Apron: window moulding below windowsill on window frame.

Arch Window: a window in the shape of a half circle. Often placed over a door or other windows for decoration and additional light.

 

Austrian Shade: a fabric shade that raises and lowers in soft scallops by means of a series of rings threaded with cord.

 

Awning window: windows that are hinged on top and swing outwards to open; usually rectangular and wider than they are long.

 

Bay window: series of three or more windows set at an angle to each other in a recessed area. Window area extends out from the main wall forming a protrusion on the exterior of the home.

 

Bishops Sleeve: a drapery in which each side panel can be tied back in one or more places in order to create a poofy appearance above the tieback. Allow extra length for poofing over the tieback

 

Bow Window: Usually consists of three or more windows set in a gradual curve rather than at an angle like a bay window.

 

 

Box Pleat: deep inverted, tailored pleats which create a boxy look and add extra fullness. Appear flat on the right side of drapery

Bracket: metal piece attached to the wall or casing to support a drapery or curtain rod, blinds, or shade.

Butterfly Pleat: pleat with two rather than three folds.

Café Curtains: window treatment that only covers the bottom half of the window.

Café Rings: clip-on or sew-on rings used to hang café curtains.

Café Rods: small, round decorative rods used to mount café curtains.

Cascades: part of a valence. Fabric drapes lengthwise in a zigzag line and usually ends in a point. May be combined with swags, jabots, or festoons.

Casement Window: a type of window that swings open and closed on side hinges, usually with the help of a crank-type operation; two vertical sections that crank open.

Casing: wooden frame around a window or door. Covers the joint between doorjamb or window jamb material and the surrounding wall surface; or where the rod is threaded through the top of a curtain.

 

Cathedral Window: slanted window often found with cathedral ceilings; top of window follows the slope of the ceiling.

 

Center Support: a metal grip used to support a traverse rod or vertical blind track from above. It prevents the rod from sagging in the middle, but does interfere with operation.

Clearance: the distance from the wall to the back of the drapery rod.

Clerestory Window: located near the ceiling, these windows are usually rather shallow. May be used over other windows to provide additional light.

 

 

Combination Rods: two or three rods on one pair of brackets, used to create layered window treatments. Combination sets can include traverse only, both traverse and curtain rods, or several curtain rods.

Conventional traverse rod: a cord-controlled drapery rod. Both length and the distance it projects from the wall are adjustable. Available in one or two way draw.

Corner Windows: windows that meet at right angles at the corner of a room.

 

 

Cornice: a shallow, box-like structure, usually made of wood, installed across the top of a window to conceal the drapery, shade, or blind hardware. Also can be made by using padded fabric stretched over two continental rods.

Cottage Curtains: treatment combining café curtains over the lower part of the window, with tieback curtains over them.

Crinoline: stiffening material used to provide support in drapery headings. Also called netting.

Custom Made Treatments: products made to exactly fit window dimensions. They include draperies, pleated shades, vertical blinds, and mini-blinds.

Draping: technique of looping and securing fabric in graceful curves and folds.

Decorative Holdbacks: decorative hardware mounted to the side of the window to hold a swag or to hold back drapery panels.

Decorative Traverse Rod: a cord-operated rod designed so draperies ride below it on decorative rings, allowing the rod to show whether the draperies are open or closed.

Dormer Window: a small window recessed into an alcove-like extension of a room. Typical of a Cape Cod style architecture.

 

Double Fullness: using fabric twice the measured width of the window.

Double Hung Window: the most common style of window; two sashes move up and down.

 

Dowel: an unfinished, round, wooden rod in various diameters and lengths.

Drapery Hooks: pin-on and slip-on hardware used to hang drapery from the rods.

Draw Draperies: any drapery treatment designed for use with a traverse rod, creating a window covering that can be drawn to open or close, either from both sides to the center (center draw) or from one side to the other (one-way draw).

End Brackets: two adjustable metal grips that hold a drapery rod or vertical track to wall or ceiling and control the amount of projection.

Envelope Shades: curtains attached to a mounting board and hung as a pair of flat panels. The bottom inside corners are then pulled out to the sides and hooked to the wall.

Extender Curtain Rod: Piece of curtain rod that fits onto another rod to lengthen it.

Festoon: a decorative valance made of folded fabric that hangs in a graceful curve over the window.

Finial: the decorative end on drapery rods.

French Doors: usually used in pairs, the doors are made almost entirely of glass panes and open outwards. They often open onto a porch or patio.

 

Fringe: decorative trim used on the edges/ hem of curtains, pillows, lampshades and rugs.

Fullness: the amount of fabric used in relation to the finished width of a drapery, usually between double (2x) to triple fullness (3x). 2x indicates the flat fabric is twice as wide as the finished drapery, 3x indicates three times as wide.

Hand-Draw Draperies: a drapery treatment pulled open or closed by hand or with a baton.

Header: top edge of a rod pocket curtain, which forms a ruffle when the curtain is gathered onto the rod.

Hopper Windows: hinged from the bottom of the window and open inward from top. The reverse of awning windows.

Hourglass Curtains: often used on a glass door. Panel is shirred on rods top and bottom and brought together and tied in the center to form an hourglass shape.

Inside Mount: a window treatment installed between the jambs rather than the window casing.

Jabots: a piece of fabric (long or short) which drapes down on either side of a swag or valence; often pleated and tapered.

Jalousie: a type of window or storm door featuring a series of moveable glass slats.

Lambrequin: a decorative wood frame built around the top and sides of a window to create a larger, more impressive window treatment. Often padded and covered with fabric.

Lining: a fabric backing added to a drapery to increase durability, reduce fading, conserve energy, and make the panels hang better. (Ex. black out and dim out lining)

Master Carrier: the lead carriages of a traverse rod. They contain two rods that overlap in the center, allowing the draperies to overlap slightly and close completely.

