Are your drapes the right length for your home? When it comes to the interior design of your home, you should assess whether or not your drapes are the correct length, to ensure your design flows properly and seamlessly throughout the room. The wrong drape length can stand out in a jarring way, against your interior design style. There are four different drapery styles to choose from that could fit your personal style in your home.
1. Hovering Style
This is a great length for a high-traffic area such as a family room, kitchen or bathroom where long drapes are not practical. This style should also be used if there is a radiator or deep windowsill in the way, both of which could potentially damage your drapes. We recommend you leave a finger width, one to three inches, of space between the floor and the bottom of your drapes, or the windowsill and bottom of your drapes. This style essentially minimizes the gathering of dirt, dust, and shedding from your pet so the hem of your drapes will stay clean.
2. Breaking Style
Do you feel that your drapes are too long? For a quick and simple fix, we recommend purchasing breaking style drapes or tailoring a hem. A break in your drapes is a fold or bend above the hem, which is created when the fabric is longer than necessary to reach the floor. This beautiful custom look has a tailored feel about it and is very forgiving if you have uneven floors.
3. Brushing Style
This is the most popular length for drapes, which has the drapes just barely touching the floor. Drapes brushing or kissing the floor is often used in modern homes where crisp simplicity is preferred, but it also complements traditional decor very well. High quality professorial drapery hardware will allow for slight adjustments to be made during installation to camouflage any irregularity caused by uneven floors or ceilings. This is the most traditional style and always makes a home look and feel charming and well put together.
4. Puddling Style
For a dramatic effect in your home, you can have your drapes puddled on the ground. This length has 6 or more inches of your drapes on the floor spread out like a puddle. You can create a very formal or casual look highly depending on the fabric. If a soft, light fabric is used the room would take on a more relaxed feel. Silk fabric adds elegance to your home, or if you opt for a heavier fabric, such as velvet, the deep puddling on the floor reinforces a very formal setting.
Keep in mind that this is not a low maintenance length option and requires much maintenance and cleaning. The excess inches of fabric on the floor requires more vacuuming and is more likely to be slipping or tripped on. But the trade off is worth it because the extravagance is dramatic and unparalleled, which makes a bold elegant statement in your home.
Which Style to Choose?
If your curtains happen to be too short, too long, or you want brand new drapes, our expert professionals determine the best length drapes for your home. To have the most stylish drapes that best fit into your home, contact Shading Systems today.