DRAPERY STYLES

The sole purpose of drapery is purely aesthetic as they create an illusion of fullness with an end goal of achieving a look of opulence and luxury. The one design element that sets drapery apart from each other is the header.  The most common are  Double Tuck Pleat, Inverted Pleat and Ripplefold.

The Double Tuck Pleat style provides even spacing to control the fullness of the drape.  Essentially, the pleat is constructed of two fabric folds that are sewn together at the bottom of the pleat.  A product called Buckram (a type of woven stiffener) is used in the process of creating the pleats.  Buckram allows the gathered pleats to have a crisp fold and help retain their shape. The pleats also compress together beautifully when the drapes are drawn open.

Double Tuck Pleats can be installed on either a Channel Pole or a Decorative Pole with Rings.  The drapes operate the same on either; it’s just personal preference!

The Inverted Pleat is a very interesting pleat as the fabric is pleated on the back side rather than the front.  This creates the drapery fabric to appear flat at the top when the drapery is fully drawn open.  You can also play with this top treatment as well - allowing a bit more fabric on the overall drapery width lets you create soft bevels vs the typical flat finish.  This pleat treatment tends to be more modern and streamlined, and would complement a more contemporary home.  And like the other pleats, they can be installed on either a channel pole or a decorative pole.

Ripplefold drapery does not have a sewn pleat.  The header style is created through the use of snap tape that is sewn into the top of the panel which connects to carriers on the track.  The result is a seamless fold in the drapery fabric with consistent spacing.