There's something about a plaid bedroom that just feels right. It's warm, it's classic and it's the kind of space you actually want to spend time in. If you've been pulling together a country style bedroom and you're not sure how to make your plaid bedding and curtains work together, you're in the right place.
Matching bedding and curtains doesn't have to be a big deal, though. Once you know a few simple tricks, it's actually really fun to put together.
Why Plaid Works So Well in a Country Bedroom
Plaid has been a staple in country and farmhouse decorating for a long time, and for good reason. It's cozy without being fussy, and it brings a sense of pattern and color that keeps a room from feeling flat.
Rustic plaid bedding has a homespun quality that fits right in with wood furniture, quilts, braided rugs and natural textures. It works in a log cabin bedroom just as well as in a farmhouse-style room in the suburbs. Pair it with the wrong curtains, though, and the whole room can feel off. Pair it with the right ones, and it clicks.
1. Match Your Plaid Bedding to Solid Curtains in One of Its Colors
Pick one color from your plaid bed and pull it into solid curtains. If your plaid sheets are red, black and cream, try deep red curtain panels or simple cream tiers. The room feels coordinated without being matchy-matchy. It's honestly hard to go wrong with this one.
For a buffalo plaid bedroom, this works really well. Buffalo check bed sets are usually two-color (think classic red and black, or navy and cream), so pulling one of those colors into your window treatment ties everything together without any guesswork.
2. Go With a Smaller Plaid or Check on the Curtains
If you love pattern on pattern, you can absolutely do it. The big trick is scale. Your plaid bedding is the star, so your curtains need to play a supporting role. Choose a smaller check or a tighter plaid for the windows so the two patterns don't compete.
A buffalo check bedroom with larger check bedding pairs really nicely with a smaller windowpane plaid curtain. They're in the same family, but the difference in scale keeps things from looking too busy.
3. Try a Ticking Stripe Curtain
Ticking stripe is one of those patterns that gets along with almost everything, and it's a classic in country decorating. If your plaid bedroom set has a lot going on, a simple narrow stripe in a coordinating color gives the windows a clean, classic look without pulling attention away from the bed.
This is really helpful in smaller bedrooms where you want the plaid bed to be the focal point. Keep the curtains quieter, and let the bedding do the work.
4. Pair Buffalo Plaid Bedding with Simple Lace or Cotton Panels
Not every curtain has to be bold. In a buffalo plaid bedroom, crisp white cotton panels or lace tiers actually look really lovely. The softness of white or natural linen against the strong graphic of a buffalo check bed creates a nice balance. It feels lived-in and cozy rather than stark.
This combination works really well in cottage-style country bedrooms where you want that light, airy feel alongside the warmth of the plaid.
5. Use Color Temperature as Your Guide
Color temperature is just a fancy way of saying warm tones vs. cool tones. If your plaid bedding pulls warm (reds, oranges, rusts, tans), your curtains will look best in warm tones, too. If your plaid bed leans cool (navy, slate blue, forest green), stick to cooler colors at the windows.
You don't have to match exactly. A warm red and black plaid bedroom set looks great with curtains in an earthy tan, soft gold or even a warm burgundy. Just keep them in the same temperature family and they'll feel cohesive.
6. Don't Forget the Bed Skirt and Shams
A really pulled-together plaid bedroom set includes more than just the quilt or comforter. Shams and a bed skirt in a coordinating solid or subtle print fill out the look and give you more chances to tie in your curtain color.
If your curtains are solid navy, a navy bed skirt with your plaid quilt on top brings the whole room together. It's a small detail, but it makes a real difference.
7. Keep the Rest of the Room Simple
Plaid is a pattern with a lot of personality. It doesn't need a lot of help. When you're decorating a plaid bedroom, keep your other textiles and accessories simple. Solid throw pillows, a braided rug in coordinating colors, simple wood furniture. Let the plaid be the thing you notice first.
This is where a lot of people go a little overboard. If you've got plaid sheets, a plaid quilt, plaid curtains AND a rug, the room starts to feel more like a flannel shirt than a bedroom. Pick one or two plaid pieces, and let the rest of the room breathe.
Country Village Shoppe Has You Covered
At Country Village Shoppe, we carry plaid bedding, buffalo check bedding and country curtains that are made to work together. You can shop by style, color and room, which makes it a lot easier to find things that coordinate without spending hours second-guessing yourself.
If you're putting together a buffalo plaid bedroom or just want a cozy country look with rustic plaid bedding and the right curtains to match, we've got options that will feel right at home.
Already Coordinated: Bedding Collections That Come With Matching Curtains
If all this coordinating sounds like more work than you want to do, good news. A lot of our bedding collections here at Country Village Shoppe already come with matching curtains. The quilt, the shams and the curtains are all designed to go together, so you don't have to figure anything out. You just pick the collection you love and you're done.
It's a real time-saver, and it takes the guesswork completely out of decorating a plaid bedroom.
A plaid bedroom done well is one of the coziest spaces you can create. It's warm, it's classic and it holds up year after year without ever feeling dated. Start with your plaid bedding as your anchor, pull one or two colors into your curtain choice, and keep the rest of the room simple. You'll have a bedroom that feels put-together and personal without a lot of fuss.
FAQs
What goes with plaid bedding?
Solid curtains in one of the plaid's colors are always a safe choice. You can also try ticking stripes, small check patterns or simple white cotton panels. The goal is to let the plaid be the star without leaving the windows looking like an afterthought. Wood furniture, braided rugs and simple throw pillows in coordinating solids all work really well alongside plaid bedding.
How do you decorate a country style bedroom?
Start with a strong anchor piece, like a plaid quilt or a buffalo check comforter. Build out from there with solid or lightly patterned curtains, a braided or woven rug, simple wood furniture and a few natural accents like baskets or pottery. Country decorating is about warmth and comfort, not perfection, so don't overthink it.
Are plaid curtains in style?
Yes! Plaid curtains have always had a place in country and farmhouse decorating, and they're just as popular now. Buffalo check curtains, in particular, are widely used in modern farmhouse and rustic country rooms. The key is pairing them with the right bedding and keeping the scale of the patterns in mind.
What curtain styles work best with plaid bedding in a country bedroom?
Tab top panels, rod pocket tiers and prairie gathered curtains all work well with plaid bedding. For a more finished look, try lined panels in a solid color pulled from your bedding. If you want something softer, lace or cotton tiers add a cottage feel that balances the graphic quality of plaid nicely.
How do you balance patterns when decorating a country bedroom?
Vary the scale. If your bedding has a large plaid or bold buffalo check, choose a smaller pattern for your curtains, or go solid. Only one or two pieces in the room should carry a strong pattern. Let the rest be solid or very subtle. That way the room feels layered and intentional, not chaotic.