Pleated Drapes - The Options You Can Choose From

Pleated drapes continue to be among the most traditional curtains, due their inherent characteristic of complementing furniture and interior décor, especially of the era gone by. But these days such long curtains are easily the mainstay of any fashionable home, because they not only enhance the elegance but also contribute to better preserve the traditional flavor of the interiors. Recent trends in the interior decor industry are a pointer that even doors could be provided with pleated drapes to get a remarkably interesting ambiance for one's home.



Drapery has always had an edge over the present-day alternatives like window blinds. That’s because it offers a much wider range of colors, fabrics or stylized combinations and convenience of maintenance. Having known that windows are prone to gathering dirt and moisture-laden grime, easier maintenance and cleaning by way of using vacuum cleaners is something that can’t be easily overlooked.



Here, let’s have a look at the different kinds of pleated drapes that could help you perk up upon the ambiance of your home:

* Silk – Curtains made from silk are perhaps the most popular. That’s because silk is a heavy material that yields thick, heavy and opaque curtains and thus offer enhanced privacy. Additionally, silk has an unmatched luster and richness attached to it that no other fabric is able to provide. Moreover, silk pleated drapes go very well with antique furniture and also look good with contemporary upholstery of modern homes.

* Patio Door Hangings - One of the current trends is to provide even patio doors with pleated drapes. These are longer than their conventional counterparts and can therefore provide efficient privacy to the interiors of the rooms and keep away peeping toms. As patio doors are generally provided with whole glass panels, this feature is of special help.

* Thermal- If you happen to be living in an area that is exposed to extremes of temperatures in different weathers, you won’t find a better option than thermal curtains.
These thermals act as good insulators of heat, meaning the room temperature is maintained for long as the air inside the room can’t escape so easily. In effect in means the rooms can be maintained warmer in winters and cooler in summers without causing any undue strain on the air conditioner or heater. That means your electricity bills are naturally lowered.

Given the potential that drapery market has, there are many other unconventional materials available in the market.

The web is often the best place, when looking for quality drapery at competitive prices. You may find it worthwhile visiting some online shops of the kind of ' Half Price Drapes ' to choose from a vast variety of styles of pleated curtains.

Frugal Drapes - For All People Who Love Casual

Long ago students of interior design were told of the thumb rule for determining the cost of draperies and that was: multiply the cost of carpet by three to get the cost of draperies in any room. It sounds quite absurd now a day!

But that was the time of elaborate drapes, with sheers, valances, cornices, and very formal pinch pleated draperies that would just sit in front of the window, very precisely half an inch from the floor or below the window sill. These days people using draperies simply allow them to fall on the floor to form a heap or puddle. Are they being extravagant!



Present trend is to have simple window treatments and people surely get frugal when it comes to having window treatments. You’ll find very many householders to be using just blinds for the windows. And, getting a ready made pair that fits your window is rather inexpensive. To soften the window, one may drape some fabric across the top, hang slight fabric on the side, or use a valance. Decorators and creative people frequently use branches, twigs, silk greenery, stenciling, etc. as valances, and for rods anything from fishing poles to old iron posts may be used.

But even valances seem to be getting out of fashion, as a majority of householders decide to go for a pair of simple drapes on the side of their windows. Depending on circumstances, if people feel that no body can peep into their house easily, they just let the windows remain bare.

Here’s a tip - if you decide to drape fabric over a pole, see that the fabric is soft and runny for it to drape nicely. It's akin to making a dress. Different fabrics go with different patterns. You would be better off by avoiding using stiff fabric. At the same time, if the fabric is too light, you may be required to sew weights at the ends to make it sit properly on the rod.`

So - rejoice by saving money in a very consumer oriented society. Now you don’t have to spend a fortune on your window treatments, and yet display the kind of furniture in your homes that in the years gone by, you would have avoided having even in your garage.

