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Last edited 31 May 2022

Types of curtains

[edit] Introduction

Curtains are pieces of material, normally fabric fixed at the top (the head) and hanging down (to the foot) to form a screen. It is normal to refer to a pair of curtains, one on the left and one on the right or a single curtain. The finished or sewn edge of the curtain is normally called the hem. Curtains or a curtain are also used in theatres at the start and end of a performance, either moving away to the sides or lifting upwards.

It is thought that curtains, or more accurately drapery, was first used by the Egyptians in around 3100 B.C. These were made of animal hides and hung in doorways with hooks to provide privacy. The word curtain itself dates to around 1200, coming from the Latin, cortna, which meant an enclosed place, or from cohors, which meant courtyard.

Today curtains are found in the majority of homes, often for privacy, to reduce external light when needed, but also to some extent providing a thermal block to radiative external coolth through windows and as a layer to keep warmth in. In such cases curtains are normally of a thicker material or have two or more layers. The styles of curtains differ in the way they are hung, ie with a bracket and track system or on a pole or rail. The appearance of the folds at the top may be referred to as cleats. When a curtain is open the bunched up material on either side of the window opening is called the stack, this should be clear of the opening so as not to block the light penetrating the window opening.

Different hanging methods will impact how effective the curtain might be at retaining heat and restricting coolth or light. In some cases a decorative box will be fixed at the top of the curtain, this is called a pelmet and can also act to improve the thermal efficiency of the curtain or its ability to cut out light. A valance is similar to a pelmet but made of fabric.

Pairs and single curtains will often have tie-backs, which is either a bracket on the wall or a piece of decorative material to hold them back so as not to cover the window when open. A pull chord system can be used to enable curtains to be opened and closed by a chord without having to touch the curtains. Automatic pull chord systems are electric and will perform the same task either by remote control or switch.

Various curtain types are described below by the hanging method, the heading style and appearance of the cleats.

[edit] Curtain types

[edit] Panel curtains

Panel curtains are the most common type of curtain. They are cut slightly larger in length than the size of the window they are covering and are about one third wider than the window they are covering. A single panel curtain is a single curtain that covers a window and pulls back to either the left or right side of the window. A pair of panel curtains is two curtains that pull back to the left and to the right side of the window opening, normally held back by tie-backs.

[edit] Full length curtains or drapes

Drapes or draperies are the correct term for window fabrics that hang from just above an opening right down to the finished floor, they may be used on windows or door openings and are often referred to as full length curtains.

[edit] Window scarfs

A window scarf is a piece of fabric that effectively hangs around a window like a scarf, it does not open or close but merely lays at the top and down the sides of a window. It may have the addition of a valance which is a fabric laying at the tope of the window head.

[edit] Black out curtains

Black out curtains are intended to cut out light from entering a space. They are normally made of a thick opaque materials, and may have trims at the edges, a fixing strip in the centre and a sealed box or pelmet at the top to ensure all sides are fully closed with no light entering at the edges. They typically are used in places where work or activities may be light sensitive such as a photographic studio or cinema, but may also be used in locations where it remains light for much of the night in the summer.

[edit] Net or voile curtains

Net curtains are purely used for privacy, they are made of a light translucent material also known as a sheer, that restricts vision from outside inwards during the day, but enables one to look out as the external light is brighter. They may hang the full length of a window of only the lower half, obscuring activities inside the space. Net curtains will often be used in combination with panel curtains or drapes hanging on the inside of the surrounding wall of the window.

[edit] Sash curtains

Sash curtains are half height curtains which might also be net curtains, made from sheer or from fabric. They hang from halfway up a sash window to the lower sash, the fabric is looped at the top and fed directly into a stiff flexible chord that is attached directly to the sash of the window by an eylet and a hook at each end.

[edit] Casement curtains

Casement curtains are the same as sash curtains, the fabric is looped at the top and fed directly into a stiff flexible chord which is attached directly to the casement of a window by an eylet and a hook at each end.

[edit] Window sill curtains

Window sill curtains are shorter curtains fall just above the internal window sill, so that the edge hovers slightly above the surface of the sill. They are normally used for smaller windows, where the sill protrudes a little into a room or above furniture that would otherwise block the use of longer curtains or drapes.

[edit] Apron curtains

Apron curtains are also shorter for smaller windows but they bypass the sill and hang a little below on the inside face of the wall.

[edit] Cafe curtains

Cafe curtains or privacy curtains perform a similar function to net curtains in that they are installed to increase the privacy for occupants inside the building. Cafe curtains maybe of a translucent material or a light fabric but they will be hung only on the lower part of the window, letting light pass in above. In some cases a shorter curtain will also be hung from the upper part of the window with light entering the gap between the two whist retaining privacy.

[edit] Thermal curtains

Thermal curtains (sometimes called energy efficient or winter curtains) are used to improve thermal comfort around a window, which in older houses may for example be a single glazed sash. They are made of thick fabric, usually with a lining that acts as a barrier between the cold window glass and the warmer inside air. This serves two functions; firstly it slows down the loss of warm air inside an occupied room (particularly at night when the external air temperature drops) and secondly it creates a break from the coolth radiating from the window, improving thermal comfort for those located nearby. A box or pelmet may also be installed at the head or top of the window partly for decoration but also to improve the thermal efficiency or the whole installation.

[edit] Safety curtains

A safety curtain is normally installed in a theatre or cinema and lowered during intervals and when the theatre is closed to act as a protective barrier between the stage, the auditorium and the audience.

