Curtains in Old Goa: Bespoke Designs & Expert Installation

Damp, not salt, is what shapes curtain choices in Old Goa. The town lies low beside the Mandovi and the air stays humid long after the rains, so a thick lined curtain pressed against an outside wall can smell stale before the monsoon ends. Lighter cottons and polyester blends that wash and dry quickly are the sounder choice, with a blackout lining that unhooks for laundering. In the older houses of the surrounding wards, windows are tall and shuttered, and the rod goes above the frame so the shutters can still swing. New flats along the highway want something denser on the road side. Hang every curtain a little proud of the wall, so the back of it can dry.

• Older houses in the surrounding wards: full-length cotton or linen on a wooden pole set above the frame, where the shutters cannot foul it.
• Highway-facing flats: a sheer plus a detachable blackout lining on a double track, both of which go through the washing machine.
• Ground-floor rooms on low ground: unlined, quick-drying curtains hung away from the plaster and hemmed a little above the floor.