Many of us love to change up the color schemes in our homes to reflect a new season, and in most cases, this change includes any heavy drapes we have hanging around. Of course this makes sense, as heavy drapery fabric seems as though it might be too oppressive during the warm months of spring and summer, but surprisingly, they don’t have to be. In fact, there are a few ways that can make using heavy drapery fabric all year round a sensible and stylish thing to do. But before we get into that, let’s talk a bit about the types of heavy fabrics that make great draperies.
Heavy drapery is mainly used for blocking light and providing insulation, so the best fabrics are going to be those that are tightly woven, thick and weighty. Some popular fabrics that are used for heavy drapes include velvet (velour), flannel, chenille and tapestry. Each serve the purpose of heavy drapes well, so in the end, the decision will be based on your personal preference and/or what will work in your space. Now that you’re more familiar with heavyweight fabrics, we can move onto how you can make use of your heavy draperies all year round.
Play up color and texture
What it all comes down to really is tricking the eye so when it comes to heavy drapery fabric, we have to help it give the illusion of being lighter than it actually is. The most obvious place to start is color. Color makes a big difference in a space, including the color found on your draperies. To lighten the look for the heavy fabric, avoid dark colors and stick to lighter shades. If you already have dark colored fabric and replacing them isn’t possible, lighten them up by adding sheers.
Layering light colored sheers with your dark draperies will break up the richness and soften the way light is brought into the room. Both of which, will make the space feel a bit more open and airy.
Create an illusion with hardware
Finally, pay attention to hardware. Place your curtain rods as high up as you can go. Doing so will draw the eyes up, making the room feel more spacious. Using holdbacks are also important if you’re going to use heavy drapery fabric all year round. If you don’t already have them, add some holdbacks and expose more of the window by pulling the draperies back.
It’s still more than OK to swap out your draperies for lighter ones if you want to, but remember that you don’t have to. It is perfectly acceptable and stylish to keep the heavy ones up. Just by incorporating a few of the minor tweaks we mentioned above, you can have the heavy fabric without the space feeling weighted down.
When you are looking for a fabric store near you in Keller, stop by our Cutting Corners location in Fort Worth, TX on South Hulen Street for great deals on discount designer fabrics. You will find something for every home interior project from gorgeous drapery fabrics to light weight cottons and luxurious Dupioni Silks.
