Introduction
Choosing the right drapery top treatment for your room can really make or break the overall style and aesthetic. Draperies frame windows and bring softness, color, and texture to a space, so picking drapery that complements your existing decor is key. When selecting a drapery top, consider the room’s style, colors, patterns, textures, and lighting needs. With so many options from elegant pleated tops to casual cafe styles, follow these tips to pick the perfect drapery top for your room’s look.
Match the Style of the Room
First and foremost, the drapery top should fit the general style of the room. Is the room traditional, modern, coastal, romantic, etc? Selecting a drapery style that matches the room’s aesthetic will create a cohesive, polished look.
Traditional Rooms
- Pleated Tops – Pleated drapery tops with ornate pleats and gathers work beautifully in traditional spaces. Choose opulent fabrics like silk, velvet, or brocade.
- Rod Pocket Tops – Crisp rod pocket drapery tops with decorative finials give a formal, elegant look in traditional settings.
- Grommets – Grommet tops create crispgathered draperies, perfect for showcasing elaborate patterns and details.
Modern and Contemporary Rooms
- Tab Top Draperies – Sleek tab top drapes complement the clean lines of modern decor. Linen, cotton, or subtle patterns work well.
- Pinch Pleat Draperies – For modern style with some softness, choose pinch pleat tops in solid colors.
- Ripplefold Draperies – Layered ripplefold tops offer an architectural, avant-garde look for modern spaces.
Country or Cottage Rooms
- Tiered and Swag Tops – Multi-tiered swag drapery tops suit the casual coziness of country decor.
- Cafe Rod Tops – Relaxed rod pocket tops with a cafe style gather are perfect for cottages.
- Jabots – Ruffled jabot drapery tops bring a playful, homespun look to country rooms.
Complement the Room’s Color Palette
Picking a drapery color that enhances the room’s existing color scheme is essential for a pulled-together look.
- Matching colors – Choose drapery in one of the room’s main accent colors for a coordinated look.
- Contrasting colors – Go for a striking contrast with drapes in the opposite color family from your wall color. This creates visual interest.
- Neutral colors – Never underestimate neutral drapery colors like white, ivory, tan or gray. They act as a soothing backdrop.
- Patterns and textures – variegated stripes, damask prints or luxurious silk in tone-on-tone colors work beautifully.
Factor in the Room’s Lighting Needs
The room’s lighting is a key consideration, as draperies can filter light. Sheer, light-filtering fabrics illuminate dark rooms. Bold opaque fabrics block light for media rooms. Blackout fabrics stop all light from entering for bedrooms.
- South facing rooms – Sheer, light-filtering drapes prevent harsh direct sunlight.
- North facing rooms – Insulated, opaque drapes keep out drafts and darkness.
- Bedrooms – Room darkening blackout drapery fabrics allow for undisturbed sleep.
- Home theaters – Light blocking draperies are a must for proper TV viewing.
Choose Appropriate Drapery Lengths
Proper drapery length frames the window, complements proportions, and suits the style. Follow these tips:
- Floor length drapes – Elegant floor length drapes work well with 8 ft ceilings or higher. Puddle drapes pool gracefully on the floor.
- Sill length drapes – For cottage style, choose drapes that just kiss the floor, showing just a hint of the window sill.
- Exact window height – Drapes that just graze the floor have a tailored yet relaxed look.
- Above the window – Hanging drapes 6-12 inches above the window frame has a casual, breezy look.
- Cafe length – 30-36 inch drapes that fall above the window sill keep the room light and airy.
Drapery Styles for Specific Windows
- Arched windows – Layered tiered drapery panels enhance arched shapes. Gathered rod pocket panels also complement arched windows.
- Bay windows – Choose rod pockets or ripplefold drapes to accentuate the angles. Or dress them up with swag valances.
- Small windows – Narrow side panels prevent drapes from overwhelming the window. Crisp pleated drapes work better than bulky gathered panels.
Top Drapery Header Styles
The drapery header, or top edge, plays a big role in the overall look. Compare popular drapery header options:
- Rod pocket – Casual gathered look, available in different pocket depths. Easy to hang.
- Tab top – Sleek, modern style with tabs sewn into the back to hang on rod hooks. Crisp look.
- Grommets – Metal grommets reinforce holes for a clean, contemporary style. For a bold statement.
- Pinch pleats – Pleats pinch together at the top in groups for a tailored, elegant style.
- Pencil pleats – Tiny pleats evenly spaced across the drapery add formal detailing. Timeless look.
- Ripplefold – Cascading folded layers create an organic, flowing profile. Modern and natural.
