Floral Curtains & Botanical Window Drapes

Flowers, both fresh-cut and symbolically represented, are a great way to integrate nature’s rejuvenating beauty into home decor. Hence, floral patterns have always been part of home decor in some way or another. Featured on curtains, floral prints and patterns bring liveliness, colour and light-heartedness to any space. Connecting indoors with outdoors most beautifully, floral curtains and botanical drapes are light-hearted decor elements that can enliven your living room or softly zhuzh up your calming bedroom. 

While all floral curtains are lovely decor accessories in themselves, knowing which one is right for your space is a skill. What matters more than the inherent prettiness of a floral drapery is how it goes with the rest of the space. On that note, our expert designers share with you the top elements to consider when selecting floral drapes:

Scale Correctly

One of the most important aspects to be considered while picking floral curtains is the scale of the pattern. A number of factors have to be considered to get the scale right.

Over and above other factors, the scale is directly responsible for creating a focal point of your window. A large print garners attention without having to work too hard simply because the eye gravitates towards it unknowingly. Hence, going for grand-scaled floral curtains is a guaranteed recipe for a focal point.

The scale, among other things, also speaks about their era of origin and the decor style they befit subsequently. For example, oversized blooms with minimal detailing are typical of contemporary decor while minuscule botanical prints like ditzy and calico evoke nostalgia and befit vintage decor. 

Hence, when selecting floral prints of the right scale, you must also make sure that they tie in with the design choices in the rest of the space. 

And, as with other patterns, the size of the motif must be informed by the size of the window and the room. Grand-sized florals as of ‘Viking’ are apt for large windows while they will get cut off abruptly on small windows. However, even if the window is large, such a large print should be avoided if the room is small as it can overpower the design and skew it visually. 

Smaller floral patterns as in our 'Tajmahal' sheer drapes tend to blend into the space rather than stand out. But cast on an oversized window, their tiny prints will fail to make a visual impact on the overall decor. They rhyme well with small windows and small spaces as well as for large windows that you don’t wish to be the centre of attraction. Also, if your room currently features other mid-to-large scale patterns, it is better to keep your floral drapes on the smaller side of the scale to avoid having competing patterns vying for visual attention.

Maintain a Palette

Another element that decides the suitability of a floral drapery for your home is its palette. Since drapes take up a meaningful amount of optical space, they are capable of relaying the palette of the room very efficiently. 

So, make sure that you decide upon the overall room palette before you embark on shopping for curtains. And, that the palette of your chosen drapery fabric syncs with the overarching direction of your room palette.

If your decor style leans heavily towards modern decor style’s understated luxury, we recommend botanical drapes with neutral tones and subtle contrasts. Tone-on-tone florals present rich organic vibes without bringing a multitude of colours to play as in our ‘Eira’. With neutralised colours, they sink into the background and add personality to the interiors very unpretentiously. On the contrary, if it’s the high-contrast play of colours that gives those sophisticated touches of clean lines to your home, a modern black-and-white floral drapery like ‘Crepe Wagon’ might be the apt choice.

If you have a vibrant decor style, go for curtains that manifest spring’s pops of flamy yellows, oranges and reds amidst verdant greens. For a striking appeal, consider botanical prints with heavy doses of bright colours such as our 'Rose Parasol' drapes. Or, keep it understated with occasional pops of saturated colours as in ‘Lovely Jewels’. Whether you go all out or pared back on colour, be assured that the character of joy and energy will be radiated unmistakably.

Also, note that scale and palette work hand in hand. If you’re aiming to make a focal point, large-scale and bright palettes are a great combo. Otherwise, it may become important to keep one low when the other is high. If the scale is huge, tone down the palette and vice versa so that the drapes don’t overthrow the rest of the decor.

Determine Density

Once you’ve attended to the scale and palette, take note of the density of the patterns too. Floral prints can be as bustling or as quiet as you want them to be. What is important is that you identify which look goes with your aesthetic goals. 

