Selecting the correct fabric for each different application in your home can be daunting. Here are a few tips to help you make your choices.

It is most important that the fabric will drape or hang well. In general the heavier the fabric, the tighter the weave should be to ensure that the fabric will hang well.

The looser the weave the more prone it is to environmental factors like heat and moisture which will mean that you can physically see your drapes rise and fall.

The most common types of fabrics that are used for drapery are as follows: sheers and nets, most commonly synthetic, used for privacy.

Casements, which are made from loosely woven textured yarns and also used for privacy.

Prints, probably the most popular, these are generally made from tightly woven cotton or cotton polyester blends and are of medium weight and practical from most window treatment situations.

Satins and jacquards, mostly for formal applications, heavy tightly woven supple fabrics that hang very straight and formally.

There are no rules, you can use almost any fabric for drapery with careful thought about the application, as long as you can justify your selection with all your knowledge go for it, dare to be different. If you still can't decide then I would go to the professionals, the ones who sell fabrics and ask for their advice, sometimes it only takes a couple of simple properties that a fabric has to convince you of your correct choice. Good Luck.

Lee Brown

Lee Brown is a professional designer with 14 years experience and co founder of interiordezine.com, a website dedicated to providing free interior design and decorating information. She has specialized in commercial interior design, restaurants, bars, office fitouts, education facilities, and more recently, high class luxury homes. Together with her husband Chris Brown she runs a successful Architectural Design business. Lee has been writing interior design and decorating articles for their website for three years now and has decided to share her expertise even further by offering her articles to others. She has won awards for color and loves pushing the envelope of design, to get achieve the end result of originality of design. Therefore she is definately a leader and not a folllower of design trends. She believes that design is an extremely personal experience for those taking part, it can drastically change the way a person feels in their environment, so it really important to bring out the clients passion and own inner style. This way you always have happy customers with unique and individual interior schemes! I hope you enjoy reading what I have to offer.