Window Coverings and Treatments Glossary

With so many types of window fashions in the today’s market, making sense of the various terms and window coverings can be confusing.

With so many window treatment options and combinations, it can be challenging to navigate the jargon and terminology used in the window fashions industry.

For the interior designer, window fashions designer or do-it-yourself homeowner, we have provided this complete A to Z glossary of window coverings terms with brief definitions of each.

We hope you will find this reference resource useful in your efforts to create functional and decorative window coverings that complement any theme, decor or designer look you are trying to achieve!

Allowance – a variation from the precise measurements to “allow” for things such as hems.

Apron – wood trim piece below the window that generally protrudes outward from the wall.

Ascot Valance – a piece of fabric in the shape of a V, trimmed with tassels, fringe or beads and used as either a free standing treatment or topper.

Austrian Shade, Austrian Pouf or Austrian Valance – a poufed fabric shade, featuring shirred scallops which are drawn up from the bottom.

Banner Valance or Handkerchief Valance – a decorative valance that uses a series of fabric triangles threaded onto a rod or attached to a mounting board.

Balloon Shade – refers to a poufed shade that is scalloped on the bottom with billowy folds and draws up from the bottom.

Bell Valance – valance with a pleated or shirred fabric and hemline shaped in a series of bells.

Bishop Sleeve – created by tying scarf fabric back into a poufed or bloused shape one or more times.

Blackout Drapery, Blackout Shade – window coverings made using opaque fabric or material in order to nearly or completely darken a room.

Blind, Venetian Blind, Horizontal Blind or Vertical Blind – window coverings made using slats that operates horizontally or vertically by stacking the slats with cords or tape and also allowing the slats to be angled.

Box Pleat – a pleat that is flat, with folded fabric lying behind the heading.

Bracket – Metal hardware that attaches to the wall or casing and supports curtain or drapery rods or mounts for blinds or shades.

Braid – A flat decorative trim used to embellish curtains; Gimps and woven ribbons are also in this category of decorative trims.

Brocade – A rich, lustrous fabric with a design embossed in gold or silver.

Buckram or Crinoline – a narrow, stiffened fabric made of coarse cotton, hemp or linen cloth and stiffened with glue; used in the header of pleated curtains or to give a more lasting shape to a valance.

Bump – a cotton lining added to curtain panels to give them more body.

Calico – a plain-weave, unbleached cotton fabric made from.

Cartridge Pleats – cylindrically shaped pleats used as an alternative to create pleated valances or long curtains.

Cascade – a showering or rippling fall of fabric as seen in some draperies and curtains; also called a Jabot.

Casing – basically a hem with open ends, used to create a fabric “pocket” for inserting a curtain rod, created by folding fabric over twice and stitching like a hem.

Chenille – a very soft fabric that is made with fluffy cotton yarns.

Chintz – cotton fabric with a floral print.

Cleat – a metal or plastic hook mounted on the side of a window to secure window shade or curtain cords.

Continental Rod – flat curtain rods protruding from the wall to add depth and interest to a rod pocket window treatment.

Café Curtains – an informal type of curtain that generally covers the bottom half or two-thirds of a window.

Canopy – a valance that projects outward over a roller shade or headboard.

Cape Cod Curtain – a café curtain treatment with ruffles on the sides and bottom.

Carriers – plastic sliding pieces in traverse rods with a hole to insert a drapery hook.

Cascade – Another term for a festoon or swag, a curved, draped valance or scalloped top treatment.

Casing or Window Frame – a wooden frame around a window holding the panes in place.

Center Draw – drapes or curtains designed as a pair installed using a traverse rod and opening from a center point.

Center Support – metal grip used to support large size and/or heavy curtain rods to prevent any sag in the middle.

Cornice – a top treatment typically made of wood and painted, finished or covered with fabric.

Cornice Board – a horizontal board that supports a cornice.

Country Curtains – generally refers to a style of curtains with ruffled valances, sides, bottom, and ties, shirred as much as five times fullness.

Coverage – refers to the fullness or quantity of fabric used in making window curtains or draperies.

Curtain – window covering that used fabric gathered or shirred and hung using a curtain rod.

Custom Made Draperies – custom designed and sewn draperies made to order by a window fashion shop or designer.

Decorative Rods – curtain or drapery rods meant to add decorative and visual impact to a window treatment, generally made with metal, wood or resin.

Door Panel – refers to window treatment commonly used for French doors or sidelights with semi-sheer fabric shirred onto rods at the top and bottom of the panel.

Double Hung Drapery – window treatment with layered “over” and “under” draperies that operate independently.

Double Hem – a hem with the fabric turned over twice, typically by the same amount, to encase the raw edge.

