A Guide to Window Treatment Terminology

Finding the perfect window treatment which fits your home can be overwhelming. It’s easy to get confused by the varieties available and especially difficult navigating the various terms associated with the window treatment industry. This can add on to the stress of renovating your home or buying a new one. Remember, all window treatments fall into two basic categories, soft and hard. Soft window treatments are the ones which are assembled or made from fabric, whereas, hard window treatments are ones made from non-fabric materials.

Soft Window Treatments

• Curtain
  Curtains aren’t as formal as draperies. They are a lightweight window treatment style which consists of some fabric either hung by a rod or attached by holdbacks or tiebacks. They’re mostly unlined and stationary treatments made from sheer fabrics. Curtains are typically incorporated into a room to give it a decorative touch.
• Drapery
  Draperies, unlike curtains, are lined and usually cover the window from top to bottom. They’re usually available either with a motorized or a manual pulley system. Draperies can either have excess material spilling down into a puddle of fabric, on the floor, giving the room a dramatic edge or can hang above floor level.
• Valance
  A valance is a kind of curtain which covers the uppermost part of windows. It may or may not be paired with other blinds or curtains. Most people use valances to add a formal touch to the room. It may also be incorporated to conceal curtain hanging hardware. Valances come in several different styles and can be used to add drama to panels or to soften the look of wooden blinds.
• Swag
  Swags are also known as jabots and are used as a decorative window treatment. It features a curving semicircle which is soft and centred on a window with excess fabric hanging on both sides. To create a highly decorative window treatment, multiple swags can be used. They can be made with any fabric and can be trimmed with tassels, lace or fringe.

Hard Window Treatments

• Shade
  Shades can refer to pleated shades, blinds, roller shades and other window treatments which are opaque. Shades can go either up or down but cannot tilt. They can be adjusted to partially or fully cover or expose a window.
• Blind
  This is perhaps the most versatile window treatment and has either horizontal or vertical panels or slats which can move up and down. They may also be used across doors or window panes. They’re available in motorized and manual pulley systems suiting individual convenience. The term ‘shade’ is used in a generic sense and may refer to blinds, roman shades or other opaque window treatments.
• Shutters
  Indoor shutters are normally attached to a frame placed around the window. Plantation shutters are known to effectively increase the value of any home it’s installed in. It also has the ability to add a classic and timeless appeal to any room. Its slats are flat and mostly elliptical in shape. They can blend or stand out by being painted in dramatic colours and patterns.

These are some basic terms you must know about window treatments. Even with so many styles and varieties of soft and hard window treatments, you can choose one which best suits your home or commercial space.