London - Patterned or plain, floral or striped, they have adorned the windows of our homes for generations.
But changing tastes and the fashion for Scandinavian-style home design means it could finally be curtains for curtains, according to research.
Having accounted for two-thirds of the "window coverings" market at the start of the century, they now make up less than half the £1.4-billion we spend annually, a market report from AMA Research shows.
Squeezing them out are the cleaner lines of blinds and shutters – influenced by the modernist fashions popularised by television shows such as Channel 4’s Grand Designs.
Net curtain sales have dropped significantly, while blind sales have increased from just over a quarter of the overall market in 2002 to nearly a third this year, the research found.
Author Jane Tarver told the Daily Telegraph that curtains were "likely to face further share erosion as the market evolves", adding: "Shutters do have potential for further significant growth due to the aspirational nature of the product and the need for consumers to maintain privacy."
Her report suggests the decline of department stores, with their specialist curtain departments, has encouraged the switch to blinds and shutters.
But with many of these products being more expensive than curtains, the overall window coverings market is projected to be worth 15 percent more by 2022 at £1.6-billion annually.