The Clever Curtain Trick You Need For Your Sliding Glass Doors

One of the very best things about sliding glass doors is that they let an amazing amount of light into your home. Our clever trick, mounting curtains outside of the door frame for an unobstructed view, will enhance that benefit. The vast real estate sliding glass doors take up on walls allow them to bring an outdoor feel to indoor living. But that significant square footage is also a challenge to dress with window coverings. There are many options, like vertical blinds, textured, or plain. Panel blinds (also known as panel tracks) are gaining popularity, but the most popular remains curtains or drapery. With that said, the best way to mount your curtains may surprise you. Think "wide and high."

One of the challenges of any window covering system for sliding glass doors is how they look when they're drawn completely open. Do the opened blinds, panels, or draperies hide part of the window and obstruct the view, or do they leave it completely uncovered? Most folks would prefer that their window treatments not impede the view when opened. So, how is that accomplished?

The secret to hanging curtains in a way that leaves the view unobstructed is to mount the curtain rod high enough on the wall, and for the rod to extend past the edges of the door sufficiently to allow the fabric to move past the door opening. The draped fabric, even when tightly drawn, takes up some space, and this is called the stack back. Planning to ensure that the stackback is outside of the window frame is the key to unobscured viewing. We suggest starting at about 12 inches past the door frame, but you can adjust that to meet your personal preference. Remember high and wide? The wide part deals with the stack back, while the high part addresses the curtain rod or header. It also needs to be mounted at least a few inches above the sliding door opening to provide visual clearance of the top of the door. For a more elegant look, many decorators want the curtain rod even higher, about halfway between the top of the door and the ceiling.

By mounting the rod very high on the wall, your draperies will create a long vertical line. This will give your drapery fabric more drama and distinction, especially if it's pleated. Whether fully drawn, partially drawn, or fully closed, your sliding glass door and its draperies will have never looked better.