Velvet Curtains - Luxury In Your Home

Since ages velvet has been used to create a dramatic effect in rooms around the world. This luxurious material is considered to be one of the finest that one can have. Most often you’ll find velvet in rich colors of royal red, deep purple and burgundy. For centuries the royalty and the wealthy effectively used it to demonstrate their wealth and status and till date people continue to regard it as a regal material.

From the functional point of view, velvet is a very heavy material for being used for curtains. That has its plus and minus points. Its weight pulls down the curtain to create a superb fall that provides a sense of intimacy. The negative point is that opening or closing of such curtains becomes quite an effort. It implies that it will not be a right choice of curtains if you have elderly person at home, and the curtains need to be adjusted frequently.



Velvet is made by weaving material on a loom of specific kind, which would weave a few pieces of material. Silk yields the best velvet, but then being the best means the most expensive and may cost you a fortune, particularly when you require large lengths for an item like curtains. It may be worthwhile to opt for a good quality of velvet derived from cheaper materials like cotton or polyester that would not be exorbitantly priced.

The features of a velvet curtain are not limited to providing a luxurious look to your bedroom. Velvet being a very thick material acts like a great blackout curtain. It almost blocks the incoming light totally. Another advantage of thick curtains is that it absorbs a lot of sound, thus keeping you insulated from the noise in the street.

Probably kitchens and bathrooms are the two places in your house where you can’t have velvet curtains. You will find them often in bedrooms and lounges where they contribute to added warmth and comfort with a feeling of intimacy. The provision of velvet curtains even in an ordinary room will give it grand looks. Lest it should escape your mind, it may be added here that velvet being heavy and available in darker shades would make any room appear smaller than its actual size. That means it may not be the perfect choice to have velvet curtains in a small living room or bedroom.

It’s almost customary to have velvet curtains in theaters and just before the start of the show the big red or blue colored curtains are drawn out to reveal the big stage. And now that we have home theaters, there are many who make use of similar curtains to get the desired ambience at home while watching a movie. Of course that added advantage of keeping light out and dampening if noise is there, apart from the other effects.



The most scintillating feature of velvet is how playfully the light reacts to it. The weave of the fabric is such that you get to see all the different shades of light and dark all along its surface area, with the exception of velvet in black color. They naturally attract all the attention, leaving everything else in the background. That should specifically be kept in mind while having these curtains in one your rooms. For, if you are trying to highlight some other item in the same room, the curtains withhold the attention of the viewer and tend to be the focal point of the room, thereby making your intended item of display take a back seat.

Bamboo Curtains - Where To Use Them?

Bamboo is being put to good use by making its curtains that can be used within the house or office and even outdoors in your personal garden. Its durable nature is prompting an increasing number of homeowners to start patronizing this natural material. Another feature contributing to its popularity is its unique natural charm. Suitably styled bamboo curtains can be used in any traditional or modern setting of homes and offices. Apart from using bamboo for curtains, one can use beautifully made bamboo partitions for cordoning off a certain area of any room.

And, of course they can be exploited for decorating a part of your garden. There are many who like bamboo in its natural form as it looks cool and gives an organic feel to its surroundings. Yet, its natural grain structure may not suit many applications. Being a kind of wood only, it has natural inborn insulation characteristics and is very economical too. That makes it a very good option for making curtains, which may be painted in any desired color to suit the rest of the décor.



This material is available in abundance in nature and has been in use for centuries. Though the techniques for its processing were known for long, present technology has brought around improvements in its processing, making it more useful for some of the non-traditional uses too. For making curtains it is cut into thin slices, which are then boiled to improve its strength. Finally, the dried lengths are strung together suitably to get curtains in desired size and shape. The curtain top is made from wood that can bear the weight of the curtain, being stronger.

Bamboo is easily among the most environmental friendly materials. It grows pretty fast and can be harvested in about four years time without even replanting. Technological developments have led to the processing of bamboo fibers to yield silk like soft material that is being exploited by some of the modern fashion designers. Bamboo materials are also used for making shower curtains.

