Should I get curtains or shades for my windows?

Curtains and shades handle light and style differently, and the best choice depends on what the room needs and what the window wall looks like now.

Curtains hang outside the window frame, adding fabric height and width to the wall. They frame the window more than they cover it. Shades, including roman shades, roller shades, and cellular shades, sit inside or just outside the frame and cover the glass directly. Shades keep window surrounds, sills, and trim visible; curtains typically conceal them.

In rooms where the architecture is a feature, shades preserve it. In rooms where the goal is warmth, softness, or a sense of height, curtains add what shades cannot. Some windows call for both: a clean shade to control light and a curtain layer to dress the wall.

The most reliable way to decide is to see how each option reads in your room before you buy. DecorViz lets you preview curtains and shades on the same room photo and compare them side by side. Related answers: seeing curtains in your room and seeing roman shades in your room.