My gut reaction says no velvet in the summer. Maybe you can hunt around on CL or in some thrift stores to find some inexpensive panels you can hang during the summer. Also JCP has pretty good sales throughout the year, perhaps you can pick up some there. One other final thing, will you have any other WT's up such as shades or blinds? If so, maybe they will give you enough privacy and you can take the velvet panels down during the warmer season.

amysrq, velvet wouldn't bother me, especially in that color (and I live in the mid-South). It gets *hot* here in summer, and my home is decorated in mainly earthy-autumnal colors, because that's what we like. We don't change much around our house for the warmer months.

Do you sew? You can find linen-type fabric inexpensively on eBay, and sewing rod-pocket panels is fairly easy if you wanted something for a change during the warmer months.

Based on my experience of living in a colder climate, the Midwest, I don't think it's really a problem (of course I am looking at snow outside my window right now). Especially since they will be in a lighter color, I think it will be fine. Unless your decorating is summery or light and airy, then maybe they wouldn't work. To me they will just look rich, not necessarily too heavy and warm. I think the lighter color is the key. If they were a dark brown, then I might say no. Just my $.02, after living in a colder climate all my life! I would definitely not want to switch out seasonally, but I am not one to change things up once I get them how I want them. Can't wait to see pictures of your new place.

I have velvet curtains in my LR and DR all year round. I think they work well with the my furnishings. I think a lighter fabric in my rooms would look funny. (I am in MN so it isn't summer very long.)

I say go for it. Not only do they sound great, they'll help insulate your room in both summer and winter.

Which reminds me, we have plantation shutters and there are days in the summer I want the LR dark with the lamps on, just to make it feel cozy and curl up with a good book. Heavy fabrics and shutters are very versatile and nice looking!

Amy, I don't think you'd have a problem using velvet.

Being in Chicago, with the cold winters, I'm thinking of going with a heavy chenille and keeping the same in summer. I love the way it drapes (same with velvet) and am not a big silk fan because, to me, it always looks kind of wrinked. Same reason I won't wear a linen suit. :)

If you have fallen for them....get them!! Velvet is wonderful & being a lighter color will help make them not feel so heavy.

Smiles:)

I adore velvet curtains and wish I had some! :) The light colour will make them perfectly appropriate in summer. Of course, if at some point you want to switch to linen or sheers in the summer, that would give you the opportunity to take the velvet ones outside and give them a good shake. I wouldn't fold them in half top to bottom if you ever put them away in summer, but rather would try to fold them accordion-style with the folds falling where they do hanging up. And stuff the folds with crumpled tissue paper to keep them from making a flat line. On second thought, just keep them up all year! :)

YES! all year is fine... :)

The thickness of the nap will make a difference. My friend has lightweight velvet drapery in his house in LA, Calif and it looks great even in the summer.

Have you thought of using 2 layers: a lighter sheer layer with the velvet. That way in the summer the velvet can be used as dressing panels and the lighter layer can be used as the main layer.

Bellaflora's suggestion is great. Honestly, though, I don't think velvet is a problem. I tend to be interior-oriented; if the velvet works with your overall look, I would go with it, regardless of seasonal issues--all the more so since you love it. Like Southernheart, I live in the South and use warm colors year round because we consistently respond to those. (Of course, guests often say, "Well, it's really you," in response to seeing our place for the first time. LOL!)

Well, even though DH won't be happy about the more expensive option, I am delighted to get mostly thumbs up on the velvet. I will tell him all about the insulating quality in summer, too! Our bedroom is very small and feels like a compromise to me. We wanted to be on the first floor and have had to give up some comforts for that. So, I feel like I want what I can have in there to be really pleasing.

This is a fairly heavy velvet and I'll be using them over wood blinds that I've already bought and installed. Maybe I will eventually switch them out for linen in the summer, but we really need some light control, too, and I am afraid that linen will not do that job as well. (kswl, thanks for the tips on storage....makes a lot of sense.)

As for sewing, I have long since given up any notions of sewing floor-length panels. I'm just not that good a seamstress. In fact, I am a lousy, moody, unhappy seamstress! I plan to sew cafe curtains for my laundry room and some pillows for my porch, but that is the limit of my ambition. Halloween is not a pleasant season for me as DD always seems to have grand ideas about what Mom can create for her. Ugh.

Parma, the curtains being auditioned right now are a faux-silk with flannel interlining. They're from BB&B and I think they're really fabulous for the price. They would have been a good choice, but I am not liking the shine in the fabric. I love the look in others' homes, but have discovered it is just not "me." A bit too ball gown or something. Luckily, DH doesn't care for them either.

Thanks everyone for chiming in! Seems like sometimes its the simple questions that are the easiest to get stuck on.

I think the velvet is fine in your climate in summer, given its color. I would probably have directed you toward lined linen otherwise. Oh, I am in love with linen drapes right now with linings. I am so prejudiced about that which I love but I do love the little drop of velvet on my Henley shirts that I wear around the house with my jeans. :-)

I can't wait to get my velvet curtains down for the summer... I meant to do so after Memorial Day. I don't use air conditioning very often and prefer open air with fans. It just feels like the velvet hangs onto the heat. I also swap out my fuzzy rugs in the summer.