What Are the Different Curtain Styles?

Types of Curtain Styles

First, let’s go over the most common varieties of curtain headings so you can find the style that best fits your design aesthetic. Do you prefer modern and contemporary, functional and practical, or luxurious and elegant? No matter your decorating style, there’s a curtain heading that fits your home’s décor.

Goblet Pleat

The most visually striking and by far the most ornate curtain style, goblet pleats — as the name suggests — look like goblets or wine glasses. This curtain heading style will add a dramatic, old-world elegance to your home. These are statement-making curtains, and they deserve an equally statement-making fabric. Don’t be afraid to go bold with a millefleurs pattern, an intricate matelassé or even a gorgeous damask. These curtains will be the focus of your room.

The trick to keeping the goblet pleat looking full and rounded is to use interlining sandwiched between your main fabric and the lining fabric on the back side of the curtain. Goblet pleat curtains look best in rooms with large windows and high ceilings, or for homeowners looking for the sophistication of a bygone era.

Pinch Pleat or French Pleat

A true classic in the drapery world, the pinch pleat is also known as a French pleat or Parisian pleat. The timeless elegance of this curtain style brings a sense of formality and stateliness to your dining room, living room, bedroom or library, while still being more approachable and understated than the goblet pleat.

You can make two-, three-, four- and five-finger pinch pleats depending on how many times you fold the fabric to create the “fingers” appearance. The pleats are sewn in, giving a luxurious, permanently gathered look to the curtain. As the pleats increase, so do the size and fullness of the pleat and the amount of fabric needed to make the curtain, so keep that in mind when deciding on fabric. This style suits itself to solids, subtle patterns or even millefleurs designs. Due to all the folds at the curtain heading, striped and polka-dot fabrics are not recommended.

Box Pleat

The box pleat is created by layering the fabric into deep folds down the length of the curtain. The folds are positioned away from each other, creating a flat, box-shaped pleat at the top of the curtain. The box shapes uniformly line up next to each other, creating an orderly, tailored look to your dining room, bedroom, study or library. This curtain style looks best in solid fabrics as well as subtle patterns depending on the size of the pattern repeat and the depth of the fabric folds.

Inverted Pleat

The inverted pleat is in essence what the box pleat looks like on the back side of the curtain. Also called a reverse pleat, the pleats are gathered and sewn on the back side of the curtain, providing a sleek, flat front. Particularly suited for modern and contemporary home décor, the inverted pleat style provides clean lines and a no-muss, no-fuss look that skips the fanciness of the pinch pleat and goblet pleat in favor of a more crisp and minimalist style.

Keep in mind that if you choose a fabric with a pattern, the pattern repeat will be dramatically shortened at the top of the curtain where the fabric is pinched and folded out of sight to the back side. That’s why we recommend solids for this curtain style. Solid colors also complement the clean, simple look of these curtains.

Rod Pocket

This curtain style is essentially a large hem or pocket sewn at the top of the curtain. The curtain rod is then threaded through the pocket and attached to the wall. These curtains are not meant to be opened and closed regularly as the fabric will not slide along the curtain rod easily. Rod pocket curtains are ideal for rooms that are not frequently used or in situations where you always want privacy or need a curtain to block off a utility room or alcove.

Depending on how much “scrunch” you create when you thread the curtains on the rod, this curtain style typically doesn’t have as deep of pleats or folds as other curtain headings. Therefore, you can choose a patterned fabric without fear of the design getting lost in the folds. Bold geometrics, quatrefoil and even suzani patterns will look great. Try horizontal stripes for the illusion of a larger room.

Grommet or Eyelet

Bring a casual, contemporary look to your family room or kitchen with grommet curtains. This curtain heading style involves cutting evenly spaced holes at the top of your fabric and installing curtain grommets. The grommets are then threaded through your curtain rod. Because of the metal or plastic grommet, these curtains slide freely and easily along the rod, making this a practical style for rooms where you want to open and close the curtains throughout the day.

Grommet-style curtains can accommodate all types of fabric designs since the fabric is not pinched, pleated or sewn at the heading. And depending on how much extra width you allow for a wavy, draped appearance, these curtains could potentially draw almost flat when they are closed. This means you have no limitations on your fabric selection. Go ahead and pick a fun, busy pattern for a kid’s room, or make your grommet curtain the conversation piece in your living room with bold stripes, damask or even paisley designs.

Curtain Length & Width

The general rule of thumb is that you’ll need two times the width of your curtain rod in fabric width. This is enough extra fabric to do all the pleating you need and will result in beautifully full and draped curtains. Of course, this is a generalization and will fluctuate depending on which curtain heading style you choose and how closely you place your pleats. For example, rod pocket and grommet-style curtains will need less extra width, while goblet pleats or pinch pleats — especially if you sew five-finger pleats — will require more fabric width.

When it comes to curtain length, it’s really up to you. Most people like their living room and bedroom curtains to just brush the floor. Some people prefer the lavish look of puddled curtains (longer than floor length so that the fabric pools or puddles on the floor). This style is well suited for the dramatic goblet pleat or pinch pleat.

Kitchens and bathrooms often have a half curtain, called a café curtain, which is a short curtain panel that covers only the lower portion of the window and barely touches the windowsill. When it comes to a nursery, we recommend stopping the curtains at the windowsill. Unless you plan on redoing the room after a couple of years, floor-length curtains are a hazard for curious toddlers. If you’re worried about light seeping through when it’s bedtime, you can use blackout fabric as your lining fabric on the back side.

Curtain Placement Tips

Lastly, we have some clever tricks for ways you can use curtains to change the proportions of your room. Curtain rods should be placed about 4" to 5" above the window frame and 2" to 4" beyond either side of the window. However, if you have a low-ceilinged room and want to make it appear taller, extend your curtain rod higher above the window frame. You can even install it just beneath the ceiling’s crown molding for a dramatic impact. This will lift the eye and make a low ceiling appear higher. A fabric with vertical stripes will also add height to a room.

If you want a wider-looking window, extend the curtain rod farther past the window frame, but no more than one-third of the window’s width. If you want a small room to seem larger, choose a solid-color curtain fabric that matches the wall color or is one shade lighter than the wall. This seamless transition between wall and curtain will trick the eye into continuously moving around the room. If you want to stick with solid fabrics but you’re looking for some detail and added interest, try two-tone curtains. Sew a second, complementary color at the bottom of your curtains. Align the bottom color with the windowsill for a cohesive, visually appealing look.

We hope this blog has provided you with helpful information for selecting the curtain heading that fits your home and your decorating style. Be sure to check out Sailrite’s complete selection of upholstery fabrics and read our accompanying blog “Picking the Right Curtain Fabric: A Guide for You” to find the best fabric for your family and lifestyle.