How to Layer Curtains with Valances, Cornices & Pelmets

 

 

Curtains fulfil the important function of providing privacy and light control while also dressing up a room. But, crowning them with valances or pelmets/ cornices can open up multiple possibilities and land the decor on a dressier note. These delightful ‘over-treatments’ can add more flair to your home, forge a focal point for a room, and amp up the visual appeal of your curtains, making layering curtains with valances, cornices and pelmets an attractive design decision. If you’re looking for ideas and tips to bring this plan to fruition, stay tuned, this blog is just for you.

Before we proceed, however, let us make note that while ‘valance’, ‘cornice’ and ‘pelmet’ are terms that have come to be used interchangeably these days - there is one key difference. 

• Valances are ‘soft window dressings’, featuring flowing fabric panels that hang loosely from a board or pole installed at the top of your window treatment.
• Cornices (also called pelmets), on the other hand, are ‘hard top treatments’, featuring a box (usually wooden) fully upholstered with fabric. This construction lends them a highly structured shape and look, as the fabric is affixed to the box, instead of flowing loosely. 

Whether you’re looking to layer your curtains with the soft elegance of flowy valances or the architectural appeal of structured cornices/ pelmets, expert advice awaits you in this blog. So, linger on.

A Touch of Fabric, A World of Elegance

 

Curtains have a statured presence in a room, often impacting the overall mood of the space. Amping up their scale and visual appeal with decorative veils and cornices adds more life and dynamism to the room. It’s the tried and true recipe for topping up the curtains with zing and bling. But, although valances, pelmets and cornices are primarily aesthetic accessories, they also enhance the functionality of the curtains, making this layered partnership a double bonanza of attractive perks, including:

• OPTICALLY ELONGATES THE ROOM: If your window is short, or ceilings low, valances and cornices can prove a godsend. If mounted a few inches above the window, valances extend the visual line of the curtains upward, making the eye gravitate to the ceiling and gauge the full height of the room. When both curtains and valances are crafted from the same fabric, the visual effect is further accentuated, making the window seem taller and the ceiling higher. That your room turns out grander is the bonus point.
• ADDS VISUAL DIMENSION AND DEPTH: Like other decor accessories, valances and pelmets add dimension and detail to the room, lending an excuse to introduce colour, pattern and texture. For a home that is desperate to add some personality, this is the gladdest news.
• EXPANDS AESTHETIC POSSIBILITIES: Combining two layers of window treatments lends the rare opportunity to mix colours, patterns and textures to evoke visual interest. So, if the curtains are patterned, you can introduce plain valances/ cornices and vice versa. The contrast ensuing from the pairing of attractive patterns with quieter solid colours makes the room come alive with action.
• MINIMIZE LIGHT LEAKS: Valances, cornices and pelmets cover the top portion of the drapes, closing all the top gaps between the curtains and the walls. This is especially helpful in bedrooms and nurseries to accentuate the light-blocking capacity of your drapes.
• CAMOUFLAGES ARCHITECTURAL FLAWS: Flaws in the window architecture like asymmetrical shapes or positions, peeling paints and chipped edges can be bothersome, especially if you cannot initiate a renovation. Similarly, windows that look ‘almost’ the same but are slightly different in size pose the challenge of maintaining a continuous visual line. Here, valances can make an easy cover-up by concealing the unsightly and offering a uniform visual line - if mounted at the same height.
• CONCEALS DRAPERY HARDWARE: If your drapery hardware is not show-worthy or does not align with the design language of the rest of the room, no need to invest in new hardware, just hide it behind valances/ pelmets.
• DEFINES AND UNIFIES A ZONE: An over-wide window bank or a large bow window can look bare in the middle when the curtains are stacked to the sides, falling slightly short of looking like one unit. With pelmets, cornices or valances on the top, the entire window trim looks dressed up at all times - even when curtains are stacked to the sides. Besides, valances and cornices offer a structure and continuous visual connection between the windows. When tailored from the same fabric, it becomes easier to define the windows and its adjacent area as one unit.

