How to make your Adelaide apartment feel twice as big
Whether you’re styling a CBD apartment or a suburban townhouse, the right window furnishings can create the illusion of more space – without blowing the renovation budget.
Apartments and townhouses are becoming a familiar sight across Adelaide. From the CBD to Glenelg, many homes now make clever use of a smaller footprint, which means every design decision carries more weight. A fresh coat of paint can brighten a room and new furniture can improve its function, yet one of the biggest changes often comes from the windows.
Curtains do far more than provide privacy. Installed well, they can change how you perceive the proportions of a room. Hanging them from the ceiling instead of just above the window frame is one of the simplest ways to create the impression of extra height and a more open living space.
Many people tackling DIY updates start with Spotlight because it carries one of Australia’s widest selections of window furnishings. Ready-made options sit alongside custom solutions, making it easier to find products that suit different room sizes, decorating styles and budgets.
Hang your curtains from the ceiling, not the window frame
The position of your curtain track has a bigger impact than most people realise.
Many homes have curtain rods fitted just above the window. It works, but it also creates a clear stopping point that draws attention to the actual height of the window. Your eye lands there, making the wall appear shorter.
A ceiling-mounted curtain track changes that visual line completely. Instead of stopping at the top of the window, your eye follows the curtain from the ceiling all the way to the floor. The wall immediately appears taller because there is no break between the ceiling and the fabric.
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This trick works especially well in apartments where ceiling heights are standard rather than lofty. It doesn’t create extra height, yet it changes how the room is perceived.
The curtains themselves also need to reach the floor. Curtains that finish above the skirting board interrupt the vertical line you are trying to create. A full-length drop gives the room a cleaner look and helps the illusion work.
If you’re buying new curtains, measure from the ceiling to the floor instead of from the top of the window. That single measurement often determines whether the finished room feels polished or slightly awkward.
Give your windows enough space to breathe
Installing the track higher is only part of the job. The width of the track matters just as much.
A common mistake is choosing a track that matches the width of the window. Even after opening the curtains, part of the fabric still covers the glass. That limits the amount of daylight entering the room and makes the window appear smaller than it really is.
A better approach is to extend the track beyond both sides of the window. Around 20cm to 30cm on each side is often enough, provided the wall allows it. The curtains can then stack against the wall instead of across the glass.
The difference is noticeable straight away. More daylight reaches the room, the entire window becomes visible and the view outside feels like part of the living space. Natural light also reaches corners that would otherwise stay in shadow, making the room feel less enclosed.
This can also make the window itself appear larger. Since the curtains sit outside the frame when they’re open, your eye focuses on the glass instead of the fabric.
Small details make the biggest difference
Once the curtain position is right, a few finishing touches help complete the effect.
One detail that people often overlook is curtain fullness. Curtains should have enough fabric to create soft folds when they’re closed. As a guide, the total curtain width should be around twice the width of the window. Flat curtains rarely create the same polished appearance.
Colour also changes how spacious a room feels. Curtains in a similar tone to the walls create a smoother transition across the room because there are fewer strong visual breaks. A high-contrast colour can work as a design feature, though it usually draws more attention to the window itself.
Fabric deserves just as much thought. Sheer curtains soften daylight without making the room feel heavy. Blockout curtains are a practical addition for bedrooms or spaces that receive strong afternoon sun. Pairing sheers with blockouts gives you the flexibility to adjust light and privacy throughout the day.
Newer Adelaide apartments often feature oversized sliding doors or floor-to-ceiling glazing. Older units can present the opposite problem, with window sizes that don’t match standard curtain lengths. In those situations, made-to-measure curtains usually produce a neater result because they fit the opening properly instead of relying on the closest available size.
Creating the look without stretching the budget
All of this can be done without a decorator or a boutique hardware budget. Simply choose extra-long drop curtains and a track wide enough to clear your window, which are both ordinary homeware buys.
This is why Spotlight is Australia’s go-to for window furnishing. The family-owned Australian retailer carries a wide range of ceiling tracks, expandable rods and extra-long drop curtains in one place, which makes it an easy first stop for a job like this.
What to check before you drill a single hole
Before you pick up a drill, check what you are allowed to fix. If you rent, your lease or body corporate rules may limit drilling into walls, so ask the agent first and keep the original fittings. Tension rods and no drill brackets are a fallback, though they hold less weight, so pair them with lighter curtains.
Then measure the ceiling-to-floor height in three spots across the window, because apartment floors and ceilings are rarely perfectly level, and work to the shortest one. Fit the track high, run it wide and let the curtains fall to the floor, and a one bedroom unit in Bowden starts to feel like it has room to spare.
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