Choosing the right fabric for your window treatments

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“Hang curtains!  They make a room seem finished.  Think of them as the lipstick of decorating.” Peter Dunham

Photo credit and design by Sarah Richardson

If only window treatments were as simple to select and as affordable to purchase as lipstick…However, custom window treatments are an investment in your design that requires careful thought and planning.  Fabric selections are usually made by aesthetic, style, budget, and performance requirements.   Basically, what do you want the window to look like and how will it be used?  

 Understanding the nuances of textiles including their natural properties and construction can really help avoid some of the mistakes we have seen over the years.   We have had instances where clients, despite our recommendations against, select a fabric they had their heart set on and then were unhappy with the results.  I’m looking at you Viscose by the sink or Wovens that won’t drape!  Here are some top questions and fast facts to consider when selecting your fabrics.

Top Questions: 

 Will it wrinkle?  Will it resist stains? Will it shrink? Will it fade?   Light is fabric’s greatest enemy.

 How does it drape?  What is the fiber content?  Will the fiber retain its shape if stretched?

Helpful Hints:

Select the right weight for your window treatments.

Lightweight/ Sheer or semi-sheer

  • Screens light softens architecture without obscuring it.

  • Use for bed hangings, curtains, draperies, roman shades

Mid-weight/Multipurpose

  • Provides washability, drapability, and softness.  Should always be lined. 

  • Select a fabric that matches the Hand and the Drape required for the window treatment.  Stiffer, crisper  fabrics work better in pleated drapery and roman shades

  • Use for draperies, shades, top treatments, supported upholstery, and bed ensembles

Heavyweight/Upholstery

  • Provides drama, richness, and fullness.  Think velvets, tapestries, jacquards.

  • Difficult to gather but good insulator

  • Use for flat treatments or cornices

 Select the right Fiber content which determines drapability, color-fastness, durability, shape retention, and resistance to wrinkles.  

  • Fiber is the smallest unit in fabric, many individual strands making up the yarn that is used to create the fabric.  There are 2 basic fabric fiber contents: natural and manufactured.

  • Natural fibers are from plant-based fibers (linen, cotton, bamboo, sisal) and animal fibers (cashmere, alpaca, mohair)

  • Manufactured fibers can be made from a combination of plant-based fibers or other materials such as petroleum such as nylon, polyester, metallic, rayon to name a few…

Select the right fabric

  • Naturals include cotton, linen, wool, and silk

  • Synthetics include polyester

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