S-fold. If you have any questions about how to order your own custom curtains, leave me a comment and we’ll make sure to get back to you before you make the investment.

*This post contains affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission when you purchase products that I recommend at no additional cost to you. This allows me to provide free creative content for you to read, save, and share. Rest assured that I never recommend products we wouldn’t use or don’t already love ourselves.