Curtains in Porvorim: Custom & Motorised Solutions

Sliding doors and wide windows are the rule in Porvorim's flats and bungalows, so most curtains here are wide ones, and they have to stack back without blocking the door. A ceiling track with a wave heading does that better than a rod with rings. The plateau wind is the other consideration: on an upper floor, an open door will throw a light voile about, so pick a sheer with some body and screw the track into the slab. Red laterite dust blows in through the dry months and shows on white, so off-white, beige and grey sheers stay presentable longer. Along the highway, a lined curtain takes a little edge off the traffic.

• Upper-floor flats in the large complexes: weighted sheers on a slab-fixed track across the balcony door, with a blackout behind in bedrooms.
• Bungalows in Defence Colony and Alto Porvorim: wave-heading curtains across the living-room sliding doors, motorised where the span is too wide to pull.
• Homes facing the highway: a closely woven lined curtain over a washable sheer, in a colour that hides laterite dust.