4 Factors to Consider When Choosing Drapery For Your Home

Design Elements

There are so many components to creating a fantastic interior space in your home, and one often overlooked feature is drapery. The thing is, while drapes can really make a room stand out in a good way, they can only do it when they’re chosen carefully.

Here are a few tips for choosing the right drapery for your home.

Colour

The colour you choose should go with the rest of the interior that you’re hanging them in. But in addition to blending well, you also want to consider the lifespan of your drapes. Unless you’re OK with replacing your drapes more often, steer clear of bright colors, as these hues tend to fade faster, especially when considering how much sunlight the drapes will be exposed to.

Of course, if your goal is to change things up once in a while, then perhaps this might not be of great concern to you. But if you’re looking for a classic look that you’d like to hold on to for the long haul, go with a colour that will resist fading. Ideally, neutral tones work best for this purpose, while blending well with the rest of the room’s decor.

Fabric

Fabric is a crucial part of picking the right window treatments, as the material will determine how well they work and retain their structure and colour over time. If the fabric is too light, the drapes may not fall the way they should. And if they’re too heavy, they may fold awkwardly when you draw them open.

To get a sense of how well a particular type of fabric will work, pleat it at the top and see how they drape at the bottom. And make sure you sample a longer piece that’s at least 6 feet long to get a real sense of how the fabric will work for your drapes.

In terms of the types of material to look at, consider silk, linen, and velvet because they hang the best. The fabric you choose will also depend on the exact function you’d like the curtains to serve. For example, if you’re looking to block out the sun or the cold, then heavier fabrics like velvet work well.

Lining

You can use any fabric for the purpose of blocking out the cold and sun, as long as the fabric is properly lined. Lining your drapery will also give them a lot of body and fullness. Plus, certain materials — like silk — need lining to help extend the life of the drapes.

Length

Before choosing the length of your drapery, determine how high above the window you will be hanging them. If you’re looking to add height to your space, consider hanging the drape panels higher than the windows. A good rule of thumb is to hang drapes about 6 inches above the window frame. But if you want more drama, don’t be afraid to go even higher.

Get out the measuring tape and start from where the curtains will hang from to the floor. If you want a more elegant look, you may want to allow a little bit of the fabric to pool at the bottom, in which case you’ll want to account for a few extra inches.

Need more advice on choosing drapery for your home? Hope Designs can help. With years in the interior design industry, we’ve got the expertise and know-how to help transform any space into something spectacular. Get in touch with Hope Designs today!