Spending most of my time in Dubai we tend to furnish for coolness. Curtains tend to be linen or diaphanous breezy fabrics to let the air flow freely. In colder climates curtains tend to have a dual purpose of retaining heat in a room as well as adding colour and texture. So the fabrics we have chosen for Lisfannon are a lot more cosy, velvets, tweeds and chenilles.
And, as the main event in this house is without doubt the view rather than the furniture, the colours will tend to recede rather than stand out. We did consider not doing curtains at all since we are lucky enough not to be overlooked, especially since the large window at the front is in excess of 9 meters, it has been somewhat of a challenge and an expense to get that done.
But I think that the overriding factor here is warmth and texture and I need all the help I can to make sure it doesn't feel cold even if temperature wise it isnt.