Window Treatments
For drapery, the nap should run from bottom to top. So, if you run your hand along the drapery panel from the bottom toward the top, it should follow the smoother nap direction. The vertical orientation of the drapery panel allows the pile to open up and fall in the other direction a bit, so it interacts more with the light. If the nap is oriented downward, the velvet can appear flat.
Dressing a bay is all about the hardware. A curved or angled rod is your key to a workable design. Angled rods are merely regular linear rods joined together at the corners with inexpensive hinges. You’ll want to have a professional measure for these, as custom-cut hardware is made to order and often not returnable. Rods like these can be mounted on the wall above the window if there’s room, or on the ceiling with brackets that suspend the rod in the air when elaborate framing covers all available wall space.
The textural quality and gentle pleats of velvet curtains are a boon in a separate dining area, where unyielding surfaces and straight lines can otherwise hold sway. In this design, the curtains’ warm, dark tones — along with the dark wall color — add to the intimacy of the room. There’s an acoustic benefit to velvet too. Its sound-dampening properties are welcome in spaces often filled with noises like cars zooming by outside, heels on hard flooring or the clatter of cutlery.
Once reserved for shower curtains, grommet-style draperies are an excellent choice to communicate a more contemporary aesthetic through clean lines and minimal adornment.
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