Mounting Board: a wooden board installed inside or out of the window frame to which curtains are attached.

Mullion: a slender structural member between two windowpanes. Sets off smaller panes of glass; wood trim.

Multiple-Draw Rod: each panel of a pair of draperies draws independently.

One-Way Draw: a traverse rod on which draperies pull from one side to the other. Drapery panels stack on one side when open.

Outside Mount: the installation of a window treatment on or beyond the window casing rather than within the casing (inside mount).

Over draperies: the topmost draperies in a double or combination drapery treatment.

Overlap: the area where drapery panels lap over each other at the center of a two-way traverse rod.

Pelmet: British term for cornice or valence.

Picture Window: large window allowing an unobstructed view. Frame holds a fixed piece of glass.

Pinch Pleats: a drapery heading where the basic pleat is divided in to two or three smaller, equal pleats sewn together at the bottom edge on the right side of the fabric.

Pleater Tape: a stiffened drapery heading that makes it easier to create pinch pleats. Space between pleats is pre-measured and woven-in pockets hold pleating hooks that fasten onto the drapery rod.

Plinth: a square of decorative wood installed at corners of window frames.

Priscilla Curtains: a pair of extra-wide, ruffled, tieback curtains hung on crisscross curtain rods so the panels crisscross in the center. Often used with an attached valence.

 

Projection: the distance the front surface of a drapery or curtain rod is from the wall it’s mounted on.

Puddled Curtains: curtains with long side panels to drape and puddle onto the floor to create a soft full look.

Railroading: refers to using fabric horizontally instead of vertically to avoid seams in long lengths of fabric (like dust ruffles). Fabric without nap and design work the best.

Repeat: the distance from design motif to the next on a patterned fabric.

Return: the portion of drapery extending from the corner of the rod to the wall; enclosing the brackets/drapery hardware.

Rod-Pocket Curtains: flat panel curtains with a pocket or casing sewn into them to receive the curtain rod. The rod pocket is generally 1-2 inches larger than the size of the rod.

Roller Shades: made of vinyl or fabric attached to spring rollers which are mounted to the inside of the window frame/casing.

Roman Shade: a fabric window treatment that is raised and lowered in horizontal folds by means of a series of tapes to which rings (threaded with cord) are attached.

 

 

Sash: the part of a window that opens and closes. It includes a frame and one or more panes of glass. Also the frame and glass of an inoperable window.

Sash Curtains: any sheer material hung close to the window glass. Usually hung from spring tension rods or sash rods mounted inside the window casing.

Sash Rod: a small curtain rod inserted through pockets sewn at top and bottom of a curtain. The curtain is stretched between the two rods

Scalloped Heading: a popular top treatment for café curtains featuring semicircular spaces between the curtain rings.

Sheers: curtains or draperies made of translucent fabric to filter light and provide minimal privacy; often used under another drapery.

Shirred Curtains: any curtain gathered onto a curtain rod, but the term is frequently for curtains gathered onto rods at both the top and bottom edges.

Sidelight: a glass panel adjacent to a door, often used at entries for appearance and to provide more light.

Sill: the horizontal, ledge-like portion of a window casing.

Skylight: a window in the roof that admits light from above. A skylight can be operable or not, some are flat while others are bubble like.

 

Slides: small runners installed in a traverse rod that holds a drapery pin or hook.

Sliding Glass Doors: large glass doors mounted on a track that bypass each other.

Spring Tension Rod: a curtain rod designed to compress snugly inside a window frame. Used when permanent fastening of a curtain rod is not desired.

Stack back: the space required for draperies when they are completely open (stacking space).

Swag: a general term describing a draped fabric valance. There are many variations including formal, throw and ruffled swags.

Swag Holder: provides support for loosely draped treatments such as a throw swag. The harp shape allows fabric to be secured in a pouf fashion.

Tab Top Curtain: a curtain with fabric loops sewn to it’s top, so it can loop around a drapery rod or pole.

Tie Tab Curtains: similar to tab top curtains but with ribbons/fabric bands tied onto the rod.

Tension Pulley: the pulley attachment through which the traverse cords move when the drapery is drawn. Insures one smooth, continuous operation. May be mounted on baseboard, casing, or wall, on one or both sides.

Tension Rod: see Spring Tension Rod.

Tieback: a fabric band, cord or chain designed to hold draperies back on each side from the center of the window. Allows passage of light and adds a decorative look.

Tiered Curtains: usually café curtains hung in two or more tiers with top curtains slightly overlapping lower curtains.

 

Top Treatments: decorative treatments used at the top of the window covering. They are sometimes used to conceal drapery rods or to soften hard-edged window treatments such as vertical blinds, pleated shades, or mini-blinds. Top treatments come in many different styles.

Traverse Drapery: treatment that opens or closes easily across a window by way of a traverse rod which it hangs from.

Trims: decorative braid, fringe, tassels, cord, gimp and other fabric trims used as an accent on curtains, draperies, or tiebacks.

Two-Way Draw: a traverse rod that allows the draperies hung from it to pull closed from both sides to the center. Also called a center draw.

Under draperies: draperies used under a decorative treatment (which may be stationary or operable), usually for privacy and light control. Often made of sheer fabrics.

Valance: decorative top treatment hung over draperies or blinds as an accent. Usually covers functional hardware.

Venetian Blinds: made of wood or metal slats, attached to cloth tape and worked by a cord pulley system.

Vertical Blinds: similar to Venetian blinds except slats run vertical and are on a traverse track.

 

Wall Mounting: treatment using rod extended beyond the window frame and mounted on the wall.

Weights: lead or metal weights used in draperies and fabric vertical blinds to help them hang properly.