A Review of our IKEA LENDA curtains

THE FARMHOUSE

The IKEA LENDA curtains in our master bedroom are almost 2 years old now, and over the years we’ve gotten quite a few questions about them. Do we like them? Are they light-blocking enough for a bedroom? How do they hold up, especially considering they’re SO inexpensive? Well today we’re answering all those questions and sharing an honest (and unsponsored) review of our budget-friendly LENDA curtain panels.

our Farmhouse master bedroom // curtains, bedding, botanical prints, + all other sources here

IKEA is my go-to for budget-friendly curtains (like Daphne’s pink Tibast panels). And for good reason. They come in long-lengths, natural fibers, and are insanely low priced. While quality can sometimes be a concern at IKEA, their curtains seem to hold up well.

I chose LENDA curtains for the master bedroom for all of those reasons above. But we have found a few negatives too. So today we’re listing out both the pro’s and con’s of these curtains.

budget-friendly (pro)

We were first drawn to these curtains because they are $25/pair. Yes, $25...a pair! In total we spent less than $100 to dress all 3 of the large windows in our master bedroom, which amounts to a steal in the world of window-coverings.

color (pro)

We opted for the light-beige color, to contrast the white walls. I love the airy feel of this neutral color. LENDA curtains come in other colors including white, grey, and blue, and we used the white in our Bryant House master bedroom. The white was great, but I love the depth of the light-beige. They could easily pass for linen.

fabric (pro)

One of my favorite features about these curtains is that they’re 100% cotton. We try to stick to natural fabrics in our home, so I was thrilled to find 100% cotton at such a low price point. One note of caution is that there is a subtle print sewn into the fabric. There are vertical lines in matching stitching every 6” or so. Honestly, I doubt if most people would ever even notice the lines, but they’re worth a mention.

light blocking (con…kinda)

The LENDA curtains are not lined, but they do block some light. According to IKEA’s website, “the curtains lower the general light level and provide privacy by preventing people outside from seeing directly into the room.“ And I’d agree with that description, so they’re as advertised. But I’m going to call this one a ‘con’ because the lack of light-blockage is probably a negative for most people, even though it hasn’t been an issue for us.

Our master bedroom is south-west facing and these curtains give us adequate privacy and light-blockage in the evening, even in the height of summer. Of course we do have large trees just outside our windows that help a lot with that too (which was the intent of planting trees so close to houses 100+ years ago…natural HVAC). Would I put these curtains in a guest bedroom (where guests may expect a darker room) or in a child’s bedroom (where daytime naps occur)? Probably not. But I’d put them in a living room, dining room, kitchen, or the bedroom of a heavy sleeper in a heartbeat.

length (pro)

These curtains come in long lengths with the ability to hem. We have tall ceiling at our Farmhouse (9’ in this bedroom), so we went with the 98” length, but they also come in 118”. But before you hem them, please read up on shrinkage (below).

shrinkage (con)

I haven’t ever washed the curtains in our bedroom, but I did wash our white LENDA curtains at the Bryant House and they shrunk quite a bit. And after reading the online reviews of these curtains from IKEA’s website, shrinkage seems to be a common issue. So if you’re going to hem your curtains, I’d definitely recommend washing them first (on gentle cycle and hang to dry).

tab top (con)

I have to say, I’m not a big fan of the tab top. It’s not these curtain’s fault…I don’t love “tabs” on any curtains. They just look less polished than other hanging methods. For a time, I folded the tabs down and clipped the curtains to rings, but in the end, if felt a little forced and made the curtains harder to close. So the tabs went back up.

Our review

All-in-all IKEA’s LENDA curtains are a great buy for $25/pair. They might have limited light-blocking abilities and a tendency to shrink, but they are worth every penny…and then some!