C.J. Braden • 3 Minute Read
The Best Outdoor Curtains are Only $7 At IKEA
In need of an outdoor curtain that was very durable and mold resistant seemed like something I’d never find. We wanted to cover our house piers and curtains seemed like a fun idea to try that would also make our pool area look more finished. I currently live in Southwest Florida on Sanibel Island, where it is hot most of the time and extremely HUMID. Mildew and mold is very present almost all year around.
Our second round of curtains post Hurricane Ian
While I’d love to say mold and mildew is only a problem that Floridians have, it’s definitely not. When I lived in Kentucky, the summers got extremely hot too and mold grew on simple sheer curtains I once hung around our outdoor porch.
We wanted the curtains to conceal our house piers
I researched for months until I finally saw an ad in my email for IKEA. Being IKEA, of course they did not say which curtain was featured in the ad. That’d be too easy, right?
Measuring our outdoor curtain space
They had these beautiful, sheer curtains draped over a hammock area and it just looked like they were the curtains I needed. So, I went to the IKEA website and finally figured out the curtains they used in the ad were call the IKEA LILL.
See our one minute IKEA outdoor curtain video tutorial below or via our YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
You can create your own pinch pleat with these curtains
That weekend, my husband and I drove 2 hours to the closest IKEA and purchased a bunch of LILL lace curtains. They were only $6.99 for a pack of two. Before purchasing them, I learned they were 100% recycled polyester, making them extremely durable.
You don’t have to pinch pleat the curtains
They are also washable, but are not to be dried in a dryer. I’d say that they aren’t really “lacy” as they are called. I’d compare their texture to being a tulle fabric that has a little weight.
Completed folded LILL IKEA curtain
The curtains come in one length, but can be cut at the bottom with no need to hem. That’s my kind of curtain! Very low maintenance, made with a durable fabric, inexpensive and sheer enough to blow beautifully in the wind in my pool area. The concept was to make the pool area under our house look more like a “cabana”.
IKEA LILL curtains in the daytime
Because I wanted to hang them outside by my pool in our newly hung reed fence ceiling (that survived Hurricane Ian too!) , I needed a curtain hanging solution that wouldn’t immediately rust in the salty air of Sanibel. My husband picked out the DIGNITET curtain wire set because it was stainless steel. We also purchased the RIKTIG curtain hooks that pair well with the curtain wire.
Poolside curtains
We measured our space before going to IKEA, which I always recommend anyone do before buying supplies for a project. I wasn’t exactly how many curtains I would want for the space, as I wanted it to look full, so I just bought a bunch, knowing I’d use them all at some point. It’s a good thing I did.
IKEA LILL curtain view when closed
I completed this project in late Summer of 2022. Then Hurricane Ian struck Sanibel Island on September 28th, 2022. The hurricane was one of the worst ones in recorded history to ever hit Southwest Florida. It was really bad.
LILL curtains blow slightly with wind
We evacuated with family in Indiana for four months and luckily still had a house standing after the storm. My husband returned in October to start clean up efforts, after the destroyed Sanibel Causeway (the only way on and off the island) was temporarily rebuilt.
IKEA LILL curtains at night
Despite all the flooding and wind damage, THE LILL IKEA CURTAINS STILL REMAINED! We used the IKEA directions to simply attach the DIGNITET curtain wire to our patio by our pool. I folded over each curtain panel and folded them a bit before pinching on the RIKTIG curtain hooks, which look like little clamps with hooks.
IKEA LILL Curtains by the pool at night
I ended up using about 10 RIKTIG hooks per curtain panel. I folded them at the top so I didn’t have to worry about cutting off any curtain at the bottom. I ended up hanging six panels to cover our three wood beams of our pool area.
LILL curtains closed at night
The entire area where the curtains hung had severe wind and flood damage, but the curtains stayed on the wire, somehow, someway during Hurricane Ian. Not a single panel was missing.
One curtain even saved one of my foam pool weights by wrapping itself around it. While I could have washed the miraculous hurricane proof LILL curtains, I ended up throwing them away because the flood waters were mixed with chemicals and a bunch of other unknown things.
The IKEA curtain that saved my pool weight
Because I overbought lots of curtain panels, I had a bunch of new ones that I was able to rehang when we returned in January 2023. We’ve been working to remediate lots of damage on our property, and I’m happy to say the new curtains help bring some of the island vibe back to our home.
Our poor pool area post Hurricane Ian
They are beautiful open or closed, during the day or at night. Gently breezes allow them to flow. Yes, they are just curtains, but they make me happy. And we need a lot of happy after dealing with Hurricane Ian!
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C.J. (Carolyn) Braden is a regular contributor and editor for Carolyn’s Blooming Creations. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.