Bamboo curtains for windows are available in a couple of designs, but the more popular ones are Roman blind and the roller curtain. As bamboo has natural tendency to collect dust, it’s very important to clean them periodically. It’s not much of an effort though. If left dirty for long, the dust gets accumulated and it becomes too difficult to remove to get the bamboo back to its original natural looks and color.

But, the use of this fantastic material is not confined to windows alone as people use bamboo curtains on the doors too and to a good effect. Stringing together vertical strands of bamboo makes bamboo curtains. Having them on the door is of especial help in summers as it saves you from that bright sun, while it still lets in some air but keeps the insects out. For decorative effects, beads are also included along the strings. Sometimes you come across beautifully painted curtains that look more of a work of art than mere curtains.

The prices of bamboo curtains show a wide variation and it will be worth going around to some of the stores selling this specialized item. As is often the case, shopping online works out to be economical for the simple reason that online providers have very low overheads and they like to part with some of their savings thus made in anticipation of selling more by attracting more customers due their lower prices. But, then you get more personalized service on visiting a store in the neighborhood.

Designer Curtains - Custom Made Window Treatments

Despite the endless variety of ready made curtains available at the stores or online, at times you are left wondering for something that really matches the style and vision that you have for the room to be provided with curtains. It’s under such situations and with that special vision in mind that you look around for designer curtains to get something tailor made that fits your vision and requirements.

There is absolutely no doubt that having designer curtains for you home is going to cost a lot more than if you bought something off the shelf. Yet, at the same time you remain assured that here is something exclusive you have wanted to have to match the décor of your room and will especially be designed and made for you. It surely is highly satisfying to have your home done up exactly the way you wanted it to be. Then, there is an element of achievement and the sense of pride and contentment that comes with it.



Designer curtains have an inbuilt sophistication and grace that is very obviously visible and is often lacking in curtains that you buy off the shelf. You stand the advantage of having a unique design that nobody else would have anywhere. That gives your home very interesting and exclusive looks. It feels very nice to earn the appreciation of visitors and at the same time you are assured that they wouldn’t get a chance to see an exactly similar curtain at any other place.

Many different fabrics can be employed for making designs of window curtains. When you decide to have them custom made, a whole new range of choices opens up for you. For giving your room that rich look, choose one of the thicker materials like velvet or even soft and alluring wool. On the other hand, if you like to provide a light and airy feel, go for sheer fabrics or cotton. Or you could opt for the unique style of damask or may be the traditional looks of lace curtains. Whatever be your choice of fabric, you are sure to get a larger variety when you decide to have them custom made.

Apart from the wide choice of fabrics to choose from, there are many styles available. In case you prefer to have a contemporary look of eyelet curtains, you can have this style incorporated in the design accordingly. Eyelet curtains look grand, with rings sewn directly into the curtain itself they do not need any more hardware for their support. They provide a much better fall than the one you get with rings. But, you can’t discount the curtain rings totally, as some of the rooms definitely look better with curtains making use of this accessory. And, an important benefit of having your own design of such curtains is that you can have rings in a design and style of your choice that helps to get the desired overall effect. There is a colossal variety of curtain rings and you can try mix-and-match before zeroing down to the final choice.



The trend of having designer curtains exceeds the boundaries of bedrooms and living rooms. We have on offer designer curtains for bathroom and the kitchen too. More than the curtains, you get all the matching trimmings that include curtain rods, tiebacks, valances and cornices. All this goes to make a big difference to ambience of these rooms.

While selecting one of the providers to make items as you visualize it, make sure that the provider has adequate experience. They need to be competent and professional in creating exactly the style you wish to have. Most businesses that offer a range of designer curtains will offer some kind of guarantee for their products. It surely helps, knowing the kind of money you are going to spend to acquire these curtains.