So, that’s a light inventory of the good things that come to those who layer their curtains with valances, cornices or pelmets. But to make sure that you’re able to avail of these benefits, take advantage of these styling tips:

Coordinate Your Fabrics when Layering Curtains with Valances, Cornices or Pelmets

When layering curtains with valances, there are multiple routes to explore - some bring variety and drama, others render sophistication and grandiosity. While the more popular combination exercises restraint, there is always scope to go creative and incorporate layers and details. Either way, it is important to ensure that the window treatments as a whole complement the decor. Depending on whether you’re looking to make a unified statement or an attractive mix of varied layers, you can choose one of these arrangements:

Use Same Fabric for Both Layers to Make a Unified Style Statement

 

The most favoured arrangement - valances and curtains featuring the same fabric - seeks to make a collective visual impact. Since there is no variety or contrast, one tends to immediately interpret the window setting as one unit. This helps to optically elongate the space as the visual line extends from the drop point of the drapery straight to the top of the valance with no breaks in between. If the room has a low ceiling, this trick will do wonders to make the room seem taller than it is. Instead of creating different visual lines by using two different fabrics, this arrangement builds a sense of continuity, helping the eye to scale the height of the room.

This style of setup can be used regardless of whether the fabric is plain or patterned. Either way, be assured that this arrangement creates a sense of grandiosity, a larger presence that can be capitalised to make a focal point in the room. 

However, in the quest to create a head-turner moment with a single gorgeous fabric, chances are high that the treatments blend visually, making it harder to discern the silhouettes of the valance as separate from that of the curtains. So, do consider adding a border trim to highlight the contours besides offering an unmistakable decorative detail.

Mix Plains

 

Bring complementary or contrasting colours to the configuration if you don’t want pattern play. This is ideal if you have a patterned wallpaper or your decor style is quiet and sophisticated. Assign the bolder or darker colour to the valance as it can bring it in small proportions that won’t weigh down the design. Also, it will make the eye gravitate upward making the room appear much taller than it is.

Or, pair varied shades of the same colour if you want a monochrome effect or if this colour is the statement of your decor. The contrast should not be too subtle though, lest it comes across as a failure to make a perfect match. Rather it should be evident that it is an intentional pairing of darker and lighter shades to create visual depth in decor.

Pair a Plain & Pattern

 

This is the most popular way of adding an element of allure. The contrast produced by the juxtaposition of the movement and bustle of a pattern with a complementing plain colour makes the window look more attractive, and when done right, it can become the focal point of the room.

Since patterns are eye-catching, it is beneficial to pair patterned valances with plain curtains when you want to draw the eye upward and emphasise the height of the room. It is also more apt if the pattern is very busy as the small size of the valance/ cornice will limit the visual weight of the pattern. Conversely, if you want the pattern to occupy more space in the room, it is better to introduce it on the curtains rather than valances.

Sync with your Decor Style

 

Valance/ cornices/ pelmets are dainty decor accessories but their potential to vouch for your decor style must not be underestimated. Whether they are rippled or straight-lined, structured or easy casual, decorative or simple - these little details serve to further the overarching theme and vibe of the space.

Valances stitched on classical maximalist themes - such as our board-mounted swag valance and shawl valance - are an outright statement of extravaganza, glamorama, and ultra-formal dressiness that suit spectacular traditional living rooms or grand dining halls of period homes. While styles such as the board-mounted flat valance feature a very sleek boxy structure that rhymes with the simple sophistication of modern minimalist decor.

Similarly, valances that portray a very tailored appeal such as the board-mounted sheffield valance and board mounted box pleat valance can further the ceremonial look of the formal spaces of the home. Pole-mounted grommet valances and flat panel valances, on the other hand, give a less dressy, more casual appearance fitting for informal rooms.

So, look for the right valance that carries the traits of your decor style so that there is a cohesive flow across the home. Also, lean into the formal/ informal mood of the space when choosing the valance so that it integrates well into the design. Browse through The White Window’s catalogue of valances where you will be greeted with over a dozen styles that each cater to a different taste and setting. From the a la mode formal to the nonchalant breezy, and all in between, one that can nail your desired look awaits you.