[edit] Curtain hangers

[edit] Curtain track

A curtain track (sometimes called a glide) is a bespoke mechanism for hanging curtains. There are very many different types of system, as in many cases different manufacturers have slight variations. Essentially it is a length of rigid material the same width as the window (or a little wider) with a slot or groove along its length into which fasteners or rollers slide. The other end of the fasteners have hoops or holes connected to the curtain via different types of hooks. This system allows the rail to be hidden behind the curtain, when closed. Some track systems have two or three grooves to allow two or three types of curtain to be hung at the same time, for example a winter curtain, over a summer curtain, over a net curtain or voile.

Curtains that use a curtain track often have a thicker seam or tape of material sewn into the back of the head of the curtain material, with pull chords along its length. This is to strengthen the top of the curtain, make it slightly more rigid. The pull strings allow it to bunched-up, pulled or cleated together at the top. The type of seam, the way it is sewn into curtain material and how it is pulled together will determine the way the curtain will look from the inside.

There are a number of different hook systems that fix into the seam or to holes in the curtain to hang it, some of these can also be used for curtain pole systems, below are just some examples:

Pin Hooks - have two sides, one with a sharp pin or prong and the other a curved hook, they can resemble a fishing hook. The prong is inserted into the back of the curtain header at the base of the seam or pleat and the curve hooks into the loop of the faster, which is inserted into the curtain rail and can slide freely along its length.
Pleat Hooks - are the same as above but have four pins or prongs, allowing the curtain to be pleated directly by inserting it into different parts of the curtain material.
Glider clip hooks - are normally part of a whole system which includes the track or glide. Small glides, often with with one or two small wheels and an eye on the outside are fed into the track, and a clip hook is threaded into the seam on the curtain at one end and clipped shut. The other end attaches to the eyelet on the track.
Sew-on hooks - look similar to pin hooks, but the prong has a rounded eye which is sewn onto the back of the curtain header or seam. The hooked side is inserted onto a rail, glide or pole rings.
S-hooks - are shaped as the name suggests, with one end inserted into the seam or a buttonhole in a curtain and the other end over the curtain rod or in the loop of a rail faster. They can be found in metal, plastic or wood.
Clip rings and round rings - ring clips, which are clipped to the top edge of the curtain the hooks then hook to the fasteners on the rail or directly on a rod. A round ring has a small eyelet its base. A hook in the back of the curtain inserts into the eyelet.
Magnetic hangers - rely on strong magnets sewn into the curtain material which is then magnetically attached to a metal track system or directly to a rod (in which case it will not slide).

[edit] Curtain pole

A curtain pole is simply a metal or wooden pole or rod slightly longer (about 10-20%) than width of the window. It is fixed to the wall with arm brackets that keep it a distance from the wall, normally with one fixing at each edge and one in the centre, allowing the rod to be free from fixings where the curtain will hang. The hanging system is a number of rings that are threaded onto the pole, these are then fixed to the curtain with hooks, or the curtain itself has loops, holes or rings which thread directly onto the pole. The pole or rod will normally have a cap at each end, which can be decorative but functionally stops the rings and curtain from slipping off. They may also have allow the last curtain hoop to be fixed which stops the ends of the curtain sliding to the centre when being closed.

[edit] Holdbacks or sconces

Holdback or sconces (scarf scones) are fixings that do not move, slide or glide, they are normally simple large loops fixed perpendicular to a wall that allow entire curtain fabric to pass through, thus providing a way to hang a fixed window curtain, window scarf or window drape.

[edit] Curtain header styles

[edit] Rod pockets

Rod pocket curtains (or pole pocket) hang by simply creating a loop or pocket behind the curtain face at the header, the curtain pole is then simply threaded directly through the pocket. This enables the top curtain hem to be higher than the rod so that it is hidden when the curtains are closed. They are normally made of a lightweight fabric, with or without a lining and thus create a more casual informal style.

[edit] Curtain rings

Curtains are attached to rings with small curtain hooks as described above, the rings are threaded through the curtain pole, so that the hem of the rings hang lower than the rod and the curtain sits below the rings the system allows for the curtains to easily be replaced with out replacing the hanging system.

[edit] Eyelets

Eyelet curtains are used with curtain poles. There is a hole in the head of the curtain material, normally lined with a metal rim, the curtain pole is then fed directly through the holes to create natural pleats as it hangs. The top edge or hem of the curtain therefore lies slightly higher than the level of the pole.

[edit] Grommets

Grommets are the same as eyelets although grommet holes tend to be slightly larger.

[edit] Tab tops

Tab tops function in the same way as eyelets or grommets but individual loops of material are sewn to the top edge of the curtain, the pole is then fed through these, so the edge of the curtain or hem lies beneath the level of the pole.

[edit] Tie tops

Tie tops are exactly the same as tab tops but instead of individual loops of material sewn to the top edge of the curtain, there are two single short lengths of material which are tied together in a bow to create a loop. The pole is then fed through these, so the edge of the curtain or hem lies beneath the level of the pole.

[edit] Pencil pleats

The pleat refers to the way the head of the curtain is bunched together. Pencil pleats are thin and regular though the height of the pleats can vary according to taste. The pleat is usually created using seam or tape material that has been sewn into the back face head of the curtain, the seam has three or more chords that run along its length, as the strings are pulled the curtain bunches up on the pleats, if all strings are pulled quite tightly and to the same amount the pleats will be regular and thin.

[edit] Goblet pleats

Goblet pleats are reminiscent of Victoriana, considered a more traditional or formal style of curtain. The central pull string of the seam is tighter than that those above and below creating a pleat that resembles a glass or goblet.

[edit] Pinch pleats

The pinch pleat groups pleats in to threes, kept together with a retaining stitch, which allows them to fan out at the top.

[edit] Gathered pleats

A gathered pleat is a cross between a pinch pleat and a pencil pleat. The gathered curtain pleats are created by pulling the chords of the seam or tape quite tightly, as the strings are pulled the curtain bunches up creating the regular pleats.