The Use of Curtains as a Decorative Medium - Colors - Values - Textures - Cost.

The Need Of Curtains

The windows of a room, together with their hangings, constitute a very important item in the general scheme of interior decoration. Most windows should, of course, be curtained in some way to insure privacy, to soften the light, and to add to beauty. There is no one feature of house furnishing which as quickly tends to give a home-like atmosphere as proper curtains and draperies at the windows. A room which has looked bleak and bare seems to become livable, at once, when some suitable, thin fabric is hung at the windows.

Curtains Used As A Harmonizing Medium In A Room

A well-tested theory in connection with curtains is that, in the decorative scheme of the room in which they are placed, the curtains form the transition between the walls and ceilings and the furniture. In painting a picture three values must always be considered, the foreground, the middle distance, and the background. Each has its own place, yet there must be a pleasing transition from one value to another. If the age-old art principles of unity, harmony, and rhythm are observed, there is a complete continuity in progression from foreground to background. A beautiful room is a picture, so, the furniture, being the most important feature, should be conspicuous as foreground, the curtains as middle distance, and the walls and ceiling as background. The furniture of a room should be strong in line and tone, and the walls should be reticent and delicate in color. The curtains, then, must be the harmonizing link between, giving a final touch of beauty and grace.

Architectural Structure Of Room And Window Effected By Method Of Curtains

Few home makers realize that the shape, size, and method of hanging the draperies of a window often seem to alter the entire architectural structure of the room, and even of the window opening itself. If a room is low ceiled, an effect of greater height may be gained by using narrow side hangings at the windows, falling in straight lines from the rods at the very top of the window to a distance of two feet below the window sill. If the material of these side hangings is heavy and rich, these strips may be made as narrow as eighteen inches, without a sacrifice of dignity. No blinds should be used with these side hangings, but soft, straight curtains of some sheer material are used inside, next to the glass. Side hangings may also be used in a room which is unfortunately too high in ceiling. In this case the hangings should be broader and should extend only from the lower edge of the woodwork at the top of the window, down to the window sill. Across the top a rather deep valance should be placed. When the thin inner curtains are draped back, the slanting lines so formed, although not usually to be recommended from an artistic point of view, still tend to give even greater breadth.

Where Windows Are Small And Few In Number

If the windows of a room are few in number and too small to let in a sufficient amount of light, great care should be used in the curtains. Only the thinnest fabric should be used next to the glass, and if hangings are desired at the sides they may be placed beyond the edge of the window opening, covering the woodwork. This is also a good treatment for a window, when the woodwork is unpleasant in color or form. However, when the woodwork is well designed, it is always best to show it, for it gives the window a point of unity with the rest of the room.