Lining Window Treatments – What Everyone Needs to Know
I am a huge proponent of lining window treatments, especially draperies. The truth is lining adds a tiny bit of additional cost but it provides visual benefit and can make or break the way your window treatments hang and look.
Lining adds weight and stability to both draperies and other treatments. It helps the treatment hold its shape and provides an improved and more uniformed appearance. The treatment will appear fuller and more luxurious.
Barb’s # 1 Rule – Protect Your Treatments From the Elements!
If your treatments aren’t protected from the sun and other elements they’ll fade and the fibers will disintegrate. This is true of all climates. Lining protects your investment for years. Natural fibers like cotton, linen and silk are particularly susceptible to sun damage. Often times when I use a natural fabric I add an additional layer of lining known as interlining. Interlining provides an extra layer of protection to these lighter weight or more delicate fabrics. Last year I updated the windows in my dining room, when I removed the old draperies and top treatment I found no noticeable fading or deterioration. This lined treatment had been hanging for eleven years (with the exception of a few cleanings)!
Like most here in Florida, we air condition our home for almost 12 months a year. Lining adds a layer of insulation. It helps us keep our homes cooler even in the hottest months of the year. Conversely, when Bob and I lived up north I used drapery lining to help insulate against the cold and keep the heat inside. It worked like a charm every time.
Last but not least, in design we often use draperies to visually enlarge the size of the window in a room. Basically, the intent is to trick the eye into seeing more volume and make the room look bigger or the ceilings higher. Lined drapery panels act as concealers, hiding where the window ends and the wall begins. Lining is a lot more cost effective than an addition or structural change!
So as you pick your fabric and design and select treatments, don’t forget the lining!
5 Responses to Lining Window Treatments – What Everyone Needs to Know