- Tiered – Multiple stacked rod pockets produce a soft, romantic cottage look. Rustic charm.
- Swags – Decorative swag valances drape attractively above windows for emphasis.
Hanging Drapes at the Proper Height
Hanging drapery high makes rooms feel taller. But drapes hung too high look skimpy and out of balance. Follow these guidelines:
- Above the window – For contemporary flair, hang 6-12 inches above the window molding. Provides privacy while allowing light.
- At the ceiling – Gives a spacious, dramatic look. Only for ceilings 9 ft or higher.
- Just below the ceiling – Creates a cozy, enveloping feel. Ideal treatment to accentuate low ceilings.
- 2-3 inches above the window – The standard that nicely frames the window. Provides full coverage.
- Above the molding – For a casual cottage look, hang drapery rods 2-3 inches above the window molding.
Don’t Forget the Finishing Touches
Top off your draperies beautifully with these styling tips:
- Layer with sheers – Soften the look by layering sheer panels behind heavier draperies. Filters light beautifully.
- Add trim – Contrasting trim like gimp braid accentuates drapery edges with color and texture.
- Use designer hardware – Decorative finials, holdbacks and rings add interest while serving a function.
- Highlight with lighting – Illuminate drapes with correctly positioned lamps, sconces or track lighting. Creates ambiance and drama.
So keep all these tips in mind as you search for the perfect drapery top treatment for your room. Take the room’s style, lighting, color scheme, windows and proportions all into account. With so many gorgeous drapery styles to choose from, you’ll enjoy making a selection that really brings your room’s decor together beautifully. Treat your windows right!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Picking Drapery Tops
Q1: What is the most popular drapery style?
A1: The rod pocket drapery header is the most popular and versatile drapery style. Rod pocket draperies have a gathered look that works with both formal and casual decor. The fabric loops over the curtain rod, creating a casual gathered look when opened. Rod pockets come in different depths and sizes to accommodate different drapery rods. This style is easy to make and hang, and allows drapes to stack attractively on either side of the window.
Q2: Should drapes puddle on the floor?
A2: It’s largely an aesthetic choice whether drapes puddle on the floor or not. Puddle drapes give a very elegant, formal look in rooms with high ceilings. The excess fabric pooling on the floor creates a luxurious appearance. But puddle drapes also attract more dirt and require professional cleaning. For most homes, it’s recommended to have drapes that just kiss the floor. Hanging drapes to just graze the floor frames the window beautifully while showing a hint of the floor and sill beneath.
Q3: What drapes are best for bedroom?
A3: The best drapery fabrics for bedrooms are room darkening and blackout fabrics. These fabrics prevent all outside light from filtering in, making rooms dark for sleeping. Look for tightly woven fabrics, or those with a foam or vinyl blackout lining on the back to block sunlight. For style, pinch pleat drapes, ripplefold drapes, and rod pocket drapes all complement bedrooms. Make sure drapes are full length to the floor to further block light.
Q4: Should living room drapes touch the floor?
A4: In most cases, yes – drapes in living rooms should touch the floor for an elegant, finished look. Drapes that puddle on the floor or just kiss the floor convey a sense of luxury. Floor length drapes can draw the eye downwards, making rooms feel taller. If you prefer a more casual look, hanging drapes just above the window sill also works well. Ultimately the length depends on your decor. Just avoid hanging drapes too high above the window, which looks awkward and unattractive.
Q5: What is the standard drapery width?
A5: The standard width for drapery panels is 50 inches wide or wider. This allows adequate fabric overlap in the center when drapes are closed. For smaller windows up to 30 inches wide, single panels around 30 inches wide work best. For larger windows, use wider panels or multiple panels evenly spaced across the window. The more fabric overlap in the center, the better the room darkening effects.
Q6: Should curtain rod be wider than window?
A6: Yes, drapery rods should extend 4-12 inches beyond the window frame on either side. This allows drapery panels to stack attractively on the sides when opened. Extending rods wider than the window frame also ensures the drapes can close fully and seal out light. Standard advice is to have rods extend 3 inches beyond on small windows up to 12 inches beyond on larger picture windows.
Conclusion
Choosing the perfect drapery top style truly completes the look of a room. Match the drapery design to the room’s decor, style and color palette for visual harmony. Factor in the room’s lighting needs as well. Give special consideration to drapery lengths and hanging heights based on the room’s proportions. And don’t overlook all the beautiful finishing embellishments available. There are so many options when it comes to drapery headers, from crisp pleats to relaxed rod pockets, in patterns, colors and fabrics galore. So take the time to pick the ideal drapery top treatment and enjoy the cohesive style it brings to your room.
