Custom Curtains for Agonda.

Cotton, cane and wood are the look of Agonda, and a cottage hung with shiny synthetic curtains would feel wrong. The beach, though, is open to the west wind, and real cotton and linen take up salt, stiffen and wear along the hem sooner than owners expect. A polyester woven to resemble linen or slub cotton gets round this: it looks natural, goes through a machine wash and dries on a line by afternoon. Use aluminium or stainless tracks and nylon gliders, since ordinary rings rust. Because most of the beach-front shuts for the monsoon, pick curtains that unhook easily, wash them, and pack them bone dry until the season opens.

• Beach cottages: unlined linen-look polyester on stainless rods, hung a little short of the floor so sandy feet and mops miss it.
• Yoga retreat rooms: plain off-white sheers that soften the light, with a washable blackout behind for guests who sleep late.
• Village houses behind the road: cotton prints on the sheltered side, accepting that they will want replacing sooner than synthetics.