Zhuzh Up with Border Trims

 

If you know how much a little detail can make a world of a difference, you’ll not miss this step of dressing your valances’ edges with decorative trims. They define the profiles of your valances, add texture and colour, and can sometimes be that itsy-bitsy piece of allure that gives a facelift to the entire room.

When curtains and valances are made of the same patterned fabric, an accent trim can serve as a thin wafer of separation without breaking the flow. For a plain fabric, trims can bring a second tone to the picture without deviating much from the monochrome look you’re aiming for. In both scenarios, the absence of border trims will potentially blend the curtains and valance visually, failing to make the impact they were capable of rendering.

However, trims on your curtains and valances are not just about adding a colour or a detail, they are also about ringing it clear and loud that this window is blissfully dressed in carefully curated haute couture. And that’s not something you want to sidestep when you’ve taken the high-end route of made-to-measure window dressings. So, visit our curtain trims section and find a suitable ornament for your curtains and valances.

Add opulent shimmery tassel trims to your flowy silk valances and resplendent scalloped valances to fine-finish elaborately embellished rooms befittingly. Look to lush pompom trims and fringe trims to accentuate the informal appeal of your breezy linen and cotton valances. If you like the idea of border trims but wish to do it on a more subdued note, consider ribbon trims that lend their dose of pizzazz without altering the silhouettes of the valances.

Pay Attention to Mounting Position

 

Getting the right shaped valance and choosing the right fabric is important, but after having made the best choices, if you don’t mount the valance/ cornice/ pelmet correctly, it will be a sad ending to a fabulous story. So, be wise with the mounting position.

With a thoughtfully chosen mounting position, you will be able to make a window look taller. And this little styling hack can work wonders for a small window. Mount the valance such that its bottom hem overlaps the window trim by a centimetre or two so that the window’s profiles are not immediately perceptible. This small detail will work to make the window seem to extend further up, creating the illusion of a bigger window.

Similarly, you can use your valance’s mounting position to reduce/ cancel light leaks from above the drapery. For this, mount the drapery track/ pole a few centimetres above the window trim and then over-treat with a cornice or valance on top. This will help to minimise light leaks from the top of the window. But if you have already mounted the curtains very close to the window trim, install a board-mounted valance/ pelmet. As it closes the gap between the curtains and the wall from all three sides at the top, the light will not be able to seep in.

In case you wish to add a valance without giving up the opportunity to bring the metallic/ wooden tones of the hardware into the designscape, keep pole-mounted valances such as inverted box pleat valance, grommet top valance, rod pocket with header frill valance, and so on as your topline choice. While they will cover your drapery’s hardware, they will compensate with their own. And, if you are yet to install the hardware, invest in double-configuration poles that offer separate poles for curtains and valances in the sleekest arrangement possible.

Coordinate with Other Fabric Accessories

 

By adding valances and cornices/ pelmets over your curtains, you are bestowing a more tailored and elaborate visual appeal to your window. Mirroring that detail in other elements of the room can elevate the sense of grandeur further and build a cohesive flow into the space. So, consider giving your valance an accompaniment.

Add pillows or cushions to the room of the same fabric as your valance. With The White Window, you can customise them to any size and choose from between three edge styles - the simple knife edge, the slightly more detailed piped edge and the elaborate flange edge.

But that should not be the limit of your imagination. Think of other fabric accessories like table runners, bed runners, mantle piece scarves, bed canopy valances, bed skirts, and upholstered chairs - ideas are abounding. Order fabric by metre and bring your ideas to fruition. 

Shop Valances for your Curtains at The White Window

 

Valances, cornices and pelmets had their ebbs and tides in the world of drapery for centuries now. However, what explains their constant resurgence is perhaps the fact that they achieve so much with just so little. They are the diadems of drapery, the arc of grandeur, the ‘extra’ that turns the ordinary into ‘extraordinary’! So, if you want to give an opulent makeover to your room, never miss crowning your drapes with suitable valances. Also, count on this superhit pair to fake height in a low-ceiling room, make a small window look longer or mask an architectural flaw. So, head to The White Window’s catalogues of valances and find your window coronet today!