3 min readThe finishing touch to any space, the right window treatments can make an ordinary room look professionally done. Both curtains and drapes are great options for an elegant, pulled-together look, but the two terms are commonly confused. While most people use them interchangeably, there is a true difference between drapes and curtains. To ensure you get exactly the type of window covering you want when it comes time to order, we're here to help explain the subtleties.
According to expert Ray Chen, founder of Two Pages Curtains, the design industry largely uses the term drapery to refer to both curtains and drapes. The difference between the two largely stems from formality and use, rather than manufacturing or material. Read on to learn more about the differences between drapes and curtains.
What Are Curtains?
Traditionally made from fabric, curtains are hung from a rod to form a window covering. Curtains are considered less formal than drapes, as they are often more lightweight and less opaque. They’re typically hung via a rod pocket and don’t typically feature pinching or pleating like more formal drapes do. Curtains are also less likely to have a lining, allowing more light to shine through.
What Are Drapes?
Drapes are the more formal counterparts to curtains. Often thicker, heavier, and made of higher quality material, drapery is often lined to provide more light coverage, Chen explains. Similar to curtains, drapes are also hung from a rod, most commonly in pairs on either side of an interior window frame.
What to Consider When Choosing Window Treatments
Light Filtration
Curtains are more transparent and sheer, allowing more light in than drapes, so you should factor in your light needs when choosing between the two. “Curtains are typically unlined, making them lighter and less formal,” says Chen. For greater privacy and light-blocking, drapes are best. Drapes are commonly available with different lining options, so you can customize exactly how much light you want to let through your window treatments.
Materials
Both curtains and drapes are made from fabric. Curtains are often comprised of lighter-weight fabrics, such as cotton, linen, viscose, and polyester. Drapes, on the other hand, can also be made from heavier linen and cotton, as well as jacquard-weave fabrics that include prints, patterns, velvets, and tweeds.
Installation
Both curtains and drapes are most commonly installed on a rod. The header type may differ (more on that below), and both can include a valance or not. Some curtains and drapes can be installed on a track, but this is not specific to the type of window treatment.
Cost
Because they’re lightweight and often unlined, curtains will typically be less expensive than drapes. The thicker the lining and fabric, the more expensive the window treatment will be. For example, blackout drapes made from high-quality fabric, like velvet or heavyweight linen, will have a much higher price point than sheer polyester curtains.
Curtain and Drape Header Types
Curtain and drape headers, or how the fabric panels attach to the curtain rod, can take many forms. Below, we describe the most common ones you'll find when shopping for window treatments.
Rod Pocket
This is one of the most low-maintenance header types. It features a long, hollow fold of fabric that runs the width of your curtain. This allows the curtain rod to pass through, and it remains covered as it sits inside the fold of the drape's top edge.
Eyelet/Grommet
Similar to a shower curtain, this type of header features large, open holes for the curtain rod to pass through.
Pleat Hook
To form the crisp pleats of certain curtains and drape types, small, metal hooks gather the fabric and then hang the curtain on the rod, keeping the pleats in place.
Back Tab
Rather than a full tube that runs the width of your curtain, back tabs are intermittent loops attached to the back of the curtain panel to hold the curtain rod.
Tab Top
Elevated from the top of the curtain, a tab-top header features wide loops spaced out across the curtain for the rod to be placed through.
Clip Ring
For this header type, separate curtain rings are attached to the curtain through small, usually metal, clips. Depending on your specific curtains, these can attach to the top or back of your panels.
4-in-1
This multiway header type combines rod pocket, pleat hook, back tab, and clip ring methods for ultimate flexibility.
