| What's ahead in window
furnishings |
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 Today’s
curtain fabrics have become more sophisticated, heavier
and textured with the emphasis on drapability. Gone is
the shiny taffeta look with curtain fabrics becoming
more substantial. The upside of these changes is
that the curtains now perform substantially better in
the areas of drapability, insulation and acoustics.
The weight of the fabric allows the curtain to drape
beautifully – there is no need for frills or tiebacks as
they tend to look out of place with many of these newer
fabrics. With this extra weight the curtains create a
calming warm ambience to your home.
The most popular combination is a dry look sheer curtain
or sheer blind with heavy insulated curtains over the
top on a decorative pole or fascia. Our new city pleat
curtain
style has proven very popular. Alternatively stunning
sheers with blinds or coloured lining underneath.
Colours. For heavy curtains creams to chocolates are
still popular i.e. the beverage colours (latte, mocha
cappuccino, espresso etc) highlighted with duck egg
blue, apple green, orange and even red. The latest
colours for sheers are metallic's with blacks, silvers,
pewter and bronze colours.
Sheers. It’s the “dry look” that has proven the most
popular. These fabrics come in plains, stripes and slubs
from creams to earthy colours. They look equally good
when teamed with drapes or over blinds to soften the
window and provide daytime privacy. Lace sheers are
still out of fashion. For the more adventurous there are
stunning metallic coloured sheers. These 300cm wide lead
based continuous fabrics can be very intricate in
design. They usually have two or three colours woven
into the design and range from $50.00 to $200.00 per
metre.
Plain Fabrics. Plain fabrics are very popular,
particularly in bedrooms where fabulous designs in
bedding require plain curtains as a backdrop to complete
the picture. The triple weave fabrics are becoming more
popular because they exclude at least 90% of light are;
washable, crush resistant lovely to the touch, drape
beautifully, good for acoustics and are usually fire
retardant to pass Australian Standard AS1530-3.
There are also many plain and semi plain weaves on the
market. These fabrics require lining and so when teamed
with a triple weave lining create a wonderful ambience
to any room. This combination is particularly effective
in home theatres.
Prints and Jacquards. Prints are still a little slow.
The inexpensive cotton print with an acrylic backing is
fast being replaced by triple weave fabrics. These
triple weave fabrics are usually heat transfer printed
in Australia, and are available in many designs.
In the medium to upper market designs are now often
woven into the fabric- not printed. These fabrics vary
considerably in weight from light weight pocket weaves
to beautifully weighted jacquards.
Natural Fibres. These types of fabrics are now being
requested more often. 100% cotton is easy to supply in
plains and prints. Plain silk is also plentiful. Hemp is
available but very limited in styles. There is very
little pure linen about.
Pure wool always looks good so does 70% wool 30% bamboo.
Both these fabrics drape beautifully and are now
available as plains or jacquards. I have not tested the
65% hemp 35% yak hair or the 55% hemp 45% PET recycled
plastic but this should give you the idea that there is
some interesting fibre combinations available.
Blinds. The roller blind is
the most popular and is available as a sheer,
translucent or blockout blind. They are now available in
more decorative textured fabrics and are most entirely
chain operated or motorised and come with a metal base
bar. The main development has been linking blinds so
that only one chain or motor operates two or three
blinds.
Competition has made the roman blind with timber battens
much more affordable. A newish trend is the “glide”
blind- complete with timber battens it looks great and
is on display at our showroom. “Glide” is ideal for
sliding doors and wide windows where there is enough
room to the side to stack the panels.
Shutters. Are more reliable
and less expensive now as economies of scale have
improved pricing. Best results come on windows where
adjusting the blades to control light and privacy is all
that is required. On wider windows and doors it is
sometimes a problem where to hinge the panels so they
don’t get in the way. Shutters now come with a two year
warranty.
Showroom and Workroom. To
introduce you to the latest fabrics and designs we have
a very comprehensive showroom this allows you to get a
“feel” for current fashions. It is well worth a visit.
Our showroom is located at 3/2 Peachtree Road, Penrith.
Many customers don’t realise that we have our own
curtain manufacturing workroom on the premises. This is
the heart of the business. It ensures consistent quality
and allows us to test new fabrics and experiment with
different making styles.
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