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Style Profile: Choosing Drapery Fabric

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velvet drapes

The fabric you choose for your drapery can set the mood of your entire room. Drapes can make a space feel light and airy, formal and stately, or opulent and luxurious. Don’t forget functionality though – your fabric choices should also depend on what you wish to achieve with your window treatments, such as insulation, privacy, or light blockage.

We’ve selected a few drapery fabrics that hang beautifully and perform a variety of tasks. Keep reading to learn more about their characteristics, benefits, and our design recommendations for each one.

Formal Elegance: Velvet Drapes

Velvet – just the word brings to mind sophistication and glamour. The heavy weight of velvet makes for gorgeous, full folds of fabric in your drapery. It is an ideal fabric choice for light blocking window treatments, either as freestanding panels or layered over roman shades (as shown in the image above), roller shades, or other sheer drapery panels. Paired with a lining, velvet drapes can provide insulation for drafty windows.

Although velvet tends to absorb light and has the potential to make a room feel dark, lighter colors of velvet have a shimmery quality. Try velvet drapes in a color similar to the walls for a more understated, but still lush, look.

Velvet drapes look beautiful in more formal spaces, such as dining rooms and sitting rooms. 

Crisp, Clean + Light: Linen Drapes

Linen drapes lend an airy, light feel to living spaces. Perfect for sunny rooms, they allow some natural light to filter through while reducing glare. Linen is soft to the touch, and its woven texture adds subtle interest. Both durable and affordable, linen is a versatile design choice for any style.

Of course, if you love the look of linen but would like more privacy, choose one of our three lining options: privacy, blackout, or privacy + interlining.

The casual feel of linen drapes fits well with family rooms, living rooms, and sunrooms.

Rich Texture: Silk Drapes

Silk offers a rich, lustrous texture to your window treatments. Silk dupioni and raw silk both have heavier textures than a silk taffeta. Silk also has a luminous sheen, reflecting light and creating an elegant look.

Silk is particularly prone to sun damage, so we recommend a lining or accompanying shades under the drapes to preserve the life of the fabric if the window receives a great deal of sunlight.

Silk drapes create a dramatic statement in bedrooms layered over shades or sheer drapes. They also work in more formal settings, and can act as the focal point of a room.

If you’re still trying to decide on a fabric for your drapes, order your free swatches today. Sample as many as you like, and you’ll receive them in 1-3 days.

Drapery vs Curtains: What’s the Difference?

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roller shades and curtains

Pinch pleat drapery in Manor Desert fabric

Nearly every bit of confusion surrounding drapery/curtains nomenclature is due to history and semantics. Let’s go a few years back. You know what? Let’s go 700 years back to the Middle Ages. See, back in the Middle Ages, Drapers were merchants who sold fabrics to the curtain makers – two separate and distinct occupations. One specialized in the fabrics while the other specialized in the sewing and crafting of the product. Drapers were known for their luxurious fabrics (suedes, velvets, etc.) and were a key component of the supply chain.


Today the distinction between curtains and drapery comes down to semantics. We prefer to use the title “drapery” to describe this type of window treatment because of its historical association with quality and craftsmanship. If you come into one of our showrooms and ask for curtains, we’ll lead you in the right direction and get you set up in no time. Don’t let the difference trip you up!

Cut Energy Costs with these Window Treatments

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Hot enough for ya? Summertime has a way of spiking energy costs. Air conditioners and fans are working overtime to keep you cool and comfortable, but there’s always that feeling of dread when energy-bill time rolls around. We have a few window treatment ideas that will improve the insulation of your home, keep your thermostat in check, and help lower your energy costs.

Cellular shades insulate your home and cut energy costs.

Light filtering cellular shades

Cellular Shades

Also known as “honeycomb shades”, cellular shades have a unique cell design that helps trap air within the shade. This maintains interior temperatures by preventing warm outside air from getting inside. Pretty cool, huh? Cellular shades are available in light filtering and blackout materials, with the latter providing a cooler result (less light, cooler interiors). There are also single and double cell materials, with double cells providing maximum insulation and temperature control.

Privacy and interlining can be added to drapery for improved insulation, and lower energy bills.

Pinch pleat drapery in a heavy Manor fabric.

Heavy Draperies

Have drafty windows? Hang something heavy in front of them. Seems obvious, right? But not everyone is aware of this simple tip. Select a heavy fabric like wool, velvet or suede when customizing your drapery. The heavier the fabric, the more stopping power it has. Our draperies can also be customized with special linings – Privacy, Blackout, or Privacy + Interlining. While all linings will add body and weight, the Privacy + Interlining is specifically designed with a cotton flannel material for improved insulation.

A heavy fabric and lining on roman shades can be a draft-stopping insulator. Great for cutting energy costs.

Flat roman shade in Cheshire Truffle, layered with roller shade in Chelsea Sand

Lined Roman Shades

Speaking of linings, did you know all of our roman shades can be outfitted with linings at no additional cost? This includes our Privacy + Interlining option! Since draperies and romans are made from the same fabrics, the same rules apply here: heavy fabric + lining = draft-stopping insulator.

To learn more about how custom window treatments can help insulate your home and lower energy costs, speak to one of our design consultants today.

Modern Style At The Shade Store

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At The Shade Store, Modern Style is a very popular approach to room design that focuses on function and avoids the excessive accessories marked in many other styles.  Modern Style is often labeled as “clean-lined” due to its use of geometric elements in a room’s design.

Another trend that is growing increasingly popular is a combination of elements that include modern style with other decorating styles. For example combining Traditional or Rustic elements to form a hybrid Rustic-Modern design. Some people shy away from the modern design because they think it is too simple, harsh or cold. Truth be told, when modern design is well planned it can promote a sense of serenity and simplicity to your home.

Modern Style Solar Shades by The Shade Store

as shown: roller + solar shades | 5% | pearl

Modern style has its roots in European mod design.  It is a distinct look with a clean, streamlined and architecture style. It’s characterized by refined surfaces, robust geometric shapes and asymmetry.

Modern Style Cornice & Pinch Pleat Drapery by The Shade Store

as shown: cornice | silk dupioni | pewter & pinch pleat drapery | sheer elegance | smoke

This style is a very popular design option as it maximizes space and texture is kept to a minimum.  Many people mix this style with other styles to get the best of both worlds.

Modern Style String Panel Track System by The Shade Store

as shown: string panel systems | strings | fuschia

Bold geometric forms along with polished finishes and asymmetrical balance. Texture is kept to a minimum. Many people mix this style with other styles to get the best of both worlds. It creates a more open impression for any room.

Visit our photo gallery for more examples of Modern Style window treatments.  Click to contact one of our design experts for assistance or shop online.

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