Need Help with curtains vs. drapes

10 years ago

Recently I took on the project to remove blinds and install curtains in my house and just the other day I read about differences between curtains vs. drapes. Idea is to give my family room and dining room a modern look. Any advise on which one would be ideal for my sliding glass door in the dining area and family room with three traverse windows?

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C F

10 years ago

Interesting...I had to google this to see what the difference is between curtains and drapes. I'm still going to use them interchangeably :) Since apparently the difference is mostly due to the weight of the fabric (i.e., lined vs. unlined, sheer vs solid), I think that is going to depend on the furnishings in your room and how much light you need. Do you have seating in this room you've shown? And do you need light blocked as opposed to just filtered?

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Comments (7)

PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
10 years ago
Curtains usually refer to the short panels used in kitchens over sinks etc. Your rooms could use drapery panels or plantation shutters

Three good places to look for ready made drapery panels at a reasonable price would be IKEA (you will likely have to send them to the cleaners to have them hemmed the right length), Overstock, & HalfPriceDrapes.com.

However, whether you go with shutters or drapery panels will be determined by the other items you select for your home. Here are examples of both shutter installations and drapery panel installations.
Jay Sriram thanked BeverlyFLADeziner
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Jay Sriram
Original Author
10 years ago
@C F I have a sectional in the family room and I'm not as concerned about the lighting, filtering the light would be fine. in my bedrooms I'd like to block the light as much as possible, I'm planning on installing wrap around rods with either curtains or drapes.
Jay Sriram
Original Author
10 years ago
@BeverlyFLADeziner Thanks for the info! I will look into those websites, I decided to not go with shutters since they are way more expensive than installing drapes.
ateabug
10 years ago
J C Penney is a surprisingly good source for modern traverse rods and their supreme curtains last forever and are pleated. You could hang them on a rod or on rings and a rod.
Jay Sriram thanked ateabug
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
Good choice to not do shutters IMO they are too heavy looking FYI alot depends on the amount of light you get through thr windows UV rays fade everything including wood floors and furniture so some light control is a good thing I would also do drapery panels but in a fabric like linen and if the sun is an issue you could use solar shades so you can keep the view and then drapes for privacy at night.Drapes with grommets are a great way to save the money of pinch pleated drapes and traverse rods
Jay Sriram thanked Patricia Colwell Consulting
Jay Sriram
Original Author
10 years ago
Hello, so I went ahead and bought cambria drapery rods this past weekend...Here is the question I'm sure this gets asked around a lot...where do you guys recommend I hang the rod? I'm thinking above the transom window. I was told at Bed Bath and Beyond that drapes come in standard sizes so after some measuring it seems like I have to set the rod 4" over the transom window for the drape to line up with my floor. Also, how wide should the rod be 3-4" on each side?