The age-old design question; do we choose a solid or patterned drapery fabric for our next project? This can be a difficult decision to make for any DIY-er OR design lover out there! While we appreciate how much love and care you’re putting into this decision, we want to make it easier for you to choose.
We’ve put together a guide to help you choose a textile that will be the perfect fit for your drapery fabric design project. Just because you choose one or the other this time around doesn’t mean you can’t come back and try something new next time. This guide will always be here to help you in selecting the perfect material you’ve been dreaming about!
Nail Your Design Style
Before you can determine whether to go for solid or patterned drapery, you must first consider your design style. Some interior design styles lend themselves to more pattern or details, while others lean into minimalism and straight lines.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself as you prepare to select a textile for our drapery:
- How do I define my design style? This can be traditional, modern, maximalist, transitional, minimalist, etc.
- Do I find myself gravitating toward a more complex or simple pattern design?
- Do I want my drapery to make a statement or blend into my current decor?
- Should I use a similar color scheme to what I already have in the space, or am I looking to set the tone with something new?
Gather your answers to the questions above to help lead you in one direction or another. There is no right or wrong answer because the material has to be something you’ll enjoy for years to come. Take a look around your home and envision how both patterned textiles and solid fabric would look within your space.
Keep in mind that patterned textiles can look several ways! If you like the idea of something in-between the two, check out small or more subtle textile designs. You might find the perfect fabric that fits your design preferences.
Drapery Fabric Design Choices
Before you select a material design, it’s essential to consider what you’d like your window covering design to look like. This goes beyond choosing a fabric. These are a few things to keep in mind when selecting your drapery textile:
- What does your curtain rod look like? Is it a metal finish, lucite, or painted?
- How will your drapery hang from the rod? Will you use ring clips?
- If your drapery is attached to clips, how would you like it to be folded at the top?
- Would you include a trim on your drapery?
These can seem like trivial questions, but they can help bring the overall vision to life. This is incredibly valuable when shopping for your next drapery fabric! If you have a vision for what you want your final design to look like, shopping for materials will be much easier.
Blend In Or Stand Out
Now that you have an idea of what you want your drapery design to look like, it’s time to decide if you want your window coverings to blend in with your current design. This isn’t to say that something bold wouldn’t work with your current decor. We just like to push the envelope a bit when it comes to design choices.
If you’re looking to have your new drapery blend in with your current home decor, take into account the existing patterns, color, and design styles used within the space. When shopping for material, you want to select a similar textile that will jive well with your existing design style.
If you’re looking to shake things up, we suggest drawing inspiration from design blogs, travel, and your favorite hospitality spaces.
Nothing beats having an interior that’s inspired by the boutique hotel from your favorite family vacation. It’s no secret that hotels, restaurants, and bars are designed by some of the most talented interior designers, so why not take a note from their book?
Patterns We Love For Drapery Fabric
Welcome to the world of print, drama, color, and so much more! Our love of beautiful and intricate design knows no bounds, so it’s safe to say we’re happy you’re exploring the world of patterned textiles.
While we love all styles of fabric, we have a few we’re currently loving and wanted to share with you:
- Foliage
- Diamond
- Ikat
- Embroidery
- Stripe
Are there any textile designs you’ve loved in the past but haven’t yet incorporated into your home? If so, now’s the time to do it! Pattern can completely transform the interior of your home by adding warmth to your windows and character into your space.
If you’re feeling a bit hesitant, you can always pick up a few fabric samples you’re interested in and hang them around your window. Once you see them all within your space, it will be much easier to make a selection! You can pick up a textile from Kovi by selecting the material and colorway you want and then selecting the button that says Order Sample.
You might have your eye on one particular pattern, but we suggest picking up three to five so you have something to compare it to. We love this practice because it either helps us see that there might be even better options out there or affirms our original choice is leaving us feeling confident about the decision.
Solid Drapery Fabric To Source
If you’ve been living without window coverings for some time, then the idea of throwing a bunch of fabric up on your wall can be a bit intimidating. There are so many colors and textures to choose from that you might want to stop before you even get started.
It’s our goal to simplify the textile shopping process for you, so we wanted to recommend a few of our favorite material types for solid drapery fabric. These are our top choices because they each have such unique textures! This is a great way to incorporate coziness into your space without pattern. Here are our top picks for solid drapery fabric:
- Velvet
- Microfiber
- Linen
- Tweed
- Faux silk
Now that you have a few ideas of what material to choose, it’s time to think about color. Are there any particular colors you’d like to include or exclude in your space? The process of elimination can be helpful when shopping! Feel free to use the color filter tool on our website to make selecting a material even easier.
If you’re looking for something more subtle, we recommend you choose a textile that is a muted tone of one of your favorite colors. For example, if your favorite color is pink, we suggest checking out either pastel pink or dusty pink. This way, you get to enjoy a color you know and love without it being an in-your-face design statement.
On the chance that you’re looking for that wow factor, we think you’ll enjoy more saturated colors. For 2022, we’re seeing a lot of green, pink, and brown. These were big in the early 2000s and are making a comeback in the design world. You can use them in conjunction with one another or separate. Either way, you’ll be on-trend!
Q & A
Question: Is patterned drapery too much?
Answer: There is no such thing as too much in design! All that matters is that something meets your acquired taste. Keep in mind that pattern can vary so much, and one design can be much bolder and busier than another. Don’t overlook the more subtle designs. They can be less noticeable from far away and slowly reveal their print as you get closer.
Question: Can you mix patterned and solid drapery?
Answer: Absolutely! Many people like to include four drapery panels per window. This allows you to place two matching panels on the outside and two matching on the inside. If you’re nervous about going all-in on a pattern, this is the perfect way to transition some added design into your space. You can always alternate which panels go inside or outside and if you’re feeling bold, pick up more material to try an all-patterned look.
Question: How do we know if a material will block out light or not?
Answer: If you’re looking for drapery to be light-blocking, we have a section on our website dedicated to blackout fabrics for you to browse. In the event that you’re looking for something that just filters light a bit, we have a good tip for you. When it comes to light-blocking, the tighter the weave, the less light can get through. This means material such as microfiber or velvet will be more successful at keeping out light than tweed or linen.
Question: What are the drapery trends for 2022?
Answer: For 2022, we see a lot more pattern and color in all areas of design, drapery included. It wasn’t all that long ago that patterned drapery was considered old-fashioned, but like all good things, it’s coming back again! We’re impressed by how many younger generations have embraced this design style. We know it’s a bold choice to add so much vertical material into your home, let alone something with intricate details and dramatic color.
Question: How do I know which type of drapery fold to use for my drapery project?
Answer: There are many popular choices to choose from when selecting a drapery pleat. This is helpful to decide upfront to be sure and specify the correct amount of yardage. More pleats can equal less window coverage. We recommend looking into these drapery pleat types:
- Double Pleat
- Box Pleat
- Pencil Pleat
- Rod Pocket
- Back Tab
Pattern or Solid Drapery Fabric?
Selecting the perfect material to use for your drapery fabric is no easy task.
While we understand the difficulty of choice, we appreciate that you follow your intuition when making the design choices for your home.
This guide was created for our design community so we hope it was helping in assisting you along the way. Creating beautiful spaces to enjoy is no easy task but we know you’re up for the challenge. We can’t wait to see how your drapery project turned out!