The living room in your home is often the first place (and sometimes the only place) your guests see when they visit. Not to mention all the time you spend in there to unwind, relax, and get together with family and friends. Regardless, you probably enjoy putting extra care and attention into designing and decorating such a prominent room in your home, right?
Among the vast selection of window coverings you might decide to use, there is one in particular that you might consider: a stylish valance curtain (also, window valance) for your living room window.
What Does a Valance Curtain Do?
A valance curtain, window valance, or window top treatment, is a unique type of window treatment that most often lies over just the very upper part of a window. Valance curtains date back to the Victorian era (last half or so of the 19th Century), and their primary purpose is to hide curtain rods and other hardware mounted on top of the window. They are also effective for hiding structural flaws around windows at different heights.
Valance curtains can dress a window top by themselves, to better frame a window, or they can be layered with other window coverings, like curtains, shutters, Roman shades, or cellular shades. When layering, your valance can be used to “soften” a window, or to coordinate with the fabrics or throw pillows of nearby furniture. A valance curtain helps give a consistent, coordinating look and feel for just about any window treatment.
Most valance curtains are made of silk, linen, polyester, cotton, satin, velvet, and jacquard, and many feature linters to protect the fabric from harmful UV rays. Valance curtains are popular for windows overlooking kitchen sinks and for other areas where there may not be much available floor space. Fancier valances can be an effective way of adding an additional splash of fashion to your room’s style.
Different Types of Valance Curtains
Most valance curtains are simple, and made using a stitched-in rod pocket and then hung using a standard curtain rod.
Basic valance curtain types include:
- Stand-alone Valance Curtains – These are elegant options by themselves over your window tops, or as a layering option to lay over shutters, blinds, or shades.
- Valance Curtains Over Curtains or Drapes – Adding a valance over your living room curtains or drapes can add dimension, style, and texture to your look. A final touch of formal flair.
- Ascot Valance Curtains – This type of valance curtain is a more formal, elegant, and tailored style which is also used over curtains and drapes. These are frequently made using plusher materials, like silk and velvet, and may also fringe, tassels, or other forms of decoration.
Is a Valance Curtain Useful?
Valance curtains come in very handy for those attempting to add dimension and weight to their windows. You might also see valance curtains placed behind drapery for a more modern look.
How Far Down Should a Valance Curtain Hang?
For most windows, valance curtains hang down over the wall above the window and downward to cover the first two to six inches of the window’s upper area. Valance curtains can also be hung starting just under the ceiling over a window, to help make your living room look “taller.”
Advantages of Valance Curtains
Other than for mere aesthetic purposes, and for keeping hardware out of view, there are at least a couple of other advantages to adorning valance curtains over your windows: noise control and energy-saving.
Valance curtains made of heavier fabrics can help reduce outdoor noise. In terms of energy-efficiency, valance curtains can help keep a room cool by blocking out incoming heat and UV rays, thereby helping reduce your utility bills.
Compared to other types of window treatments, valance curtains are also less expensive.
Layering with Curtains: A Viable Alternative to a Valance Curtain
If you like the idea of adding dimension to your living room and its windows, but want other alternatives to valance curtains to consider, you may want to think about layering curtains over other types of window treatments.
Following are some customer favorite options for layering your living room window. Try some of these pairings:
Essential Class – Our Essential Class products include budget-friendly, simple designs in familiar styles. They are made of materials known for strength and easy cleaning.
Signature Class – Our Signature Class products feature affordable, thoughtful designs in trendy styles. They are made with fabrics known for durability that are anything but basic.
Select Light Filtering Cellulars
Premium Class – Our Premium Class products are an excellent investment created in timeless styles. Crafted with high-quality materials that are made to last.
Custom-create valance curtains to coordinate with your window treatments, pillows and other beautiful accent pieces with artfully patterned and colored fabrics:
Regardless of your unique sense of fashion and interior design, we’re here to help you get that perfect look for your living room and around your home.
