Drapery Window Treatment Ideas

From traditional to modern, know the various ways to cover your windows

By Josienita Borlongan

Photo by iStockphoto.com

Drapes are typically tailored, lined window treatments found in formal homes. Usually, drapes hang in the formal rooms of the house such as the living room, dining room and some bedrooms decorated in traditional styles. Drapes feature pleated, smocked or gathered headings. Hang drapes with rods or hooks on traversing rods for ease of opening or closing.

Pleated Drapes

Pleated drapes hang on hooks connected to a traverse rod to cover windows and patio doors. Use silk, velvet, tapestry and other heavy types of fabrics to add volume to the window treatment. Pleated drapes can hang over sheers, blinds or shades for maximum privacy and thermal protection. Choose wooden or metallic traverse rods that will complement your design; use hook rings that fit the style of the rods. Topping the pleated drapes with a cornice or fabric valance will give an overall finished look.

Rod Pockets

Rod pocket drapes hang with the rod inserted into a pocket running the length of the drapery panel. Gather the pleats closer to each other to add volume. Rod pocket drapes often hang as stationary window treatments. Add tiebacks on each panel and hook them to the wall when you want to keep the drapes open. Hang a valance, cornice board or scarf on top of the rod pockets to complete the look.

Swags and Jabots

A swag is a piece of fabric that hangs over a rod or is mounted onto a piece of board or lumber that spans across the top of the window. A wide window may have more than one swag. Patio windows may have a swag as wide as the patio door or a series of swags overlapping each other. Jabots are separate pieces of fabric that hang on each side of the swag. In a window with multiple swags, place each jabot on opposite ends of the window. Allow each end to fall softly on each side to frame the window treatment. A combination of swags and jabot drapery treatments can cover any type of window. Combining swags and jabots can cover oddly shaped windows such as arched or Palladian windows. Hang them in combination with rod pockets or pleated drapes, or hang them over sheers, shades or blinds.

Sheers

Sheer window treatments feature panels and valances and provide a soft, filtered view of the world beyond while affording a minimum amount of privacy. You may hang sheers alone or as a compliment beneath another set of pleated drapes or pocket drapes. When hung in this fashion, the heavier drapes are often pulled to the side and secured with a decorative tieback or drawn open and closed by way of a curtain rod.

Privacy

Privacy drapes need not be thick and unwieldy. Opt for new light-blocking fabrics in rich colors and patterns to match your room décor. The tight weave of these fabrics offers privacy without the look of the old vinyl-backed or rubber-backed curtains. Light-blocking fabric prevents outsiders from peering in while it protects your furnishings from sunlight damage. Look for privacy drapes with small weights in the bottom hem to help the fabric hang smoothly.