Things To Know About Curtain Fabrics For First Time Buyers

19 January 2015
 Categories: Home & Garden, Blog

Share

Curtains are an ideal window and sliding door covering that can add style and sophistication, while also providing varying degrees of shade. If you're about to go shopping for curtains for the first time, you probably need some help figuring out what types of fabric are available, so you can decide which one bests fits your needs. With that in mind, here are some things to know as you begin your curtain-buying journey.

Light Fabric Lets In More Light -- When it comes to curtains, fabrics such as sheer cotton, silk, linen and lace are considered 'light' fabric, and in general, these types of curtains will let in more light to a room than heavier fabric such as canvas.

Light fabric curtains are both light in terms of weight, and light in terms of the kind of brightness they give a space. Silk and lace are the lightest of the light fabrics, but the advantage of silk in particular is that it is a material that holds dye very well, so you have more colour and stain choices when you buy white silk if you want to change the hue after a few years.

Silk and lace curtains are usually thin, and can come in a variety of patterns because of they are easy to work with.

However, if you want your room to have the largest amount of light possible, a chiffon curtain may be an ideal choice, because chiffon one of the thinnest silks on the market.

Heavy Fabric Is More Insulating -- If you are buying curtains for a room that doesn't need a lot of light, and you also want to maximise insulation, then you're better off choosing a fabric such as full cotton, canvas, suede, denim or velvet. These fabrics are thicker and heavier than light fabrics, and they also cut off light because they weigh more and are typically made from darker colours.

Heavy fabric curtains are also double and sometimes triple pleated, and they are lined with cloth material which makes them even thicker and provides you with light and more importantly, sound insulation.

Heavy fabric curtains are noise reducing because sound has to travel a greater distance through the material to enter your home. Heavy fabric drapes are energy efficient because they keep your home shaded and cooler in hot temperatures,and trap warmth and heat during cold winter months.

For more information, check out companies such as Miraje Home Decor & Soft Furnishings.