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It is very important to choose the right curtains. They can hide all the decorating disadvantages and change the look of your window and the whole room. It is important to consider everything: ceiling height, window size and location, and of course room decoration. You should decide what function your curtains will have. Of course they should protect from bright sun and dust, and in the winter from cold, but sometimes you have to sacrifice design for it. It is also important to remember about functionality, especially in the window opening and doorway (for example, under the balcony door).
Curtains design
A popular type of curtains design is a combination of two different fabrics: freely falling down cobweb, that usually covers the whole window, and thick and heavy curtains, that frame and decorate the window. Don’t forget that material in cross stripes will decorate the narrow room, visually “widening” it, and in vertical stripes – will suit to the rooms with low ceilings.
It is recommended to select the curtains that will be a bit lighter or darker then the walls. Otherwise they will blend with room interior. Yellow and red colors create a feeling of warm fireplace, blue and green colors are considered to be cold ones. Heavy curtains will add the feeling of warms.
Lambrequin (a flounce above the curtain) is an addition to the window decoration. It creates the feeling of completeness. But if the ceiling is low, then it will be difficult to find a proper design. In this case we don’t recommend you to make the experiments, because the construction may become too bulky.
Choice of the fabric
Selecting a curtain cloth you have to understand, what function your curtains will have. If they will protect the room from sun shine, then it is recommended to use fabric imbued with special mixture. It will prevent fading. If you are going to use the curtains for collecting dust and you’ll have to wash them often, then you’d better choose thick fabric without lining.
From a practical point of view, the best fabric will be polyester or its mixture with cotton. Such fabric can be easily washed at home, at 30-40°C. Velvet, linen and cotton curtains can be only dry-cleaned. Cotton curtains don’t suit to the rooms that will be highlighted all day long, because they fade very quickly and loose their beauty.
Nowadays silk is very popular for making curtains. It’s very delicate, but needs special protection, because it is sun sensitive and fades. For a study taffeta curtains are usually used. Such curtains look wonderful and reflect sun. Besides, they can be easily cleaned.
Viscose is considered to be the most practical artificial fabric. It’s refractory and is easily washed.
Linen is the most popular natural fabric, but it is used in different mixtures to improve its qualities. For example, lavsan is added to make linen fabric lighter and more shining. Such curtains look very well in the kitchen.
Lambrequins
Lambrequins are used to decorate the window top. They cover cornice, part of a curtain and upper pier. They visually change window proportions. Usually for the lambrequins and for the curtains the same fabric is used. But it isn’t a rule and you can choose any fabric you like. Usually lambrequins are decorated by the braid, but you can also use lace, tassels and other accessories.
Lambrequins can be straight, or they can have an unusual shape. These shapes can be divided on several types. Lambrequin on tough basis is a strip of fabric with straight or figured edge. This type suits to the studies and other rooms decorated in austere style. Soft lambrequin is traditionally used in classical style; it looks like a collection of folded semicircles. Soft and tough lambrequins can be used in different combinations. There is one more lambrequin variant: fabric neatly winds round the cornice and falls down.
When you don’t want to cover a beautiful cornice, you may choose light lambrequin, that will just slightly cover the cornice and even emphasize it.
Cornices
The choice of cornice is also very important for window decoration. It should not only keep the curtains, but harmonize with their style, otherwise, you’ll ruin the whole image. Plastic cornices will bend with heavy curtains. If you want to hang tulle, you’ll need a double cornice. And if you want to use a lambrequin, then you’ll need a triple one.
If you want your curtains to be in use for a long time, then choose cornices with easily sliding hooks and clips. Of course you can buy a cornice with a sliding device, which may be more convenient. You may also use rings – they slide easily. But you’ll still need hooks and clips.
Don’t forget that if curtains cover the whole wall, they visually expand a window opening. If the window is big, then it would be reasonable to choose a cornice of the same size. It is better to hang the cornice for curtains with lambrequin high under the ceiling. From one hand, it looks better, and from the other hand, lambrequins don’t hang too low and don’t prevent window opening or closing.
Wooden cornices are considered to be classical ones. They are made of pine, oak, walnut, cherry-tree and other wood. They can be flat or round with rings. Such cornices can be easily blended with the color of furniture or parquet. It will add harmony to the interior.
Aluminium cornices are the most long-living and the price isn’t very high. Such cornices can be easily bent (for example, to make an arch).
Classical elegant curtains will undoubtedly suit to forged cornices. They are often made with a tip in a form of a leaf or spear, like in the Middle ages.
Metal cornices are durable and severe. They perfectly combine with rooms furnished in modern style. The tips are usually made in the form of different geometrical figures; curtains hang on the metal rings or on wide loops, made from the same fabric as curtains. Such cornices are recommended for kitchen, but remember that they don’t combine with tulle.
Plastic cornices are the cheapest; their variety allows to find not only a color but also a shape you like. It’s a good variant for nursery, where you can fulfill all your dreams. But you won’t be able to hang heavy curtains.
If you know what you want, you will definitely find the best solution! |