19 Macrame Curtain Tieback Ideas for a Boho Window Look

A plain curtain tieback does one job and stops there. A macrame one does that same job while adding texture, color, and a little bit of handmade charm to a window that usually gets overlooked.

This roundup covers nineteen macrame curtain tieback diy ideas, and no two work the same way. Some stick to natural cream cord with long, brushed out fringe.

Others bring in color, from dusty blue and forest green to deep navy and dark cocoa brown, turning the tieback into the boldest detail in the room.

A few skip fringe entirely and lean on shape instead, like a crocheted flower, a leaf silhouette, or a pair of knotted feathers. Wood beads and rings show up again and again, but never quite the same way twice.

Whether your curtains are plain linen, a busy floral print, or something in between, there’s a design here built to either blend in quietly or stand out on purpose. Scroll through and save whichever ones catch your eye.

19 Macrame Curtain Tieback Ideas

1. The Diamond Lattice Cuff Tieback

This one’s built like a tiny woven basket for your curtain. The wide cuff uses a diamond lattice knot pattern stacked in three or four rows, so the negative space between the knots stays even and boxy instead of loose.

What makes it work:

• The cuff sits high and snug, so it holds a thick curtain without slipping
• A deep, loose tassel fringe drops from the bottom edge and softens the structured top
• Natural, undyed cotton cord keeps it neutral enough for a patterned curtain or a plain one

This is a great pick if your curtains already have a bold print, since the tieback stays quiet and lets the fabric do the talking.

2. The Matching Pair Diamond Drop

Symmetry is the whole point here. This pair hangs identically on both curtain panels, so the eye reads them as a set the moment you walk into the room.

The woven band narrows into a pointed diamond medallion, then splits into three tassel clusters of different lengths cascading down the sheer curtain.

What’s doing the work in this photo:

• The staggered tassel lengths keep the bottom edge from looking stiff or too uniform
• A tightly woven diamond medallion sits at the center like a focal knot, giving the eye somewhere to land
• Soft ivory cotton against sheer white linen keeps the whole look airy instead of heavy

If you’re only making one pair for a single window, this is the design to copy exactly, since it was clearly built to be seen in twos.

3. The Beaded Wooden Ring Tieback

This is a different construction entirely from a woven cuff. Here, a spiral wrapped cord loops through a wooden ring, then a run of natural wood beads leads up to a small flag of fringe at the top. It reads more like jewelry for your curtain than a knotted textile piece.

The details that make it stand out:

• Wood ring, wood beads, cream cord: three materials, one warm neutral palette
• The spiral wrap technique gives the cord a rope-like texture instead of a flat braid
• Multiple beaded strands bunched together create volume without adding bulk to the knotting itself

Style: boho with an organic, natural-materials feel
Best for: curtains that need a substantial, eye catching tieback rather than a subtle one
Effort: moderate, since sourcing and stringing the beads takes longer than knotting alone

4. The Trailing Lily-of-the-Valley Vine

This tieback trades geometric knotting for something closer to garden florals. A stitched green vine wraps the curtain twice, then trails down into a cascade of small white bell shaped blooms with leaves tucked between them. It’s the most literal nature reference in the bunch.

Why it reads so well in person:

• The vine wraps twice around the curtain fabric, which is what gives it that gathered, cinched look instead of a flat loop
• Bell flowers cluster at different heights along the trail, not lined up in a row, so it looks like it grew there
• Olive green against white cotton keeps the color story calm even with all that texture

If your room leans cottagecore or vintage floral, this is the one entry in the roundup built specifically for that mood.

5. The Dusty Blue Braided Loop with Wood Beads

Color is the star of this one. Instead of natural cream or white, this tieback uses a soft dusty blue chunky braid, which is a much bigger style shift than it looks on the surface, since it turns the tieback into an accent piece rather than a neutral accessory.

Two wooden beads slide down to cinch a pair of tassels together at the bottom.

A few things worth copying:

• The braid is thick and rope-like, made from bulky yarn rather than thin cotton cord, so it reads chunkier than a typical macrame knot pattern
• Wooden beads add a warm contrast against the cool blue, keeping it from feeling too pastel
• Two tassels side by side, not one, give the drop more visual weight

Pick a colored yarn like this only if your curtains or room can handle a pop of color, since it will draw the eye more than a neutral piece would.

6. The Slim Charcoal Cord with Wood Ring Accent

This one strips the whole idea down to its simplest form. No wide cuff, no beads, no layered fringe.

Just a slim spiral-knotted cord in charcoal grey, a small wood ring sitting off to one side of the band, and a single tassel dropping straight down.

Two things happen at once here. The dark grey cord pulls the tieback toward a more masculine, modern palette instead of the usual cream and ivory.

And the wood ring, half tucked behind the knotting, adds a small architectural detail without turning the piece busy.

