"Extra long" is retail's word for "we stopped stocking it." Rooms didn't stop at 96 inches; ceilings kept rising through two decades of construction, and the drops real rooms produce (103, 113, 126 and a half) never matched the 12 inch jumps of the stock system anyway. We sew length as a measurement rather than a category, which turns the whole "extra long" problem into one question: what's your rod-to-floor number?
Finding your real length
Rod height first: 4 to 6 inches above the frame at minimum, two thirds of the way to the ceiling for the look that makes rooms feel taller, capped 2 inches under crown molding for bracket room. Then rod to floor, measured at both ends of the window and the middle, because floors in real houses disagree with themselves. Then the hem decision: float, kiss, break, or puddle, each adding its own half inch to 12 inches. The result is your length, and it's almost never a round number. The measurement tool runs the whole calculation, and the measuring guide explains every rule behind it.
The common lengths, mapped to rooms
Around 96 inches: 9 foot rooms at standard rod height, covered in depth on the 96 inch page. Around 108: 10 foot rooms, the fastest-growing request as newer construction defaults taller; details here. Around 120: 11 foot ceilings and ceiling-tight mounting in 10 foot rooms; details here. Past 132: double-height entries, stair walls, and the full-wall treatments covered in the floor to ceiling guide. Between any of those numbers: exactly the point of made-to-order.
What long drops demand from construction
Length is load. Past about 108 inches we treat weighted hems as standard rather than upgrade, recommend lining for stability the way an engineer recommends a beam, and reach for interlining when the fabric or the room wants columns that stand still. Fullness rules don't relax with height (2x to 2.5x for pleats, more for sheers), so panels seam multiple widths of 54 inch goods with repeats matched. And hardware inherits all of it: structure-anchored brackets, center supports on wide spans, and motorization worth honest consideration once the fabric outweighs a polite hand pull.
A recent extra long order
The flavor of the work: a stairwell window in a split-level, drop of 141 inches to the landing floor, single panel in a midweight linen, back tab header on a reachable rod, sewn with an interlined hem so the column hangs dead straight in a drafty well. No stock length exists within a foot of it. Two weeks in the workroom, one afternoon to install, and the most awkward window in the house became the best one.
Ordering, two ways
Nationwide: measure, send numbers and photos for review, receive panels rolled and ready to hang; the process lives on the custom made curtains page. In LA and Ventura counties, measurement and installation are free, ladders included.
Frequently asked questions
How long should curtains be?
Long enough to run from your chosen rod height to your chosen floor relationship, which is a measurement, not a stock size. Pick the rod position first (higher is almost always better), measure rod to floor, then decide how the hem meets the ground: a half inch float for practicality, a kiss for tailoring, a break for softness, a deliberate puddle for romance. "Extra long" just means your honest measurement exceeds where the ready-made rack stops.
How long should curtains hang below the window sill?
If you're going past the sill at all, go to the floor; the in-between lengths are the one zone designers agree to avoid. Curtains that stop at mid-wall (8, 12, 20 inches below the sill) chop the wall visually and read as shrunk in the wash. The exceptions are honest short styles: sill-length and apron-length (about 4 inches below the sill) in kitchens, baths, and over radiators, and cafe curtains covering the lower half of the glass. Everything else wants the floor.
What lengths do extra long curtains come in?
From us, any length, because each order is cut fresh: the common requests run 108, 112, 120, 132, and 144 inches, and we regularly sew past 160 for double-height spaces. The stock market works in 12 inch jumps that stop for most retailers at 108 or 120, which is exactly the problem: real rooms produce drops like 113 and a half. If you know your rod-to-floor number, we can sew to it; that's the entire product.
How do you make curtains longer without replacing them?
Honestly, options exist but they're all compromises: a sewn-on border or banding at the hem (the best-looking fix, essentially a design decision), dropping the header style to hang lower, or lowering the rod, which sacrifices the proportions that make rooms look taller. A hidden hem letdown works only if generous hems were sewn in originally. If the panels are worth keeping, banding can be beautiful; if they were near-right stock, the replacement math usually wins.
Do extra long curtains cost more?
Yes, roughly in proportion to the fabric: length drives yardage directly, and drops past about 110 inches also demand more construction (weighted hems, lining for stability, sometimes interlining), which is labor. What doesn't change is the process: measure, review, sew, ship or install. We quote against your exact windows before you commit, so the number reflects your actual drop rather than a length-tier surcharge table.