Video Credit: Blinds
When it comes to window treatments, there are so many options that it can be overwhelming to choose what’s right for your home. To make it even more confusing, many people—including interior decorators—use the terms “drapes” and “curtains” interchangeably, mixing in “shades” and “blinds” as if they were synonyms, too. However, while all four types of window treatments can be used with many decorating styles and in any room of the home, each window treatments has distinct characteristics of its own.
Here are all the ways to tell the differences between each window treatment to help you make the right selections for your needs.
1. Window Treatments - Curtains
Curtains are fabric panels that are most often sold in pairs. You’ll find curtains in a wide range of widths, lengths, fabrics, colours, and patterns, making them a versatile and popular choice for every room of the home, even bathrooms and kitchens.
The short, sheer curtains that cover only the bottom half of a window over a kitchen sink, frequently matched to a valance across the window’s top, are called café curtains. In the bedroom, you’ll likely use curtains over another window treatments, such as a blind or shade, because curtains are made of lightweight, sometimes sheer fabrics that are unlined. This means that while curtains do filter out some light, they won’t filter out all of it. Thus, they won’t keep your bedroom dark when you want to sleep late.
Curtains hang from a rod, which can be hidden and plain or decorative and on display, depending on how the curtains are hung. There are quite a few hanging options. Some of the most common options are metal grommets; metal or fabric rings; and fabric sleeves on the top or the back of the curtain panels.
Use colourful curtains to add a punch of contrast to your bedroom, or go with an interesting pattern to liven up the space. On the other hand, sheer curtains add softness and femininity to a room.
2. Window Treatments - Drapes
Like curtains, drapes are fabric panels, and are typically sold in pairs. The difference between curtains and drapes, however, is that drapes are lined, sometimes with fabric heavy enough to block out all outside light, making them perfect for bedroom use. Drapes (sometimes called draperies) are long enough to reach from the top of the window to the floor, sometimes even puddling a bit beneath the window. Heavy, somewhat stiff fabrics are the norm for drapes, including luxury materials like velvet, damask, or silk.
While drapes come in a range of styles and colours, they are most often solid rather than heavily patterned. The top of a drapery panel is often pleated, and these pleats, along with the heavy fabric, contribute to the formal appearance of this popular window treatment. Like curtains, drapes hang from a rod on rings, hooks, grommets or on a fabric sleeve at the top or on the back of the panel.
In the bedroom, the most popular draperies are the blackout style, which keeps the room dark enough for deep sleep. These are an especially good choice for anyone who needs to sleep during the day, such as night-shift workers.
3. Window Treatments - Shades
A shade is a soft fabric panel that is attached to a rod or frame at the upper edge. Sold individually, shades come in a wide range of lengths, widths, colours, and materials and are sized to fit within the window frame, unlike drapes or curtains that hang below the sill. To let in light or see outside, you need to raise the shade, using either a cord, roller, or lifting mechanism. As the shade lifts, it either bunches or rolls around a rod, depending on the shade’s style, and there are lots of styles of window shades.
Simple roller shades are inexpensive, and as the name suggests, the material rolls around the top roller. Other popular types of shades include Roman shades, which pull up into deep pleats; balloon shades that pouffe into balloons of fabric; and tie-up shades, which fasten with a fabric tie to hold them open. With many styles, you can find a window shade to complement any decorating theme from casual to formal.
While window shades can be dressy enough to use on their own, many people like to use them underneath sheer curtains or topped with a valance. As with curtains, you can use shades to add a pop of colour, a dash of pattern, or a dose of texture to the space.
4. Window Treatments - Blinds
While blinds lift up and down with a cord or lifting mechanism like shades do, they differ in that blinds are not a solid length of fabric. Rather, they are made of wood, bamboo, aluminium, or vinyl slats, also called louvres, that tilt open to let in light, or close for privacy. Because of this, it’s rarely necessary to lift the entire blind unless you are opening the window underneath.
Standard depths for blind slats are 1/2-inch or 1-inch, which are called mini blinds, or 2-inch, which are often called Venetian blinds. The length and width of the blinds are sized to fit within the window frame.
Blinds come in many colours and many wood tones but are not normally patterned. As they block out light very effectively, blinds are a good choice for the bedroom. Topping them with sheer curtains or a valance softens their rigid appearance, which can be somewhat bland on its own.
While blinds with horizontal louvres are most common, there are also blinds with hanging vertical slats. These are generally used on sliding patio doors or over large sliding windows.
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