• Spiral knotting down the drop cord gives it a twisted rope look, distinct from the flat lattice weaves seen earlier
• The wood ring sits partially hidden, so it reads as a detail to notice rather than the main event
• One tassel, kept small, keeps the whole piece narrow enough to disappear against a patterned curtain

Style: modern boho, understated
Cost: low
Effort: one afternoon

7. The Twin Drop Spiral and Braid Tassel

Two different knotting techniques share the same tieback here, which is the detail worth zooming in on.

The left drop uses a tight spiral wrap that coils down before ending in a full, brushed-out tassel.

The right drop is a smoother flat braid, shorter and tighter, closing into a rope-like tassel with almost no fray. Same materials, two completely different textures side by side.

• Uneven drop lengths keep the piece from looking too matched or mass produced
• Sage green curtain fabric makes the warm cream cord pop instead of blending in
• Pairing a fuzzy tassel with a smooth one gives your eye two textures to notice instead of one

8. The Leaf-Shaped Fringed Medallion

This design skips the strip-and-tassel format entirely and builds an actual shape instead.

A single wood bead sits at the top like a stem, then the whole piece fans out into a wide leaf silhouette, fringed all around the edge instead of dropping fringe from just the bottom.

• A braided vein pattern runs down the center of the leaf, the same way a real leaf has a visible spine
• Fringe trims the entire outer edge, not just one side, which is what gives it that rounded leaf outline
• One wood bead at the neck is the only hardware on the whole piece, keeping it simple next to a busier design

Because the shape itself does most of the visual work, this one suits a plain linen curtain best, somewhere the silhouette won’t compete with a print.

9. The Dark Cocoa Braided Multi-Tassel Band

Every design so far has stayed in cream, ivory, or grey. This one breaks that streak entirely with a deep chocolate brown cord, and it changes the whole feel.

Against a warm beige jacquard curtain, the dark tieback reads almost like a piece of leather hardware rather than soft cotton.

The band itself is thick and twisted, more of a braided rope than a flat knotted lattice, and it ends in a full row of short tassels bunched close together along the bottom edge.

• Dark brown cord grounds a light, patterned curtain instead of blending into it
• The braided rope texture is chunkier and looser than the tight lattice weaves seen in earlier entries
• Short, closely spaced tassels create a fuller fringe line without adding much length

If your curtains lean warm and traditional rather than airy boho, a deep brown or espresso cord like this one will fit the room better than anything in cream.

10. The Scalloped Wave Band, No Fringe

Not every tieback needs a tassel drop, and this one proves it. The whole design is just a wide woven band with a scalloped, wavy top edge, no fringe hanging below at all. It sits flat and tidy against the curtain like a cuff.

• Zero fringe means it stays compact, useful if you want a tieback that won’t compete with a bold, colorful print like this one
• The scalloped edge along the top gives it texture and movement even without any drop
• Cream cotton reads neutral against almost any print, since it’s not trying to coordinate with a specific color in the fabric

This is the entry to copy if you love the boho texture of macrame but find tassels a bit much, or if your curtain fabric is already doing enough visual work on its own.

11. The Twin Bead Crossover Knot Band

This one leans into visible hardware more than most designs so far. Two matching wood beads sit side by side at the center of the band, right where the cord crosses over itself in an X pattern, so they act almost like buttons on the front of the piece.

Below that, three short tassels drop in a tidy row.

• The crossover knotting creates a diamond shaped gap on either side of the beads, adding texture without extra bulk
• Two beads instead of one gives the center more presence, almost like a focal clasp
• Three tassels of even length keep the bottom neat rather than shaggy, a good match for the smooth curtain fabric here
• Style: clean boho with a bit of hardware detail
• Cost: low to moderate, depending on bead sourcing
• Effort: one afternoon

12. The Forest Green Chunky Cuff

Color does the heavy lifting again, but this time in a completely different direction than the dusty blue or dark brown seen earlier.

A deep forest green cuff wraps the curtain in thick, rounded knots, almost pom-pom like in texture, before a short, dense fringe finishes the bottom edge.

• Deep green cord against crisp white curtain fabric creates real contrast instead of a tonal blend
• The knots here sit rounder and puffier than the flatter lattice patterns in earlier entries, giving it a plush look
• Fringe stays short and dense rather than long and loose, which keeps the cuff compact against the fabric

A jewel tone like this forest green works best on plain white or cream curtains, where the tieback becomes the one colorful detail in the whole window.

13. The Navy Woven Medallion with Wood Ring Closure

Thick navy cord builds this one into a proper statement piece, wide enough to look substantial from across a balcony.

At the center sits a tightly woven medallion with a braided center detail, almost like a small basket weave set into the middle of the band.

