HISTORY OF CURTAINS

• Define space and create privacy

• First curtain - animal hides - hooks
• Early textiles, spun (linen & flax) ancient Egypt, wool, cotton &silk.
• Castles, woven textiles
• Before glass, wooden slats used
• During the Renaissance - glass windows(uncovered)
• windows - light in and passersby to see in
• For privacy and warmth, hangings used
• Took many years to evolve into what they are now.
• Industrialization- more mass-produced - helped curtains become what they
are today
CURTAINS are known by many names such as curtain
panels, drapes, drapery, and drapery panels. Although those
names mean the same thing to most of us, there is an actual
distinction between curtain and drapes.
Add Linings To Curtains, It Will Start
To Appear More Like Drapery Panels

DRAPERY - Cloths or textiles hanging

in loose folds

Many Styles, Patterns & Appealing Colors

 C U R TA I N S D R A P E RY
 Lighter Fabric & light weight  Heavier Fabric

 Not lined (Thin, Sheer)  Lined

 Made to move in the breeze  Backing give them structure

 Hung by a rod by tabs  Often attached by hooks to a

traverse rod

 Casual/informal & simple look  More formal & stylish look

 Length – usage – Window/Floor  Top to Floor Length

 Open & close by hands  Cord/drawstring can be use to

 Block light, sound and open & close

temperature to some extent  Blocking light, sound &

temperature (maximum)
 C U R TA I N S D R A P E RY
 Easily taken down & put up  Requires more effort to put up &
taken down (thick fabric, length)

 Seen in offices, dormitory rooms,  Seen in more formal rooms such

restaurants, and homes as a dining room in an elegant

home or high-end restaurants
and hotels.

 Add weight, texture,

 Add decorative touch
extraordinary decorative touch
& personality to a room
 Easy to make, Simple style
 Pleated
 Operable
 Fixed or Operable
FABRICS
FOR
DRAPERY

SILK FABRIC – Lovely to touch,

delicate, soft, add interest and
luxury
FABRICS
FOR
DRAPERY

JACQUARD FABRIC
Itself consists of
swirls, very similar
to floral print
 COTTON FABRIC –Versatile, popular,
different forms of cotton, easy to care

VELVET FABRIC – Luxurious,

hard wearing, glamorous feel,
Stunning look in darker shades
such as purple, black and teal
FABRICS
FOR
DRAPERY

VOILE FABRIC
Lovely, lightweight,
fine,
used in combination
with thicker
FABRICS
FOR
DRAPERY

SATIN FABRIC – Glossy,

luxurious feeling,
look stunning ,
delicate material
FABRICS
FOR
DRAPERY

SHEER FABRIC – Transparent, add a sense of drama, excellent

 CHENILLE – Luxurious & excellent fabric,
beautiful to touch & warm too

LINEN FABRIC – Cool , cozy look,

used for vintage design
 FABRICS FOR DRAPERY

• HARD WEARING FABRIC – Easy to care, wipe, clean, wash

• HEAVY WEIGHT FABRIC – Extremely luxurious touch to room, no lining

• PRINT FABRIC – Add interest , variety of designs, use in child’s room

 DRAPERY STYLES
• Functional (privacy, block light,
insulate sound)
• Decorative (attraction, aesthetics)

• There are so many options and

choices of fabrics, tracks, rods, styles

and headings for drapery

SWAG
CAFÉ CURTAIN

• Bottom half of window

• Privacy
• May include upper treatment
of an arch or valance
SHEER CURTAIN

• Translucent
• Filters light
• Some privacy
L ACE CURTAIN

• Similar to sheer
• Lace fabric is use
GATHERED

Drapes are pulled

back roughly half
way up their
height and tied
back.
BISHOP SLEEVE

• Series of blousy sections

• Arranged vertically down
• Panel created by cinching
the material and allowing
it to gather
TOP TREATMENTS
• PLEAT
• VALANCE
• SWAG / SCARVES
• CASCADE
• JABOT

