We moved into our home the summer of 2012. At the time, we only had one air conditioner. We were impressed at how well the single air conditioner cooled off our entire home. Our mind frame was if a single air conditioner could cool things off, we'd have no problem heating our home in the winter. Long story short, we were wrong. Very. Very. Wrong.
That year, the price of oil was through the roof. About a month after turning on the heat, it was obvious we needed to make some changes to create a more energy efficient home. That involved running to the store to purchase thermal curtains for all windows except the 2 in the kitchen. Most retail locations sell curtains by the panel.
I'll never understand the logic behind that.
Most of the styles and patterns were picked over. In a state of desperation, and not wanting to spend a small fortune, we picked from what was available. Solid colors. Maroon. Brown. Tan.
These thermal curtains were thick. They blocked all light from coming in. The width of the curtains, in addition to the lack of flexibility and flow, made it impossible to open the curtains during the day. From November through early spring, it was dark inside of our home. Too dark. Dungeon dark. I relied on lamps and overhead lights during the day.
It drove me nuts. When it was time to put our warm weather curtains up, I 'bout near did cartwheels down the street.
In the few years to follow, I've dreaded the day when we had to put up the thermal curtains. I hated them. I work at home. I hated the darkness. Last year I made tiebacks, and that helped a bit, but not enough.
After our brief Indian Summer last week, Lisa began the process of winterizing our home. That included putting up the thermal curtains. Temperatures are expected to dip below freezing in the next couple of days.
I sighed. I dreaded the darkness. I wanted to cry.
This morning, during our early morning, weekend coffee chat, I caved.
"I can't go through another winter with these hideous thermal curtains. It's too dark. I hate them with every ounce of my being. I know it's hard for you to understand because you're away from home most of the time during the week. But. I'm home. All the time. I can't do it again this year."
Lisa took a sip of coffee.
"I'm surprised you lasted this long. Let's shop for curtains today."
I showered, got ready, and whisked myself to our vehicle in record time.
We visited the retail location where we purchased our kitchen curtains. The curtains in our kitchen are not your typical kitchen curtains. They're more like drapes. The fabric is wonderful. Not to thin. Not too thick. And, surprisingly, they kept a lot of the heat out over the summer months.
We couldn't find the curtains we wanted for the living room or home office. I was disappointed. Lisa suggested another retail location. I was hesitant. I really wanted the same curtains we had in the kitchen. Solid color. The ideal fabric. Budget friendly.
After 5 minutes at retail location number 2, Lisa and I fell in love with the selection of curtains. Although solid colors were available, we decided to step out of our comfort zone. For both rooms, we opted for a print style.
And, they were on sale.
The fabric isn't too thick or thin. The colors in the home office and living room curtains matched the decor in each room without being too bold or busy.
Lisa put the new curtains up shortly after we got home.
It was love at first sight.
The perfect match.
And, the natural light filtered into each room.
Best of all, no tiebacks needed. The curtains open and close easily and without resistance.
The print adds character. Charm.
We both agreed these were going to be year-round curtains. No more changing curtains when the weather warmed up or the temperatures dropped.
I'm a happy girl.
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