A wood ring peeks out on one side, with two long, thin cord tails hanging loose below it instead of a bushy tassel.

• The center medallion has real depth and dimension, not just a flat knot pattern, which is what makes it read as a focal piece
• Long, thin cord tails replace the usual brushed-out tassel, giving a cleaner, more graphic drop
• Deep navy against a natural cream curtain works the same way the forest green did, turning the tieback into the main color moment

This one suits an outdoor or balcony curtain especially well, since the thick cord and bold color hold up visually even viewed from a distance.

14. The Beaded Strand Fringe with Wood Ring

This design swaps a full fringe for individual hanging strands, each one finished with its own small wood bead near the bottom.

A wood ring sits behind the knotting at the top, mostly hidden, while the woven section below it forms a loose, open lattice rather than a tight solid band.

• Each strand ends differently, some beads sit higher, some lower, so the fringe has a natural, uneven rhythm instead of one flat line
• The open lattice weave lets the warm gold curtain fabric show through in places, keeping the piece from looking heavy
• Small wood beads repeat the same warm tone as the wood ring, tying the whole piece together in one material story

Against a warm mustard or gold curtain like this one, the natural cream cord and wood tones read as a deliberate, coordinated choice rather than a mismatch.

15. The Compact Rosette Cuff with Twin Drops

This piece packs its detail into a small footprint. A tight, rounded rosette of knots sits at the center of the band, almost flower-like, and instead of tassels or fringe, two long thick cords drop straight down on either side, twisted rather than braided or spiraled.

• The rosette center is dense and textured, standing out even against a busy patterned curtain like this one
• Twisted drop cords instead of tassels give it a rope-like, almost nautical feel
• A compact size means it can sit closer to the fabric without swallowing the print underneath

For a patterned or textured curtain like this damask style fabric, a smaller cuff with simple drop cords lets the fabric pattern stay the main attraction while still adding a handmade detail.

16. The Two-Tone Crochet Flower Medallion

This is the only fully crocheted piece in the roundup, and it shows. Instead of knotted macrame cord, this tieback is built like a small crocheted flower, with layered scalloped petals in dusty blue surrounding a smaller cream center bloom.

• Two colors instead of one gives it depth, the pale blue outer petals frame the cream center like a real flower would
• Scalloped, ruffled edges on each petal layer add dimension you don’t get from flat knot work
• No fringe or tassel at all, the flower shape itself is the entire design
• Style: romantic, cottage inspired
• Cost: low
• Effort: one afternoon, more fiddly than knotting since it’s crochet work

17. The Double Feather Drop with Wood Beads

Feathers show up again in this set, but shaped completely differently than the earlier leaf medallion.

Here, two full feather-shaped drops hang at different lengths off a thin knotted band, each feather knotted with a visible spine and angled barbs running down both sides. A single wood bead sits above each feather like a stopper knot.

• Two full feather shapes instead of one keeps the piece symmetrical without being identical, since the lengths are staggered
• The angled knotting inside each feather actually reads as barbs, giving real texture instead of a flat outline
• Wood beads act as a small pause point before each feather, breaking up the drop instead of running knotting straight into fringe

This is a more advanced knotting project than most others on this list, since shaping a recognizable feather takes more control than a straight tassel or basic band.

18. The Simple Loop Cord Fan Medallion

No wood ring, no beads, no color accents this time, just a plain loop of cord that wraps the curtain and knots into a small fan-shaped medallion with soft fringe framing all sides. It’s proof that a tieback doesn’t need extra hardware to look finished.

• The fringe fans out in every direction around the knotted center, not just downward, giving it a rounder silhouette than most drop-style designs
• A single loop of cord does double duty as both the wrap and the hanging cord, so there’s no separate closure piece to attach
• Warm honey-toned cord picks up the wood tones of the curtain rod instead of standing out against it

19. The Navy Fringe Tassel with Twin Knot Balls

This closes the roundup with the deepest, moodiest color of the whole set. Navy blue cord, twisted rather than knotted flat, wraps the curtain and drops into a long, dense tassel of twisted threads, finished off with two small round knot balls sitting partway down the fringe like beads made from cord instead of wood.

• The twisted thread texture throughout, band and tassel alike, gives it a more cord-like, uniform look than the mixed textures seen in earlier navy or dark pieces
• Two knot balls break up the long fringe drop, adding a small visual pause before the ends

Conclusion

That’s nineteen ways to dress up a curtain with nothing more than cord, a few knots, and maybe a bead or two.

Some of these are weekend projects, others take a bit more patience, but none of them need much beyond basic macrame skills to pull off.

Pick a style that matches your curtain fabric, whether that means staying neutral or going bold with color, and it will end up looking like a finished design detail rather than an afterthought.

Save this for the next time you’re ready to try a new macrame curtain tieback diy project.