Drapery Design Ideas. The internet is full of them. You’ve probably bought all the latest design magazines. You’ve pored over them for weeks or even months at a time. You’ve spent hours looking for the right drapery ideas for your room. Maybe you jumped in and bought ‘ready made’ window treatments. And yet you hate the way they look. They just don’t look like what you imagined and certainly not like the picture on the box!
Well, let me reassure you that you’re not alone. It‘s not uncommon for homeowners to make several attempts at a variety of window treatment solutions before realizing that what they’ve got is just not ‘cutting the mustard’. They’ve spent too much time and too much money and they don’t like the results they’ve gotten.
The good news is that you can achieve the look you want by eliminating some common window treatment mistakes. I consider these concepts day in and day out when I’m designing window treatments for my clients and interior designers. Here are a few drapery ideas and tips to keep in mind.
Drapery Idea 1: Drapery on a Budget
The beauty of draperies is in the fabric and the fullness. When you put up skimpy draperies, they scream ‘skimpy budget’. If you’re watching your budget, you can get away with a less expensive fabric. However make sure there’s adequate fullness in the draperies.
Drapery Idea 2: A Short Story
Short draperies take me back to college days and my very first apartment. The drapes ended just below the sill. The hems were uneven, it looked like they ran out of fabric and they were just awful! Proportion is important to remember when designing window treatments. If the situation warrants having a short treatment, change from a drapery to a fabric shade instead, like a roman shade.
Drapery Idea 3: Tab Tops Sitting Pretty
When’s the last time you saw a tab-top drapery in a magazine or model home? They look great don’t they! Usually they are stacked on either side of the window, just sitting there looking pretty. The trick is when you try to close them. The tabs at the top of the drape get jumbled up together and don’t slide across the rod very well. Save the tab-top draperies for decorative purposes and select another style of treatment when you need to close your drapes for privacy or sun control.
Drapery Idea 4: Proportionate Drapery Rods
Expandable rods are the ones that show a size range on the package. It may say something like ‘expandable from 86″-128″‘. One problem with these types of rods is they typically come in smaller diameters (1/2″, 5/8″, 7/8″) which don’t suit larger windows. When the diameter of the rod is too narrow it can bow in the middle. Secondly, if you want to use rings it can be difficult to get the ring over the bump where the rods join. To use these rods choose a window treatment that is decoration only and not too wide.
Drapery Idea 5: Inside or Out
Oftentimes I have extensive conversations with my clients about the best place to install shades. Inside or out? Shades mounted inside the window provide a clean, finished look. However, they also can take up a significant amount of your window’s glass space because of the size of their stack. This can take away part of your view and reduce the natural light in the room. If you want to maximize your view and take in as much natural light as possible, consider mounting shades above the window.
Inside Mount:
Outside Mount
