I’m a tree-huggin’, environmentalist type. I like to be thrifty, avoid overconsumption, and consider my overall impact before I make a purchase, like a good ol’ privileged millennial.

Though I like to be resourceful, I also like cohesion. This project checked both boxes.

You see, I bought these curtains when we first moved in.

We had the same ones in our old, incomplete office at our last house, so I figured I’d carry on where I left off. They were blackout curtains and REALLY cheap from walmart–even cheaper now–so, why not?

After they were installed in the office at our current home, it took me four years to hem them to the desired length. Give me a break–my youngest child was born a few weeks after move in.

I waited long enough for my son to help me hem them. He was in charge of the foot pedal and was proud of the way he was able to contribute:

“I could do this all day long!”
“Well, anak, in some countries, kids like you do do this all day long.”
“Why?”
“So people can buy cheap stuff at Target.”

Who let me have kids?!

Anyway, I kept the scraps, because I have this lovely little dormer in our shared office that’s just the right size for a full-sized bed.

The shutters and the rarely-working pulldown shade were there from previous owners, but the brass curtain rod was installed by my dear friend when we moved in almost six years ago. (I had a newborn! Don’t forget!)

The scrap length was just big enough for piecing together, but not at the horizontal shape that the other two pairs were hung.

Now, let me make this clear: I don’t go around mismatching window treatments like some kind of animal. I once saw a new designer do a cornice board on one window with a radiator beneath and long drapes, no cornice on the second. I wouldn’t dare.

Because the nook is itself a feature wall and because there are two windows with matching stripe directions, this works. More than a feature wall, because I don’t find those cohesive enough, either.

I laid the fabric front to front, raw edge t raw edge and pinned.

The office is in a room that’s Cape Cod style. If you’re from the northeast and you’ve seen a lot of these style homes, where they look like they would be one story from the front, but two stories from the back, you know that I was working with varied ceiling heights and a crooked ceiling. So it goes!

The curtains didn’t need to be perfect. They didn’t need to be twins, just sisters.

This space still has a long way to go. I’m installing new light fixtures tomorrow and I want to use a special painting technique to make it cozier and more warm. You’ll see!