IKEA curtains in Hong Kong: when ready-made works — and when custom is cheaper than you think

Where IKEA curtains genuinely win

If your windows are close to IKEA’s standard panel sizes, you need something today, and you are happy to install the track yourself, ready-made curtains are hard to beat on price. They are also a sensible stopgap for rental flats where you will move out in a year.

Fabric quality at IKEA has improved a lot, and their blackout range does a decent job for the money.

The hidden costs most people miss

Most Hong Kong windows are not standard sizes. Estate bay windows, floor-to-ceiling new-development glazing and older aluminium frames rarely match a 145cm or 250cm ready-made drop. That means alterations — and a seamstress in Hong Kong typically charges HK$80–150 per panel to shorten or narrow curtains, plus a week of waiting.

Add the track, the brackets, your own drilling (or a handyman at HK$400–600), and a pair of altered ready-made panels often lands within 20–30% of a made-to-measure quote — while still fitting slightly worse at the edges.

Light gaps are the other issue. A panel that is 10cm too narrow on each side leaks enough light to defeat blackout fabric, which matters in bedrooms facing Hong Kong’s very bright nights.

A fair rule of thumb

Choose IKEA if: your window is near-standard, you are renting short-term, or you enjoy DIY. Choose custom if: you own the flat, the window is bay-shaped or floor-to-ceiling, you need true blackout, or you simply want it measured, made and installed without a weekend of drilling.

Our measurement visit is free and the quote is fixed, so comparing costs you nothing. Many customers are surprised the gap is smaller than they expected.