Fabric offers a wealth of opportunities for enhancing one's home décor. They lend a touch of elegance especially to the windows. Ready-made curtain panels are the norm in stores today. Usually hung from clip rings, tab-tops or a rod pocket casing, they are available in different lengths and widths to fit a variety of window sizes. Unlined and lightweight, they are the alternative to formal custom-made draperies, which are usually lined, pleated and constructed to fit the exact dimensions of a window. If draperies are not attached to the rod with rings, they are usually hung on traverse rods, allowing the panels to be opened and closed by a cord that hangs behind the fabric.
A traditional Roman shade provides a clean, classic look for any interior design. There are many different variants of this popular shade, including the most traditional look of a flat panel that creates soft folds when raised and one with overlapping folds that are visible when lowered. Roller shades were once only available in white vinyl. Today, there's an endless variety of fabrics to choose from. From translucent sheers to opaque polyester, one can achieve a look anywhere from simple to sleek. The cellular shade is the fabric cousin to the ubiquitous mini-blind. Available in single, double and triple thickness, they filter natural light and insulate against the heat and cold.
Balloon shades are similar to Roman shades. They have a pull-cord mechanism for rising and lowering the fabric, however its inverted pleats create soft billows at the bottom for a pronounced romantic effect. Austrian shades are similar to balloon shades but contain shirring between the vertical rows of rings for a blouse-like, billowy effect. The top heading may be flat, puffed, smocked or pleated. A London shade (also called a festoon) contains two inverted pleats at the bottom, creating a shallow scoop in the center with two small tails on either side. Cafe curtains cover the bottom half of windows and are sometimes paired with a valence.
Decorative Treatments - These decorative pieces are used in combination with other elements to supplement a formal design. A scarf is a long piece of fabric, generally wrapped or arranged on a pole, thread through sconces at the corners to frame the perimeter of a window. Swag is a semi-circular piece of pleated fabric attached above a window and is usually paired with a cascade and jabot for a classic window treatment. A cascade is a pleated piece of fabric used with a swag that falls loosely to the side of the window. A jabot is a pleated panel used on either side of swag or in between two swags to cover the seams.
A bishop's sleeve is paired with either a swag or formal valance and consists of long panels on either side of a window cinched in the middle to create blousy poufs. Valance is essentially a short curtain placed at the top of a window to conceal drapery hardware. If it's not required to hide hardware, it can be used alone as a singular treatment for visual interest when privacy is not an issue. When used in combination with other shades, panels or drapes, it provides the finishing touch to a formal window dressing. Valances can be made to look like shortened versions of some shades (e.g. balloon, London) or as simple fabric rectangles with different headings.
Posts
