Curtains

Upcycled, preloved curtains for low-income whāmere.

Keep the warmth in, and the cold out, with quality curtains from CEA’s Curtain Bank. Curtains are one of the simplest, most effective, and affordable ways to improve the comfort and efficiency of your home.

Our Curtain Bank reuses donated fabric and curtains, sewing them into sets to fit homes across Canterbury and the West Coast.

Why choose CEA?

  • Reduce heat loss through windows by up to 60%.

  • Lower power bills by improving energy efficiency.

  • Create a warmer, healthier home environment.

  • Reduce condensation and dampness.

  • Referral: families are referred through community and health providers.

  • Curtain Production: volunteers custom-sew curtains using donated fabric and clean second-hand curtains.

  • Collection: families receive curtains matched to their windows.

Our Curtain Bank

  • Complete the Apply for Curtains form.

  • In the comments section, let us know your preferred colours, patterns, or styles.

  • We’ll get in touch to arrange an appointment for you to choose your curtains. (During lockdowns, our team may need to select curtains on your behalf based on your preferences.)

  • Please note: demand is high, especially in autumn and winter, and there may be a waiting list of up to three months. We appreciate your patience.

Supporting Our Curtain Bank

The Curtain Bank is not fully funded, so we rely on grant funding, donations, curtain and product sales to keep running. Every dollar the Curtain Bank receives truly makes a difference to help us provide curtains to local families.

You can support our work in-person onsite, or online through our Givealittle page.

We gratefully accept donations of preloved curtains in good condition. To ensure they can be reused, curtains must:

  • Be completely free of mould

  • Not be faded or ripped

Drop-off locations:

  • Curtain Bank – 55 Ferry Road (during opening hours only, see Contact Us)

  • Shirley Library – 36 Marshland Road

  • Halswell Library – 341 Halswell Road

  • 7 Denniston Crescent, Redwood (private residence)

  • 5 Binstead Place, Avondale (private residence)

  • 55 Rosewarne Street, Spreydon (private residence)

Please note: curtains cannot be dropped off at our head office.

Christchurch and nearby areas (including Rolleston, Kaiapoi, Rangiora, etc):

  • Customers are asked to collect their curtains directly from our Curtain Bank premises in Christchurch. There is no collection or delivery fee for picking up your curtains personally.

Outside Christchurch (Ashburton/West Coast):

  • Delivery Fee: Due to rising travel costs, a small delivery charge now applies for all orders sent outside Christchurch. This cost will be discussed and finalised at your appointment.
  • Collection: You can pick up your order from our collection points in Ashburton and Westport.
  • Timing: Please note that these regional deliveries do not happen weekly, so delivery will take some time. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

What customers are saying about our curtains

“

Thank you for this insulation for our home. This has made a huge difference already to us. The men who installed this were friendly and professional and a big thank you to them both.

Tracy and MarkKaroro
“

My family and I would like to thank your organisation for the recently installed insulation. Your team worked quickly and professionally, and the result is a marked improvement in the temperature.

SimonReefton
“

Thank you so much. We had batts put in the ceiling this morning. Your team was great. We can already notice a difference in the warmth of our old house.

JanetHokitika