subject: 5 Tips On Choosing Curtain Fabric [print this page] When you are choosing curtains or window treatments for your home or apartment, then you have to consider the features and colors of the room where you are placing the curtains as well as the type of furnishings. The following five curtain fabric tips can assist in helping you decide what kinds of fabrics will fit in best in certain rooms of your home. Before you review the following tips, however, keep in mind that curtains are the finishing touches to your dcor, so they are added as complements to your basic decorating theme. For example, if you have a room that is contemporary, then obviously the style of the window treatment should depict that look. On the other hand, if your home has traditional furnishings, then just the right curtains will enhance that type of decor. So, decorate if you will, but choose your curtains and window treatments to support the furnishings and colors in specific areas of your home.
Tip #1 Familiarize Yourself with the Types of Fabrics.
In order to best choose the type of fabric for your color scheme and room, you first want to become acquainted with the different window treatment materials. For instance, linen is often used for windows and displays a texture that is light and soft. If you want to make sure that curtains made with this material last, its best to choose curtains that are lined. Another curtain fabric that is often used with more traditional decors is brocade. Brocade is similar to velor but lighter in weight. Velvet or velor, also made as a window covering, is typically made from synthetic fibers, cotton or silk. A see-through type of material that allows for openness and light is voile. Voile is usually made from cotton but is also manufactured with a combination of synthetic materials and cotton too. It is somewhat similar to muslin, which is a thin material, made from finely woven cotton. Chintz is yet another material used for curtains. Depicted by a print of small flowers on a pale background, the tightly woven fabric sometimes comes with a glazed finish. This type of material is often used in the bed and bath. A curtain material with a heavier texture than chintz is cretonne. This kind of window treatment, however, does not have the delicate print of chintz, but, instead, is defined by a bolder pattern with darker shades and tints. Damask, still another curtain fabric, can be made of varying materials, such as synthetic fibers, cotton, satin, or silk. The material usually is denoted by a simple, consistent pattern. Damask can provide an interesting optical illusion given that the lines for the background and pattern run opposite of one another.
Tip #2 Choose Fabrics So they Provide Uniformity.
Make sure that the fabric and color of your curtains maintain uniformity in your decor. Therefore, textures and colors should cohabitate or blend well with the design of your furnishings.
Tip #3 Pick Fabrics that are Appropriate for the Natural Lighting Requirements of the Room.
This is one of the curtain fabric tips that is particularly important to note, especially if you want to display the colors and hues in your room to their best advantage and add the right amount of privacy. In bedrooms then, choose thicker types of curtain fabrics, such as the aforementioned chintz. Or, linen curtains are acceptable too, provided they are lined. Light cotton fabrics and voile are good for areas, such as kitchens or sun rooms, where you want to create a light and airy setting.
Tip #4 Fit the Texture of the Fabric with the Decor.
The curtain fabrics you choose should also match the dcor. For example, you usually do not want to add damask curtains to a contemporary theme or linen curtains in a room with Victorian furnishings.
Tip #5 Balance out the Color Scheme by Pairing Neutral Curtains with Bolder Prints, or by Matching Curtains with the Prints and Colors of Sheets and Bedspreads.
This tip supports and expands on tip #2, or enforces the idea of uniformity. For example, in traditional settings, you may want to select curtains that match the prints for your bedspread, or complement the colors of your couch and chairs. Its usually a good idea to pick a curtain fabric that will nicely accessorize the primary color for your decor. For instance, if you have a couch that is colored green and beige, then curtains in the less predominant or more neutral hue (beige) would provide just the right, understated touch in the color scheme. Hopefully, you have gleaned some ideas for your own home or apartment from the above curtain fabric tips. Use the information to create a decor that is functional as well as elegant.