Double-Hung Window – a common type of window that consists of upper and lower sashes.

Dowel Rod – A slender rod inserted inside a fabric pocket; used to raise or lower a shade.

Drapability – refers to a fabric’s capacity to fall into attractive folds, thus making it desirable for use in draperies.

Drapes or Draperies – traditional window covering that uses a pleated fabric that can be drawn open and closed, either fully or partially as desired to control light entering the room; many styles and types of drapes have evolved over the centuries since people first began covering their windows!

Draw Drapery – pleated fabric panel which is hung and can be opened and closed along a traverse rod.

Dye Lot – A single “run” of fabric with the same colour consistency, since dyes may vary from one lot to another.

Energy Efficiency – refers to the thermal insulating capacity of a window treatment to maintain the temperature inside a room, reducing the transference of heat and cold from outside.

Fan Folding – pleated draperies that have been folded into a narrow band to reduce unwanted wrinkles in the material.

Festoon – refers to a swag, curved valance or scalloped topper; instead of being hung straight down from a horizontal rod, it is draped from one corner to the other; a festoon is generally not used alone, but as a topper that completes the window treatment and gives it a more decorative look.

Finger Pleat – a finger-width series of pleats used to create a tailored blouson valance.

Finished Length – vertical measurement of draperies, curtains and other window coverings.

Finished Width – horizontal measurement of draperies, curtains and other window coverings, including allowance for returns and overlaps, etc.

Finial or Pole End – a decorative end piece used to finish decorative curtain or drapery rods.

Fringe – decorative trim created with a narrow braid and attached tassels and loops used to decorate the edges of draperies or curtains treatments.

Fullness – refers to the quantity of pleated or shirred fabric shirred used in a window treatment; typically between two times (200 percent) and five times (500 percent) fullness.

Functional Hardware – refers to window treatment hardware that is unseen, generally made of metal.

Generous Coverage – refers to fabric window treatment with fullness over two times or 250%.

Goblet Pleat – a pleat which is “pushed out” and filled using a curtain lining instead of being folded inward.

Golden Mean – design principle that suggests the placement of tiebacks should be .618 (or approximately two-thirds) of the way between either the top or bottom of a window treatment.

Hardlines or Hard Treatments – refers to manufactured window treatments with “hard” surfaces such as shutters, blinds, screens, shades, etc.

Heading – refers to the top of a drapery, intended to accommodate the pleats; generally varies in depth from one to three inches.

Hand Pleat – a hand-width series of pleats used to create a tailored blouson valance.

Hem – bottom or side edges of fabric window treatments; turned under twice and stitched in place to finish the edge.

Holdback – Metal rod used to hold back draperies or as a Scarf Holder, typically having medallions or other decorative features.

Inside Mount Installation – refers to mounting a window treatment inside a window frame.

Jabot – pronounced “zha-bow”, a French term meaning “bird’s crop”, refers to a small decorative panel that is folded at the top into deep pleats and angled at the bottom, causing it to fall into subtle waves at the bottom by exposing parts of both the front and back of the fabric; often used with an insert or under a valance or swag.

Jamb – the interior sides or molding around a door or window frame.

Length – vertical measurement of a window treatment or horizontal measurement of a curtain or drapery rod.

Light Strike – refers to gaps where light penetrates the sides or center of a window treatment.

Lined Draperies – draperies which have liners sewn on the back to add light control and insulation, as well as to prevent fading caused by direct sunlight.

Lining – refers to fabric, typically white or off-white in colour, which is sewn on the back of a “lined” window treatment.

Mitered Corner – refers to the bottom edge of draperies with a 45 angle on the side of the hem.

Outside Mount Installation – refers to mounting a window treatment on or outside a window frame.

Overdrapery – a drapery fabric “layered” over another drapery.

Overlap – the point at which two leading edges of a drapery “overlap” each other to reduce or eliminate light from penetrating the window treatment.

Panel – a piece of fabric used to create curtains or draperies; generally but not always, a pair of panels is used in designing window treatments.

Pattern Repeat – The distance between design motifs repeated in a pattern; important to knowing how much fabric is needed to create a given treatment.

Pelmet – A decorative panel at the top of a curtain or window treatment; also called a Cornice.

Pencil Pleat – pleat created with a special tape sewn to the heading of a curtain or valance, which creates a narrow row of folds that looks like pencils laid in a row when the tape is drawn up.

Pinch Pleat – refers to a drapery heading with a basic pleat divided into two or three smaller pleats of equal size, sewn together on the right side of the fabric at the bottom edge to keep the pleats “pinched”.

Piping – A decorative edge created using bias-cut fabric strips covering a cord.