Door Curtains – Functionality And Aesthetics

Most of the time when we mention curtain, it’s interpreted as window curtains as many people seem to be unaware of the few options available for having them on the doors also. Generally, we find houses with three types of doors. Though solid front doors that are panels of solid wood are more common, we do have doors with panels or slats of glass. That brings to mind the French doors or the large sliding doors of glass often used at the entrance of patios. These doors need a different kind of covering and thus we have a few styles of curtains for the purpose.

Solid doors do not need covering most of the time as they offer all the needed protection and privacy. But, at times you like to leave the door open for a while, especially during summers when you may like to get rid of all the trapped air inside the room to let some fresh breeze come in. Such circumstances lead to the option of having a screen door that keeps out the insects and other such intruders, though many house owners feel that such an arrangement mars the looks of a beautiful door. Another option is to install a beaded curtain just outside the door. This arrangement adds to the looks of your door, lets in some amount of fresh air and provides moderate protection from pests and insects.



Bamboo and wood are the materials often used for making such curtains and it is quite usual to have them painted for getting the impression of a solid curtain. It makes a very good choice to have such curtains for a child’s room. It’ll be a nice idea to involve the child, when the schools are off, for making or painting of sketches on such curtains.

Doors with glass paneling, like French doors usually use more solid curtains and the most popular type of curtains for a French door continues to be sheer curtains. This style reminds of the classical romantic style linked with the French doors and goes to provide a soft cover for the hard lines of the wood underneath. In this case the curtain is fixed to the door itself by means of a wire connected at the top and bottom of the wooden frame. Often a ribbon is tied across the middle of the curtain to give it an hourglass figure, while some of the sunlight filters in thru the glass left uncovered.

Then we have large sliding glass doors. A popular choice of curtains for such doors is often the same that works on the principle of window curtains. These curtains generally have a single panel of material attached to the curtain rod by incorporating curtain rings or eyelets running along the length of the material at its top. Well, these curtains are known for providing a characteristically soft look, yet there are many who prefer to have vertical blinds.



All over the world curtains are used for their functional utility, but the Japanese look beyond aesthetics and functionality to include spirituality too. The Japanese equivalent of a door curtain is called as “Noren” and it is a common belief there that a properly placed curtain at the door brings in good luck and prosperity. People who practice feng shui also believe that a doorway is the entrance to good and bad energies and the right kind of door curtains lets in only the positive energy while keeping the bad one at bay.

Silk Curtains - Elegance And Luxury

Of the many natural fibers known to us today, silk is certainly among the oldest. It has been around for centuries and people love it for its delicate and luxurious feel. It is derived from silkworm that is bred in captivity before harvesting. The silkworm weaves a cocoon around itself and on emerging from the cocoon, it tears up the cocoon of fine threads that we know as silk. This natural process is very slow and farmers don’t find it very viable. So, to hasten up the process, the farmers put the cocoons in hot water that kills the larvae but keeps the cocoon in tact. It may appear quite unpleasant, but that’s the way to make the best silk.

Silk, because the slow process of producing it, is not available in abundance like most other fibers and is therefore rather expensive and historically found its patronage among the wealthy and royal people. Archaeologists have established that the material was used on mummies of ancient tombs of Egypt. But, Chinese are known to have used silk ever since their recorded history, and Chinese silk is still considered the best all over the world.



There is an interesting story as to how the Chinese discovered it. It tells us of a Chinese princess enjoying her cup of green tea out in the garden when she realized that some cocoon had dropped in her cup and on taking it out she discovered that it was all made up of fine smooth threads of which she got a piece of her dress made. Silk is a superb material for clothing. It has the natural characteristics of keeping the wearer cool in summers and warm in winters, just like the cocoon that kept the developing larvae safe during different weathers.

