Matching Blackout Curtains to Your TV Bed: A Styling Guide

To match blackout curtains to your TV bed, choose a curtain colour one or two shades lighter or darker than the bed’s upholstery, or pick a complementary tone that already appears in your bedding or walls. Match the fabric’s character too: velvet beds pair well with heavy, softly draped curtains, while linen look beds suit textured weaves. Hang curtains wide and high so they cover the whole window and block light around the edges, which matters most when you watch television in the evening.

A TV bed is often the largest piece of furniture in the bedroom, and curtains are usually the largest area of fabric. When the two work together, the room feels finished and cohesive. When they clash, both look slightly wrong. Whether you already own one of our modern TV beds UK or are planning a new bedroom, this guide explains how to choose blackout curtains that look considered and do their job well.

Why Blackout Curtains Suit TV Beds

Watching television in bed is far more comfortable when the room is dark. Daylight, streetlights and car headlights all cause glare on the screen, which makes the picture harder to see and can be tiring on the eyes. Blackout curtains block most external light, so the screen looks clearer and the room feels more like a private viewing space.

They also help with sleep. Long summer evenings and early sunrises are a familiar part of British life, and a dark bedroom makes it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep. Thermal blackout linings add a further benefit by helping to reduce draughts and heat loss through older windows, which many UK homes still have.

Start With the Bed’s Upholstery

Look closely at the colour and texture of your bed before you shop for curtains. Upholstery colours often contain undertones that are not obvious at first glance. A grey fabric might lean warm, with a hint of beige, or cool, with a hint of blue. Holding a curtain sample next to the bed in natural daylight is the most reliable way to check whether the two sit comfortably together.

Avoid trying to match the exact shade. Fabrics from different makers rarely match precisely, and a near miss looks worse than a deliberate contrast. Instead, aim for curtains that are clearly related to the bed but slightly different in tone, or that pick up a colour from elsewhere in the room. The wider scheme matters here too, and our range of bedroom furniture UK includes wardrobes and storage in finishes that pair well with both light and dark upholstery.

Three Approaches to Colour

Tonal Matching

Tonal schemes use different shades of the same colour. A mid grey TV bed with charcoal curtains, or a sand coloured bed with a warmer caramel curtain, creates a calm, layered look. This approach suits smaller bedrooms because it reduces visual breaks and helps the space feel larger.

Complementary Contrast

Here, the curtains introduce a colour that sits well alongside the bed rather than repeating it. A navy bed with soft ochre curtains, or a cream bed with deep green curtains, gives the room more personality. Keep the rest of the scheme simple so the contrast feels intentional.

Linking to the Bedding

Bedding changes more often than curtains, but your core bedding colours probably stay fairly consistent. Choosing curtains that echo a shade in your duvet cover, cushions or throw ties the bed and window together, even if the upholstery itself is neutral.

Matching Fabric Texture

Texture affects how a room feels as much as colour does. A plush velvet TV bed has a soft sheen and depth, so it looks right with curtains that share some of that richness. Velvet blackout curtains, or heavy lined curtains in a matt chenille, complement it well. Our range of fabric beds UK sale includes velvet, chenille and linen look finishes, each of which suits a slightly different curtain style.

A linen look or woven fabric bed has a more relaxed, natural character. Pair it with curtains in a textured weave, a slub cotton or a linen blend with a blackout lining. Glossy satin curtains would feel out of place next to it. Faux leather beds, by contrast, work well with simple, structured curtains in a flat weave, which keep the look clean and modern.

Patterns: When and How

Plain curtains are the safer choice in most bedrooms with a TV bed, because the bed itself is a large, solid shape. However, a pattern can add interest if the bed and walls are plain. Choose a design with colours that include the shade of your bed. Subtle patterns such as fine stripes, small geometrics or soft textured prints usually work better than bold florals, which can overwhelm a compact room.

If your headboard has a strong feature such as deep panelling or buttoning, keep the curtains plain. Too much detail in one sightline makes a bedroom feel busy.

Getting the Size and Hanging Right

For blackout curtains to work, they need to cover more than the window glass. Light leaks around the sides and over the top of curtains that are too narrow or hung too low. Fit the pole or track wider than the window frame on each side and higher than the top of the frame, so the curtains overlap the wall when closed.

Floor length curtains look more polished and block more light than sill length ones. If a radiator sits beneath the window, sill length curtains may be the more practical option, as long curtains draped over a radiator trap heat. In that case, a fitted blackout blind behind the curtains will help block light more fully.

Ceiling mounted tracks with a return to the wall are especially effective at stopping light from creeping around the edges. They also make a room look taller, which is useful in bedrooms with lower ceilings.

Think About the Viewing Angle

With a TV bed, you watch the screen from the mattress, looking towards the foot of the bed. Consider where the window sits relative to this sightline. A window behind the screen causes the most glare, so effective blackout curtains matter most in this position. A window to the side causes reflections on the screen, which closed curtains will also reduce.

If the window is behind the headboard, light is less of a problem for viewing but can still disturb sleep. Either way, curtains that close fully and overlap in the middle make the biggest difference.

Coordinating With the Wider Room

Curtains and bed form the main pairing, but they sit within a larger scheme. Wardrobes, chests and bedside cabinets all contribute colour and finish. A useful rule is to limit the room to three main colours: a background shade for walls and large surfaces, a secondary shade for the bed and curtains, and an accent used in smaller doses.

Placing modern bedside cabinets UK in a finish that echoes your curtain pole or tieback hardware is a subtle way to link the window with the bed area. Brushed brass poles look warm beside oak or cream furniture, while matt black hardware suits darker upholstery and grey finishes.

If you are still deciding on a colour direction, our article on bedroom furniture colour trends for UK homes explores how different shades shape the mood of a room.

Colour Pairings That Work Well

• Light grey bed with charcoal or slate blue curtains for a calm, cool scheme.
• Cream or ivory bed with warm taupe or mushroom curtains for softness.
• Navy velvet bed with dusky pink or soft gold curtains for a richer look.
• Charcoal bed with ochre, rust or mustard curtains for warmth and contrast.
• Emerald green bed with ivory or deep forest curtains for a layered, botanical feel.
• Black faux leather bed with mid grey or stone curtains for a clean, modern finish.

These are starting points rather than rules. Always test fabric samples in the room itself, at different times of day, before making a decision.

Caring for Blackout Curtains

Blackout curtains collect dust like any other fabric. Vacuum them gently with an upholstery brush every few weeks and follow the care label for washing or cleaning. Some blackout linings are coated and should not be machine washed, so check before putting them in the drum. Keeping curtains clean also helps keep dust away from the bed and its lift mechanism.

Bringing the Look Together

Matching blackout curtains to a TV bed is about relationship rather than replication. Choose a colour that relates to the upholstery, a fabric that shares its character and a size that blocks light properly. The result is a bedroom that looks cohesive in the day and feels cosy in the evening when the screen rises.

To find a bed and furniture that fit your scheme, you can explore our full collection at Furniture in Fashion.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should curtains match the bed exactly?

No. An exact match is difficult to achieve and can look flat. Curtains a shade lighter or darker, or in a complementary colour, usually look more considered.

What colour blackout curtains go with a grey TV bed?

Charcoal, slate blue, soft white, ochre and dusky pink all work well with grey. Check whether your grey is warm or cool and choose curtains with a similar undertone.

Do blackout curtains help when watching TV in bed?

Yes. They reduce glare and reflections on the screen, which makes the picture easier to see, particularly in the evening and during long summer days.

Are floor length curtains better than sill length?

Floor length curtains usually block more light and look more polished. Sill length is more practical when a radiator sits directly below the window.