Pleated Shade – refers to a window covering that is actually more similar to a blind than a shade, using an accordion-like pleated fabric or fibrous paper that can be raised and lowered with a pull cord; may be referred to also as a cellular shade, although these are typically differentiated by the use of an energy efficient honeycomb polyester material.

Poletop Pairs – a drapery using a straight piece of hemmed fabric in light or medium to heavy weight and generally lined separately.

Priscilla Curtains – a fabric window treatment using either sheer, semi-sheer, or opaque curtain panels with a ruffled valance and ruffled side and bottom hems and ties; the panels can meet in the center or crisscross.

Return – refers to the part of covers a drapery or curtain rod where is projects outward from the wall or window frame.

Rod Pocket – a hollow sleeve sewn into the top of a drapery or curtain used to insert a rod, usually between one and three inches deep.

Rod Width – measurement of a rod from one bracket the other, including the width of the window.

Roller or Roll-Up Shade – window covering that uses a spring-wound tube at the top to raise or lower the shade; available in a variety of fabrics, colours and sizes.

Roman Shade – a fabric shade that gathers in soft folds when raised and which may or may not have wooden slats inserted horizontally at intervals along the entire length; can be raised and lowered using a pull cord and is quite popular since it can be made quite easily by the do-it-yourself decorator!

Rosette – a decorative trim element in the shape of a rose.

R-Value – a rating that indicates how efficient a window treatment is in resisting heat coming into or going out of a room; measures the insulating capacity of the treatment.

Sash – The wood frame of a door or window which holds glass panes; used in sliding and swinging windows.

Sash Curtain – Usually a semi-sheer fabric shirred onto a rod, both top bottom, and hung on the sash.

Sash Rod – plain or decorative rod typically mounted inside a window frame on the window sash.

Scallops – pattern of semicircles that are repeated across the hem of a window treatment or valance.

Scarf – decorative top treatment that uses a long piece of fabric draped across the top and hanging down on one side; many variations can be used to achieve different looks and this topper is great for use with decorative rods, finials, etc.

Sconce – a decorative wall-mounted fixture sometimes used to drape fabric through.

Selvedge or Selvage – tightly woven finished edge running the length of a piece of fabric.

Shaped Valance – a fabric top treatment with an angled or curved bottom edge.

Sheer – a lightweight fabric that is transparent or translucent; may be used alone or as a layered under or over drapery.

Shirring or Shirred – fabric window treatment achieved by gathering fabric through a rod pocket so that it slides open and closed, with the rod being smaller then the width of the fabric; the wider the fabric relative to the rod, the greater its “fullness”.

Shutter – extremely flexible and decorative window treatment that uses wooden hinged or solid wood panels mounted to be folded across the window to filter light and provide privacy; adds architectural flavour to a room decor and may be either naturally finished, stained or painted; shutters with louvers over two inches in width are referred to as Plantation Shutters.

Side Hem – Turned part forming a finished edge at the side of drapery.

Sill – horizontal “ledge” at the bottom of a window casing.

Stacking or Stackback – refers to the area needed for draperies when opened completely.

Swag – a decorative fabric top treatment, semi-circular in shape; also referred to as a festoon.

Swag Set – two piece swag, sometimes combined with an insert.

Tab Top – panel hung with flat fabric loops sewn into the heading; makes great use of decorative hardware and offers a clean, contemporary look.

Tassel – colored threads bound together at the top and used as a decorative ornament; often used for curtain or drapery tiebacks.

Tieback – refers to the metal or fabric used to “tie back” a curtain or drapery using a metal holdback or decorative piece of fabric, often adorned with a fringe or tassel.

Tier or Tiers – Fabric panels 24 or 36 inches in length, which cover the bottom half of a window; generally sold in pairs and used for kitchen window treatments for an informal, cosy looking window treatment similar to Cafe Curtains.

Toggle Bolt or Molly Bolt – wall fastener or anchor used to secure hardware to walls where no stud, header or other solid anchor point exists and the hardware must be attached to a wall which is hollow.

Topper or Top Treatment – treatments such as valances, cornices, swags and other items used to give a more decorative look to the top of window coverings.

Traverse Rod – curtain or drapery rod which houses plastic carriers for drapery pins to be hooked, allowing a pair of pinch-pleats draws to open by pulling a cord at the end of the rod.

Unlined Panels – refers to single fabric panels without any lining.

Valance – a top treatment made with fabric, including decorative toppers such as shirred, pleated or bloused valances and swags and cascades.

Weights – refers to the use of a chain and lead weights sewn into vertical seams at the corners of panels to help them hang straight.

Width – refers to a window treatment’s horizontal measurement.

Popularity: 25% [?]