Linen Drapery Editor

Mara Levin

Mara is the voice behind our linen drapery coverage. Her articles cover slub texture and weight, lining choices that decide whether a panel survives morning sun, pinch pleat and inverted box header behavior, and the price math behind every Liz Linen, Patti Linen and made-to-order panel before you commit. If you want to understand why a panel reads designer-grade in one room and synthetic in another, Mara's articles are where to start.
368 articles 10 specialties

How to Hang Up Curtains: Tools, Steps, and Timing (2026)

How to Hang Up Curtains

Four tools, thirty minutes, one pair of curtains. That is the honest math for a first install if the rod line is marked before you drill and the header type is confirmed before you thread. Skip either check and the same install stretches past an hour, with two anchor holes to patch and a panel … Read more

How Wide to Hang Curtains: Exact Inches for Every Window (2026)

How Wide To Hang Curtains

Width is the axis most homeowners underestimate. Height gets all the attention, drop gets the puddle-versus-kiss drama, but the second panels look skimpy drawn shut, it is almost always a width problem. The rod is too short, the fullness ratio is too tight, or someone counted panels instead of inches. Two numbers do most of … Read more

How to Hang Sheer Curtains With Drapes (2026)

How to Hang Sheer Curtains With Drapes

Done right, layered curtains take one double rod, two panels, about 25 minutes, and read like the room was styled by someone with a Pinterest board. Done wrong, you end up with a 96-inch sheer floating six inches off the floor next to a drape that grazes the boards, and the whole thing looks like … Read more

How High To Hang Curtains On An 8 Foot Ceiling (2026 Guide)

How High To Hang Curtains 8 Foot

Done right, hanging curtains on an 8 foot ceiling takes about twelve minutes per window. Done wrong, you re-measure twice, patch two extra holes, and stare at a floating hem for the next five years wondering why the room feels off. Picture the moment you step back after mounting the rod at 88 inches instead … Read more