 Curtain Decorating Tips
Should I Use Natural or White?
This is really a matter of personal preference, but here are a few things to consider. White is brighter, because it reflects more light, and will provide a sharper contrast with the rest of the colors in your room. It draws more attention to the window. Natural offers a warmer, softer look, and tends to more easily blend with or complement the other colors in your room.
Control Light Through Fabric Selection
Sheers and laces filter light without blocking it, and don't disturb your view. Natural or white cottons or blends, are translucent, and soften the light. Woven fabrics, lined curtains and insulated curtains more nearly block out the light. Achieve the lighting effect you want by selecting an appropriate fabric.
Choosing Your Curtain Style!
With tab curtains, you can create looks that range from country to colonial to contemporary. With tailored curtains, your look can be anything from country to traditional to formal. With a combination of top treatments and curtains, sheers or laces, an up-to-date feeling is easy to have. The most important thing is to design to please yourself!
Tie Your Curtains Back!
When you tie back or hold back your curtains, you allow more light to come through your windows, and visually widen them. Where you tie them back is a matter of personal preference. Tied high, in the middle, or low ... each offers a different look with different amounts of light. You may even want to change the height of your tiebacks from season to season, to change the whole feeling in your room.
Change The Look and Feel of Your Room, Seasonally, With Layering!
It's simple! Use any of our top treatments alone in spring or summer, and then change to a layered look in fall or winter by adding a lace or sheer panel, or matching or coordinating curtains, underneath.
Solve the Drafty Window or Too Much Sunshine Problem!
Our insulated curtains and shades are a perfect solution ... and they're available in a variety of styles and colors. Or, try our insulated tailored lining. Keep the heat in in colder climates, and the heat out in warmer climates!
Why use lined curtains?
Lined curtains offer several benefits that justify the extra expense to some people. They tend to block out more light than unlined curtains when closed. Secondly, they offer a bit more insulating value. Finally, because the lining is usually Natural or White in color, the view from the street can be made consistent from window to window, eventhough inside, different rooms have different colors.
Selecting Colors For Your Window!
Use as much or as little color as you feel comfortable with. Solid colors or prints are refreshing and draw attention to the window. Soft, neutral colors can complement the colors in your carpeting, furniture, or wallpaper. If the window is interesting architecturally, you may want to emphasize that feature through color selection.
Don't hesitate to experiment with mixing naturals and whites, or prints, stripes and solids. Warm shades of reds and yellows will add life to a room. Cool colors ... blues or whites ... or earth tones like greens and browns ... are restful. Work toward harmony and complementarity in color selection.
For Help With Choosing a Color or a Fabric ...
Please drop us a note. We'll discuss your project with you, and we'll send you some free fabric swatches. You might even want to order a half yard of material that appeals to you. Place it at your window, step back or even across the room ... see how distance influences the appearance of the print, pattern or color ... notice how the color and texture captures the mood in your room. Also, observe the mood and effect created by the fabric in the daylight, and how it changes at night illuminated by the lamps in your room. Choose the fabric or color that passes the "feels right" test under these different conditions.
Glossary
Balloon Valances - A Valance with fabric sewn in a tubular form. The pocket can be stuffed providing a pouf look.
Door Panels - Fabric panel (usually sheer or Lace) with rod pockets on top and bottom, most with tiebacks.
Jabots - Narrow fabric sidepieces, Jabots can be tailored, pleated of ruffled. Valance between jabots can be straight or crescent shaped. ( 3 piece Jabots set would include 2 side pieces and 1 center valance).
Rod Pocket Panels - Assorted lengths, usually formal, drapery panels shirred along a pole or rod and often tied back.
Swag/Swaggers - Long side pieces (from 30" to floor length) that hang from the top of the window. Can be used alone or combined with tiers. (Swag Set would include swag & tiers).
Tab-Top Panels - Panels designed to hang by looping fabric "Tabs" at the top of the drape over decorative rods.
Tiers - Fabric panels that cover the bottom half of the window or used as a tier over tier. The can be ruffled or tailored.
Valances - Decorative fabric top treatments used alone or with other window treatments such as mini blinds.
Scarf Panels - Rectangular fabric panels that can be draped over a decorative rod or scarf holder.
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