Custom Curtains in Chicalim, Goa

Homes on the slopes above the Zuari bay are bought for what they look out on, and the curtain has to respect that. A sheer across the wide window takes the edge off the glare that bounces up from the water for much of the day, without closing off the view; a separate blackout layer behind it is drawn only at night in bedrooms. The bay air is humid with a little salt, so use aluminium tracks, nylon gliders and rust-proof fixings, and prefer fabrics that dry quickly over heavy lined drapes that can smell musty by the end of the monsoon. Wide spans stack back most neatly on a wave heading.

• Bay-facing living rooms: a wide sheer on a ceiling track, wave-headed so it stacks clear of the glass and the view.
• Bedrooms in the apartment complexes: a sheer by day and a detachable, washable blackout lining drawn across at night.
• Village houses near the church: light cotton curtains hung a little off the wall, so the humid air can move behind them.