A made-to-measure curtain is not a fancier version of a ready-made one. It is a different product, made in a different order. A ready-made curtain exists first and then goes looking for a window. A custom curtain starts at the window and works backwards — fabric quantity, heading, lining and final price are all decided by measurements taken before a single metre is cut.
Most people who come to our showroom on Central Avenue already know they want custom curtains. What they rarely know is what the process asks of them, how long it takes, or why two quotes for the same window can differ by half. We have been measuring and stitching curtains in this city since 1971. Here is the sequence, honestly described.
Ready-made or made-to-measure is a window decision, not a budget one
Ready-made curtains come in a handful of standard drops. Kolkata windows are not standard. The old houses around Bowbazar and Bhowanipore have shuttered windows dropping well past eight feet. Newer flats in Rajarhat and along the Bypass have wide sliding balcony doors no single panel covers. In between sit box windows with grilles, frames interrupted by a window AC unit, and false ceilings leaving no room above the frame for a rod. If your drop is seven feet four inches and the shelf offers seven feet, you either hang a curtain that stops short or hem away part of the design — and a curtain finishing two inches above the floor is the most visible mistake in a furnished room. Ready-made suits a standard window or a rented flat you will leave in a year. Anything tall, wide, obstructed or meant to last a decade gets measured first.
The measurement comes first, and it happens at your window
We measure at your home, free of charge, and there is a reason it is not done over the phone. Floor levels in older Kolkata buildings are rarely true — a window can be three-quarters of an inch narrower at the sill than at the top — and plaster laid over old lime mortar does not always hold a screw where you want it. On site we settle where the rod or track will actually sit, how far the curtain must extend past the frame so stacked fabric does not block glass, how much floor clearance you want, and whether grilles or an inward-opening shutter change the plan. Only then is the drop measured, from the fixed rod position rather than the top of the glass. Our step-by-step guide to measuring for curtains follows the same method.
Fullness: the number that decides your fabric bill
This is the part customers are almost never told, and it explains most quote differences. A curtain is not the width of your window. To hang in proper folds it must be considerably wider than its track, and that multiplier is called fullness. Pinch pleat and pencil pleat headings want roughly two to two-and-a-half times the track width; eyelets sit lower, around 1.8 to 2.2 times; sheers often want two-and-a-half or more, because thin fabric needs volume before it reads as a curtain rather than a hanging sheet.
So a six-foot track at 2x fullness needs about twelve feet of finished curtain width — before side hems, before the extra metreage a patterned fabric demands so the repeat matches across panels. The rate per metre is only half the story; fullness decides how many metres you buy, and a cheaper fabric at 2.5x can cost more than a better one at 2x. On a tight budget, the better trade is a less expensive fabric at correct fullness than an expensive fabric skimped.
Heading and lining are decided at the same table
The heading is not a finishing touch. It sets the fullness, dictates the hardware, and decides how much wall the curtain occupies when open — pinch pleats stack more tightly than eyelets, which matters on a narrow wall beside a balcony door. The trade-offs are covered in eyelet vs pinch pleat curtains, and the hardware in our guide to curtain rods, tracks and brackets.
Lining is not an upsell in this city. A west-facing window will bleach an unlined fabric noticeably within a couple of hot seasons. Lining takes that punishment instead of the face fabric, adds the weight that makes a curtain hang still rather than flap in the fan draught, and is where light control is actually decided. If you need a street-facing bedroom genuinely dark at six in the morning, read how blackout curtains work before choosing the face fabric, not after.
The workshop, and how long it takes
Cutting is where custom work is won or lost. Fabric is cut true to the grain, because a panel cut slightly off will twist as it hangs. Patterns are matched across every panel in the room, not just within one. Pleat spacing is calculated so the pair stacks symmetrically at both ends, hems are weighted so the curtain falls plumb, and leading edges are finished by hand. Our tailoring and installation are handled by our own team rather than outsourced — which matters little on the day it goes right and a great deal on the day something needs adjusting.
Expect weeks rather than days, depending on the number of windows and whether your fabric is in stock. We give you a date at the time of order rather than a vague estimate. One piece of local advice: start early if you are furnishing for the pujas, because every workroom in Kolkata compresses its year into those few weeks.
What actually drives the price
Comparing two quotes comes down to seven variables: the fabric rate per metre, the fullness multiplier, the number of panels, the lining, the heading style, the hardware, and the wastage a pattern repeat forces. Height matters too — anything much over nine feet needs either a wide-width fabric or a horizontal join, and it is worth asking which you are getting. A quote that looks unusually low is usually low on fullness or on lining. Ask for both in writing and the comparison becomes straightforward.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between custom curtains and ready-made curtains?
Ready-made curtains are stitched to standard sizes before anyone knows your window. Custom, or made-to-measure, curtains are cut to your exact track width and drop, with fullness, heading and lining chosen for that window. The difference shows most at the floor and at the sides — the two places the eye goes first.
Do you charge for measuring?
No. Measurement at your home is free. Our team comes to you, measures every window, and advises on rod position and clearance before anything is ordered.
How much fabric will I need for one window?
It depends on your track width, drop, heading and whether the fabric has a pattern repeat. As a rough guide, plan for the finished curtain to be two to two-and-a-half times your track width, plus hems. Give us the window and we will work out the exact metreage.
How long do custom curtains take in Kolkata?
Weeks rather than days. It depends on the number of windows, the fabric and the installation schedule, and we confirm a date when you place the order. If you are working towards a festival or a house-warming, order well ahead.
Can I choose any fabric I like?
We carry over 5,000 curtain fabrics — sheers, blackouts, velvets, cottons, linens and textured blends — and any of them can be cut and stitched to your window. It is worth handling them in person; weight and texture do not translate through a phone screen.
Do you install the curtains as well?
Yes. Measurement, stitching and installation are all done by our own team. Rods and tracks are fitted, the curtains hung and dressed, and the folds set so they fall the same way from the first day.
Bring us your window
Avikar has been Kolkata’s curtain destination since 1971. We carry over 5,000 fabrics, offer made-to-measure curtains cut and stitched in our own workshop, and measure at your home free of charge. More than 6,500 Kolkata homes have bought their curtains from us, and we hold a 4.7 rating on Google. Still deciding on fabric? Start with our curtain buying guide.
Avikar Furniture & Furnishings
46 Central Avenue, Bowbazar, Kolkata, West Bengal 700012
Monday to Saturday, 10:30 AM to 7:00 PM. Sunday closed.
Call or WhatsApp: 8080095551 or 9830200750
Bring a photograph of your window and a rough measurement. We will tell you what it needs — and if a ready-made panel would genuinely do the job, we will tell you that too.
