You can dress your windows elegantly with curtain panels, either lined or unlined. The best panels are made with fancy fabric and trim. Drapery panels are usually backed with coordinated linings. If you purchase silk panels, they are usually interlined, which makes them easier to drape, and adds to their sun protection. Panels may have weighted and rolled hems, hand pleats and blind-stitched seams, to make them look like custom draperies.
We don't usually notice drapes unless they start to look ratty or old. That's disappointing, since you spent so much time picking them out. Curtains can make or break the decor of a room, so why don't we notice them much, after they're hung?
Cape Cod panels have a lovely, billowing style that is all their own. They are perfect for use in areas with warmer winters. It's a look that is easy to create, too. In colder climates, you may want to replace Cape Cod curtains with heavier, lined drapes in the winter, but you can bring them back out when the weather is warm again. For the best Cape Cod designs, use a semi-transparent fabric that flows and billows well. Look for natural fabrics, since many synthetic fabrics don't flow.
Most people leave their panels and valances up year-round, but there's no reason you can't have separate curtains for the colder seasons, and lighter drapes for the warmer months. These will brighten up your rooms in the spring, with the lighter weights and colors.
In your living room, you will usually have the larger windows of your home. They will be the most expensive to fit with curtain panels, but the effect can be really gorgeous. If panels don't fit in your budget for the larger windows, you can go with wider drape sections.
Drapery panels are manufactured from large fabric pieces that are finished to be hung alone, or sewn together. These can be mainly functional, for increasing privacy, reducing drafts or blocking sunlight, or they can be hung for decoration. Curtain sets normally are suspended from rods hung slightly above the windows.
You can use drapery panels to finish the decor in any room. You can find panels made from fine lace or thick tapestries, which make for quite a formal look. Even the hardware can add beauty, with decorative finials used. You can also decorate drapery panels with tassels, buttons or hooks.
When you hang drapery panels in place of an interior door, they can hide closets or rooms used for storage, and look more creative and decorative than simple doors. They can save you valuable space in smaller rooms, too, since you won't have to allow room to open and close a door. Drapery panels can also delineate a smaller space inside a larger room. Curtain panels that you hang near a corner can be used to set off a small office space in a den or finished basement.
Curtains can be used to block light inside or outside. They may often be lined, or made of a thick fabric, so that light does not easily pass through. Sheer curtain panels are made from an airy and light fabric that you can see through, and they offer privacy while still allowing sunlight in.