Options For Window Treatments

DIFFERENT types of fabric can be used to make curtains. The type of fabric used to make curtains contributes in no small measure to the overall look and feel of a room. Besides aesthetic reasons, a designer has to bring reasons of functionality to bear on his choice of curtain fabrics. Different fabrics will have different uses and give different final looks to the finished product.

Choosing curtain fabric, colour, texture and price should be major considerations. Defining what you want curtains to do for your room will help you select materials that fit your budget while enhancing your decor.

Defining what you want curtains to do for your room will help you select materials that fit your budget while enhancing your décor. For example, to set a formal tone with curtains, “drapes” or “draperies,” are good choices. They tend to be of heavier fabric than informal curtains. In the fabrics’ draping ability to hold pleats and folds are both their charm and their formal quality. Among the fabrics that drape well are velvet, brocade, jacquard, damask and heavy silk-textured weaves, whether silk or synthetic. Tightly-woven wools, linens and heavy cottons drape well also.

For a creating a casual atmosphere curtains may have shirred, tabbed or gathered tops. They are often made of lighter materials ranging from broadcloth, chintz, gingham and to sheer synthetics. Curtains often gain their appeal from bright colours and patterns, and their translucency. They may be enhanced with ruffling, embroidery or fabric trims.

For functionality, curtains made from tightly-woven opaque fabrics offer indoor privacy. Their protective decorative abilities could be enhanced with synthetic lining material.

Realising that over time, the sun can damage all fabrics should make one make one factor the issue of durability in curtain fabric choices. For instance, silks are especially adversely affected by exposure to the sun, while chintzes, brocades, and cotton canvas are least prone to sun rot.