drapery shopping

drapery shopping

What’s hot

Fabrics: Bigger prints, especially geometrics such as diamond patterns. There’s a lot of banding, where one fabric (often a solid color) is outlined with another fabric (sometimes prints).

Trims: Wooden beading, capiz shells and brushed fringe.

Styles: Side panels. For top treatments, spare cornices — not valances. Grommets at the top give the drapes a casual feel. French pleats add some fullness to panels.

Hardware: Streamlined, industrial rods. Silver-colored and oil-rubbed bronze finishes are popular. Mixing metals lends a warmer, more lived-in look.

Tiebacks: Metal holdbacks are more popular than traditional fabric ties or tassels, though for a sleek and casual appearance, panels usually hang without tiebacks.

Five essentials

Fabric samples such as a furniture arm cover.

Paint swatches of the wall colors.

Photos of the room, especially the windows.

Pictures from design publications showing drapery looks you like.

Measurements if you’re buying ready-made draperies.

Prices

Ready-made ($20 to $100 per panel): Selection of panel colors and patterns, styles and sizes vary from store to store.

Semi-custom ($100 to $150 per panel): Hundreds of fabrics and styles to choose from but limited sizes.

Custom (typically $250 and up per panel): Designed to be as tall, lined and pleated as you want and in any fabric.