Our collection includes floral drapes with floating motifs on a generous negative space such as in ‘Faithful’. This layout is not overwhelming to the eye even though it draws focus on the shapes and colours of the motif. 

Another option is the all-over layout where the motifs cover the fabric continuously from end to end. If the size and palette of an all-over pattern are underplayed, the drapes will call less attention and gently blend into the background, like our 'Winter Sonnet' velvet print botanical drapes. But go with a large-scale, all-over pattern - as seen in 'Queens Park' - and suddenly you have a set of highly eye-engaging drapery.

Choose the Level of Detailing

The next element that has a say in whether the floral drapes will blend with your space or not is the level and type of detailing that characterises them. The style of florals points to the era they belong to and the decor styles associated with those times. 

Florals with intricate swirls and curls are more apt for traditional design’s detail-heavy spaces and transitional design’s curated mix of the intricate and the simple. Realistic renditions, especially the oil-painted versions of roses and posies in feminine hues belong to country-style homes and transitional spaces that flaunt their nature-inspired themes and outdoorsy vibes.

Bold florals with abstract forms, sometimes reduced to mere silhouettes, belong to pared-back modern design’s restraint and subtlety. Simplified floral patterns with minimum detailing or less-than-realistic renditions sync with modern and contemporary design styles.

Layering Floral with Other Patterns

If you love to play with patterns, the good news is that florals blend with many. However, there are some rules to the game if you want them to work to their highest potential. And here are the golden tips:

ADD CONTRASTING SHAPES: Just as with colours, it is true with shapes that contrast creates visual interest. So, bring in stripes, checks and other sharp-edged geometric shapes to balance the organic shapes of florals.

MAINTAIN A PALETTE: Tie in the contrasting patterns with a common colour scheme. In this way, they look like a close-knit team rather than strangers who coincidentally crowded together without purpose. 

BALANCE THE SCALE: Be mindful of the scale. If your drapes have large botanical motifs, downplay the scale of other patterns so that they don’t dizzyingly compete for attention.

The idea is to make all the patterns on board to complement each other. The eye must segue effortlessly from one to the other without feeling overwhelmed.

The White Window Collection of Floral Curtains & Drapes

Florals are not for everyone but everyone who loves them can find one that befits their decor style and taste. Fleur-de-lis, art nouveau, acanthus, anthemion, toile and more - there are tons of botanical patterns for choice, and each of them brings to your home’s interiors those trailing blooms and a note of softness that suddenly makes any space feel more like ‘home’. The only skill you need is to know which floral print sits right with your taste. You only need to browse through your favourite swatches from The White Window before you make up your mind. For some inspiration at this point, take a peek at a few favourites from our collection: 

MELTED CREAM: Flowers, buds, leaves and tendrils, all silhouetted in embroidered details of varied blues, this floral drapery is for those who want their floral prints to be subtle and yet impactful.

SEAFOAM BUS: Posies of pink roses scattered on a slate grey backdrop are the right mix of a vintage motif and a modern palette. Add a country touch to your decor without letting it seem a mismatch to the relatively modish stylizing of the rest of the space.

FULL FLUSH: Bring on the sweetness of countrysides teeming with wild flowers and dense foliage and gardens bursting with multi-coloured roses into your home in this dreamy drapery.

CHEDDAR: A shower of fresh blooms on a light-filtering fabric is all you need at a breezy patio to keep the space bright and airy while connecting with the outdoors in a symbolic way.

LOFTY DREAM: Welcome botanicals without the hullabaloo of colours and prints in this tone-on-tone embroidered drapery delicately designed with tiny blooms on slender vines. The upward orientation of the vines can help to add a sense of height to the space.

With all the secrets out now, finding the right floral drapery for your home has hopefully been made as simple as can be. With such a vast spectrum of choices at The White Window, you can easily find the one that resonates with your style and desired palette. But personalising them with suitable heading style, trimmings and coordinated accessories makes the process still more enjoyable. We invite you to lavishly pour your creative energies as you design your very own custom floral curtains and botanical drapes from our curated collection of designer drapery fabrics. Enjoy! 

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