When it comes to decorating your home, curtains play a crucial role in shaping both the aesthetic and the functionality of a space. The fabric you choose can dramatically alter the atmosphere, offering anything from opulence to a laid-back vibe. Here’s a guide to some of the most popular curtain fabrics that can elevate the look and feel of your home.

1. Luxurious Velvet

Velvet curtains bring a sense of luxury and elegance. Known for their plush texture and rich appearance, velvet is perfect if you’re looking to add sophistication to a room. They not only provide excellent insulation but also block out light, making them ideal for bedrooms, home theaters, or any space where you want a cozy, private atmosphere.

Best for: Bedrooms, formal living rooms, and home theaters.

2. Airy Sheer

Sheer curtains offer a light, breezy aesthetic that lets natural light filter through. These curtains are made from translucent fabrics like chiffon or voile, creating a delicate and ethereal look. Sheers are perfect for rooms where you want to maintain privacy while still enjoying sunlight, such as living rooms, dining areas, or sunrooms.

Best for: Living rooms, dining rooms, and sunrooms.

3. Classic Cotton

Cotton is one of the most versatile curtain fabrics, known for its breathable and lightweight properties. Cotton curtains come in a wide variety of patterns and colors, making them easy to fit into any design scheme. They’re also low-maintenance and can be machine washed, which makes them practical for high-traffic areas in your home.

Best for: Bedrooms, kitchens, and casual living spaces.

4. Elegant Silk

For a luxurious and glamorous touch, silk curtains are the go-to fabric. Silk adds a glossy finish and drapes beautifully, exuding elegance and grandeur. However, they require extra care and are better suited for formal spaces. Silk curtains are often lined to protect them from sun damage and to provide additional body and privacy.

Best for: Formal dining rooms, master bedrooms, and sitting rooms.

5. Versatile Linen

Linen curtains offer a natural, textured look that blends well with both contemporary and rustic designs. Linen is a durable fabric that allows light to softly filter through, and it also has excellent temperature-regulating properties. It’s perfect for creating a relaxed and inviting atmosphere in any room.

Best for: Living rooms, bedrooms, and spaces with lots of sunlight.

6. Durable Polyester

If you’re looking for an affordable, low-maintenance option, polyester curtains are a great choice. They are resistant to wrinkling, shrinking, and stretching, making them a durable option for everyday use. Polyester curtains are available in a wide range of styles, colors, and patterns, giving you plenty of choices to suit your home’s décor.

Best for: High-traffic areas like living rooms, guest rooms, and children’s bedrooms.

7. Chic Satin

Satin curtains are known for their smooth, glossy surface, which reflects light and adds a subtle sheen to any room. They are often used in contemporary and modern designs to bring a sense of refinement and class. Satin works well for rooms that require a touch of glamour without being as heavy as velvet or silk.

Best for: Bedrooms, formal spaces, and accent rooms.

Choosing the right curtain fabric can have a significant impact on your home’s overall design. Whether you prefer the lushness of velvet or the breezy nature of sheer fabrics, the right curtains can create the perfect balance between style and function in your space. Consider the mood you want to create and the practical needs of each room to select the best fabric for your home.

A recap of the most controversial Advertisements in 2017.

In 2017 some brands inadvertently landed themselves in controversies because of cheeky puns, risky taglines, and ‘insensitive’ use of gods and religion in ads. Let’s have a look at the ads that faced the heat in 2017.

Manforce Condoms

Manforce Condoms was forced to withdraw nearly 500 hoardings in Gujarat after protests broke out earlier this year. Sunny Leone’s condom ad for Manforce that tried to piggyback on the Navratri festivities faced severe outrage in Gujarat this year. The people of Gujarat took offense to the hoarding that portrays Sunny Leone seductively holding dandiya sticks.

Image source: pepnewz

Zomato

The recent outdoor ad campaign by online food ordering and delivery app Zomato faced a lot of controversies. Critics of the ad felt that one of the creatives of the campaign glorified desi expletives as it mentioned words like MC (mac n’ cheese) BC (butter chicken) in an attempt to connect with the brand’s core target audience – the millennials. Though the ad had to be pulled down, the advertisement got maximum exposure among the target audience.

Image source: thequint

Jawed Habib

Hairstylist Jawed Habib came under fire for hurting religious sentiments of the Hindus when he used the context of Durga Puja to promote his salon’s services. The ad suggested that even the gods visit Jawed Habib’s salon. The backlash was such that Jawed Habib had to apologize for the issue.

Image source: republicworld

Meat and Livestock Australia

Though not an Indian ad, reference to Hindu God, Ganesha didn’t go that well for Indians. The ad showed Ganesha, sitting at a table for a meal accompanied by Jesus, Moses, Zeus, Mohammed, Aphrodite, and even L Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology.The Indian High Commission in Canberra took notice and registered a complaint with the Australian government over the ad. The ad was banned as it was found to be “discriminatory to those of Hindu faith” by an independent review by the Australian Advertising Review Board.

Image source: abc.net

So these are the advertisements that faced controversies in 2017. Do let us know in the comments if we have missed out on any.

Exposure to condom advertisements can ruin our kids

A country with a population of 1.3 billion people called a ban on condom advertisements on Monday. The government  has strictly asked the Television channels to not telecast condom advertisements between 10 p.m to 6 a.m as it can evoke ‘unhealthy practices’ in children. It is pretty odd for a country like India, which is the second most populated country in the world to go for a ban like this.

The steamy ad featuring a former porn star led to a lot of objections from the conservative parties. There are so many other advertisements which needs to be banned instead, like advertisements that objectify women as sexual objects and degrade women in the society. Research says India will pass China to become the world’s most populous country in the next 10 years.  Our government has spent a lot of money on spreading awareness, but still the usage of condoms are very less in our country.

Soon after the ban was announced, Social Media slammed it with hilarious tweets and comments

1.

No condom ad on TV from 6am to 10pm because kids watch TV at that time

If your kid watches so much TV maybe you needed that condom in the 1st place

— Atul Khatri (@one_by_two) December 12, 2017

2.

If Condoms were not being treated as taboo for so many years, we would not have suffered the population blast issue. The way problems are being approached in India these days is really saddening.

— Rahul Raj (@bhak_sala) December 12, 2017

3.

No condom ads on Indian TV from 6am-10pm because why learn about birth control or protected sex when you can have Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, HPV, Herpes, HIV, an abortion or an unwanted baby?

— Priya Sometimes (@PriyaSometimes) December 12, 2017

It did not end there, this was another funny post that I came across.

 

#durex has their priorities right. Wait, is it okay to post this before 10pm? #madovermarketing #virushka #anushkasharma #viratkohli

A post shared by Mad Over Marketing (M.O.M) (@madovermarketing_mom) on Dec 12, 2017 at 8:38pm PST

On the other hand, we also had people who supported the ban.  “This is India and it has its own culture, and anything related to sex is generally not publicly discussed,” said Bal Krishna Bhartia, the president of the Confederation of All India Traders, a business association that started complaining about condom commercials a few months ago.

After all these endless debates, everybody has one question – Will the ban really stop the promotion of ‘indecent acts’ and  forbid kids from doing ‘unhealthy practices’?

Do let us know about your thoughts on the condom ban in the comment section.