HEADING TREATMENTS
• CORNICE
• PELMET
PLEAT
STYLES
VALANCE
• Made of fabric that has been pleated,
scalloped or ruffled hangs across the top of
a window
• Hide window hardware, rods etc.
• Add softness, color, and pattern
•They should never exceed 1/6 of the
window's height
SWAGS OR SCARVES
Pieces of fabric loosely slung and
draped over a decorative rod, or
wound over a tieback at each corner of
a window frame to add a little style,
softly hang down
different ways to hang swags are
HEADINGS & ACCESSORIES
PELMETS
• Layer of decorative fabric covering a wood frame
• Sits at the top of the window
HEADINGS AND ACCESSORIES
CORNICE
• cornice is a box-like valance
• Made of wood, plaster, or flat
• Hide the poles and other hardware
 HOLDBACKS
DRAPERY
HARDWARE &
ACCESSORIES
• Decorative Rods, Traverse Rods
• Finials
• Brackets EYELET
• Rings TIEBACKS
• Tiebacks
• Holdbacks
• Eyelet
TRAVERSE RODS
• Traverse or move – drapery
• Used in conjunction with runners
• Runners, hooked onto the curtain
• Instead of hand, Cord/String/Remote to smoothly slide
• Come in many types
RODS
 Beautiful and durable, Wide range of length

 Medium-weight and heavyweight materials

 Visible through sheer curtains, Decorative rods may be best

FINIAL S
 Decorative ends, many styles , finishes, shapes

 Mostly Visible
 BRACKET

Ceiling mounted

Ceiling mounted Single curtain rod bracket

Wall mounted Double curtain rod bracket

CURTAIN RINGS
Attractive, easily attached to drapery

Slide easily along a curtain rod

Available in many sizes, shapes and qualities

TIEBACKS
Soft loops of fabric, cord, chain or other material

holds back drapes.

They tie around the drape itself

THEATRE DRAPERY TYPES
T H E AT R E C U RTA I N S : T H R E E BA S I C T Y P E S
1. PROSCENIUM CURTAINS
• Include main curtain & main valance
• Provide a decorative barrier, closed curtain
• Grand drape/main curtain/front curtain/house curtain
• Grand valance/valance/grand teaser/teaser
• Travelers/draw curtain/bi-parting are most common horizontal moving
curtain, two halves, center split, operate manually or motorized,
relatively inexpensive.
• More ornate Grand Drapes lifting vertically, depending on the style and
its opening, it maybe called an Austrian Curtain, Waterfall Curtain,
Tableau Curtain, Guillotine Curtain, Contour Curtain, operate motorized
THEATRE DRAPERY TYPES
2. MASKING CURTAINS
used to conceal rigging, lighting equipment, hardware from the audience
Side curtains, borders, and legs are all types of masking curtains.
“Side curtains”, “back curtains”, or “rear setting curtains” describe any
curtains that are behind the grand drape.
Styles of these types of theater curtains can vary from layers of legs, borders,
travelers, and backdrops, to simple U-surround theater curtains.

BORDERS- short and wide, spanning a stage’s width, constructed from

a heavy material, Borders frame the top of the theatre scene

LEGS narrow and tall, on either side of the stage and run parallel to the
grand drape, block view of backstage, light-blocking material, almost always
black. In most situations, three or more legs are placed on right and left stage.
3.BACKDROP CURTAINS
Hang in the rear, used mid and downstage to make the stage appear
shallower, made of muslin and painted to provide scenery
Unpainted muslin and scrim are also frequently used as backdrops to create
lighting effects.
The “scrim” is a type of curtain constructed of thin, open netting, used to
create a variety of special effects, has a unique quality that it can appear or
disappear by shifting lighting

ALL TYPES OF THEATRE CURTAINS MUST BE

FLAME RETARDANT