Choosing the Right Fabric for your Curtains

Guide

17 Sep

There are many different aspects to consider when looking at what fabric you need for your curtains. In this guide, we aim to inform and help you make your own decision. The few main elements to consider include quality, colour and location of the curtains, and then there are smaller aspects such as the texture, lining and length.

The type and quality of the fabric is important for various reasons: it may provide more heat to your home, it may be thin enough to let a breeze in, it may look nice but maybe not feel as nice, so you need to be careful when choosing it. The most popular types of fabric are wool, linen, chenille, cotton, polyester, nylon, silk and velvet. Below we discuss each one.

Wool

Wool is a natural fabric which has some great qualities; for instance, dirt and dust lay on the top of the fabric, meaning they are easier to clean. Wool is very eco-friendly and degrades quickly when in the ground, and finally the structure of wool allows it to hold tiny pockets of air, meaning your house will be warmer due to its insulating properties.

Linen

Linen has a very crisp, clean and light feel. In production linen is very eco-friendly. It falls beautifully and can easily improve any room as well as being very durable providing everlasting beauty. It is not as good an insulator as wool but it is still quite reliable.

Chenille

Chenille is very soft to the touch as well as being durable. Due to the unique manufacturing process of alternating the fiber direction, when the fabric is viewed at a different angle the appearance often changes. Chenille fabrics are often heavier, similar to wool, but will steal the room, so it is best to use them when the room is relatively plain in colour.

Cotton

Cotton is very breathable and relatively easy to care for. When exposed to direct sunlight, sometimes the patterns will fade. It is very light and stylish and it provides a beautiful look to an already beautiful room.

Silk

Silk curtains are luxurious but very thin, which is why you don’t have them in bedrooms often. Silks are very difficult to take care of, and if they don’t have lining then the patterns fade quite fast. Silk also rots in direct sunlight and salt, so if you are by the coast you will want to avoid silk curtains. However, silk generally creates the nicest curtains.

Polyester

Polyester is relatively lightweight and durable, and is usually machine washable. Some of the more modern polyester blends have a nice feeling and look while not being too expensive.

Nylon

Nylon is a synthetic fabric which is very affordable and lightweight, it can also be machine washed. Nylon is great for bright patterns which are mainly in children’s rooms.

Velvet

Velvet is a very beautiful fabric which is incredibly soft. It has a distinctive visual appearance that gives the room a special touch. Due to the weight of velvet, it is very good at blocking out sound and light while providing a feeling of elegance. Velvet gathers dust a lot and will need to be maintained regularly.

Deciding what colour you want in your room will depend on a variety of things. The main question you will need to ask yourself is whether you want your curtains to blend into the surrounding decor or have a key role in the room. If you want your curtains to have centre stage then select a bold colour. However, most of the time you want your curtains to blend in and picking a colour that is similar to the wall or key surrounding features will be best.

The location of the curtains drastically changes what you look for in them, for example if you are wanting a curtain for the bathroom you will definitely not want wool or any fabric that is heavy and will easily take on water. The thickness of the curtain does not matter that much it just needs to stop people from seeing in. In the bedroom you would want blackout curtains and there would not be any limits on the fabric type.

Textured fabric or patterned fabric can sometimes make or break a room by adding lots of visual interest through depth giving the room almost another dimension. If you already have lots of texture then textured fabric can look over the top and ruin the feel that you are going for. However, if you have no texture in the room then curtains with texture can look out of place. The same is said for patterned fabric.

The lining and interlining of the fabric is just as important as the fabric itself for many reasons. Lining and interlining helps to neaten the back of the curtain, protect the fabric from fading and getting dusty, and gives it properties such as blackout and increased thermal properties. The interlining variant will change depending on what room it is for, for example in the bedroom you would want to have thick blackout interlining whereas in the living room it would not make a difference what interlining you had. Many customers opt for a plain back for their curtain, however some will go for a coloured back if people will be able to see the back often.

The length of the curtain will depend on the desired effect, generally there are 4 types. On the window ledge, Just below the window ledge, floor curtains and puddled curtains.

The window ledge curtains are often used in the kitchen environment where the windows are elevated.

Just below the window ledge curtains are used in rooms that have radiators or certain bedrooms where the style suits longer than ledge curtains. The longer curtains also help to block out more light than on the window ledge curtains.

Floor curtains are the most general type and they just touch the floor, these are seen in bedrooms and living rooms, they are easier to open than puddled curtains and therefore used more. Additionally, you wouldn’t put a cord on a puddled curtains as it would drag along the floor which is why floor curtains are more generally used.

Puddled curtains are used for the dramatic effect that they bring. They are used in very formal rooms and generally left open.