Choosing the right drapery fabrics for your window treatment requires a lot of attention. Not only do they accentuate the beauty and elegance of your home, but they also need to be suitable for different seasons. This means that the same kind of draperies will not be ideal for both summers and winters.
You need to consider many factors like the fabric texture, transparency, and the way it falls, to choose the best curtains in summer. Here’s a comprehensive guide to the best curtain fabrics for bringing colours into your home and keeping the heat out this summer.
Lighter colours reflect heat and darker colours absorb it. Therefore, choosing white or lighter colours for your curtains and draperies is the best during the summer. The Department of Energy (DOE) states that medium-coloured draperies with white-plastic backings are 33% more effective in heat-gain reduction. A smart way would be to choose a shade that’s white on the sun-facing side and darker on the inside to help keep the light out. Pastels are the perfect choice of colours as well if you want to brighten up your space instantly because it can make your rooms appear sober and neat. When you are replacing your rich-coloured winter curtains, this is the first factor you need to consider.
When it comes to the fabric type, going for heavier fabrics, like cotton, would be perfect for keeping the light and heat out of your home. This way your room stays cool and more energy-efficient as your AC will need to run less. They are great for keeping unnecessary sounds out for a more peaceful home atmosphere. The soft and easy-to-maintain cotton fabrics have always been synonymous with summer and cotton and linen door curtains are a great choice too.
During summer, it is important that along with preventing light, your drapery is heat-resistant too. You should opt for insulated or thermal drapes that have multiple layers to keep your room cool.
Summers are the best time for adding sheer curtains to your room decor. The subtle hue of these window coverings adds grace to spaces they are in. You can put them on a passage window to let the light flow throughout the day while providing privacy at dusk. Combining them with blackout curtains is a great idea too when you are looking for window treatments for your home.
Soft pastel colours and sheer curtains are lovely for the summer but if you want a cool atmosphere at home, then you will be absolutely needing some blackout window curtains. These curtains are perfect for filtering the sunlight according to your requirements and keeping the room temperature moderate. Therefore, opt for some light-coloured blackout curtains for this summer.
Summer curtains are better left without lining as the lining will make them appear heavy and block the sunlight completely. But it’s important if you plan on increasing the curtains shelf life. Lining protects the curtains from getting faded from direct sunlight.
Heat can still penetrate through your heat resistant curtains. So, make sure to hang them properly. It’s best to hang the drapes as close to the window as possible. The way the drapes fall is also important and getting drapes that are long and reach the floor is a better choice to prevent the heat from entering from below them. You can seal the sides of the drapes with Velcro or magnetic tapes and overlap them in the centre for better heat protection.
Sheer curtains are known more for being aesthetically pleasing rather than functional. You can see through these curtains due to their thin, transparent quality. These are used as an inner layer to your draperies and usually are combined with a heavier curtain in the front or with a blind behind it.
A soft, lightweight, woven fabric that is usually 100% cotton can be polyester also. The better-quality Voile fabrics have a fine surface and are best for selectively permitting light into your room and providing privacy at the same time.
The open weave of the lace fabric is perfect for using as sheer curtains though they are expensive.
This is a much cheaper alternative for a sheer curtain. It has a knitted structure and not as fine as Voile.
It has an open weave look thanks to the small eyelets all over the fabric.
This type of cotton fabric is lightweight and perfect for sheer curtains and they are inexpensive too. But they are not as fine as the other fabrics on this list.
This open weave fabric is super sheer and has a special leno weave which gives it the open weave look.
Durable opaque fabrics with a higher thread count are perfect for curtains that are not see-through. But it’s important that the drapes fall gracefully as well.
This is the most popular one on the list due to its functionality as well as looks. Drapery weight cotton fabric does not need to be lined, but you can add lining to increase the strength and durability of the fabric. Avoid using quilting and dressmaking cotton though as they will not provide the required coverage from sunlight because of their transparency.
For summer, use a medium weight or heavy weight linen for your drapery as it will provide an unmatched elegance along with durability due to its strong and thick nature.
Two-tone design luxury drapery fabrics that come with floral or other patterns are very expensive and require lining for better protection.
When you are shopping for summer draperies and curtains, use softer pastel colours and heavier cotton curtains for a summer makeover of your home. Check out our collections for a complete range of window coverings to make your home summer ready.
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