Silk curtains: Silk, apart from being used as a clothing material is also used for making curtains. Any room provided with silk curtains radiates luxurious and romantic looks. It’s a great way to decorate your room with silk curtains. They gleam and glisten with the changing intensity of natural light falling on them. They are lightweight also. Silk is a very delicate material and therefore demands better care than the usual cotton curtains. On being exposed to the sun for long, silk gets faded easily and may even rot. So, people devised a preventive measure by way of providing a layer of some other material in between the window and the silk curtain. Some people prefer to use shutters or blinds to ease out the situation. However, using a sheer curtain at the back of the silk curtain is simpler and not so expensive solution of this problem. It also gives the benefit of depth to the window. By tying back the silk curtains and exposing the sheer or lace curtains of your bedroom, you can create a truly magnificent atmosphere in the room.

Commercially silk is available in three grades of varying prices. The low grade of silk is made from cocoons that get damaged by whatever means and yield shorter threads is therefore the cheapest. This variety of silk lacks that luxurious texture of a high quality silk, and gives the feel of a better quality of cotton. The next higher grade is known as wild silk. Though of better grade, it tends to give a gray tinge and not the rich pearly white shine that people love to have from silk. The final and the best grade is called mulberry silk, and is the finest quality that one can have. Obviously this is the most expensive variety with its characteristic softness and elegance. People, who like to have silk curtains but find them too expensive, often opt for a silk like material produced synthetically and known as faux silk. The material can’t be expected to live up to the real thing and often causes disappointment sooner than expected.

Taffeta, plaid, beaded and embroidered are all different and popular varieties of curtains made from silk, but the most popular style of silk curtains is Dupioni. Weaving together two different colors of silk makes these curtains. It’s amazing to see light paving its way thru such curtains. They simply make the whole room come alive.

Cheap Curtains - Get More For Your Money

If you are on budget and looking for good curtains for giving a facelift to your home with new window treatments, there are two options for you. Obviously, one option is going around the town and visit a couple of renowned stores selling at discounted prices. But you need to have the stamina and time for undertaking such a venture. The other option is to be at home and visit a few online stores to check and compare prices, designs and fabrics. You’ll find quite many online stores selling a range of window treatment materials at very attractive prices. Get started with any of these:

One of the best sites to offer curtains for your home at very affordable prices is Overstock dot com. You get curtains at affordable prices in the price range of $15-$60, in lengths of 84 inches to 96 inches, and the materials include: velvet, micro-suede, ultra-suede, cotton duck, cotton voile, chamois, metro, faux leather, silk, dynasty silk, faux silk, lined raw silk, signature velvet, heavy denim, and many others. These are beautiful drapes that are sure to find customers even with very low budget.



Another online store that offers curtains at highly discounted prices is Swags Galore. On offer are: tab tops, rod pocket panels, tiers and swags, valances, scarf panels, fabric shades, country style curtains, ascots/tassels, and pinch pleat drapes, among others. The styles go to include: Sheers and semi-sheers, heavy draperies, velvet, casual, thermal, lace, satin, insulated and lined, silk, and tapestry with prices starting from $4.99 and up.

Wal Mart's too offers a vast variety of curtains at very attractive prices, especially for online buyers. These are available in fabrics like: cotton, velvet, chenille, silk, and blends, plus many more. You get them in different colors and style, thus making it easier for you to coordinate for any of your rooms. The pricing is $9 and up. It’s worth visiting their site to check their offer for those on a budget.

Wild Orchid, a U.K based online store has many exclusive and attractive curtains at discounted prices, and above all, they ship it without charge. On offer are their Pink Heart curtains made from white cotton organdy with pink embroidered hearts. A set of two 63 inches panel is priced at $27. You may have these curtains with blue stars and beads replacing hearts at comparable prices.

You may also have hand painted curtains with butterflies from Wild Orchids at very exclusive price. Velvet drapes are available for about $45 a pair. Should you be looking for something extraordinary, better check with them to compare the prices with others, if at all the others have similar stuff! Internet, no doubt, is the best place to get cheap curtains.