Curtains today come in different styles that choosing the right style is the first challenge to hurdle when looking to improve the appearance of a room. In the UK, choosing a curtain style is much easier because London curtain makers are quite knowledgeable when it comes to curtain styles, given the long history of how curtains came to be popular in Europe.
During the Victorian era, heavy living room curtains that came in different layers were very much in vogue. When it came to bedrooms, window treatments were lighter and oftentimes more frilly, to create a fresh and somewhat more relaxing effect.
Yet Victorian window treatments started losing their appeal in contemporary generations, as many busy homemakers prefer window treatments that are not difficult to hang and take less effort to wash or bring to a dry-cleaner. Today, the most popular types of curtains that fit well in any kind or room and lifestyle include the following:
- Pinch Pleat Curtains
- Tab-Top Curtain
- Box Pleat Curtains
- Eyelet or Grommet
- Goblet Pleat Curtains
- Pencil Pleat Curtains
- Rod-Pocket Curtains
A Quick Look at How Curtains Became Popular in England
A look back into the medieval era in Europe, will show that window treatments made from cloth were not meaningful additions in castles. Windows if any, were made so small to prevent birds and harsh weather elements from getting in.
Years later, wealthy people in Europe started developing appreciation for decors and artistic objects. They also began to like the idea of adding richly woven and brocaded silk fabrics to their walls as decors, or around their beds to add privacy. In country manors, curtains were used as dividers in large rooms to create various, purpose-specific spaces.
While this was the beginning of curtain-making projects for many local seamstresses, their skills in creating curtains by hand was needed only by the rich folks. Handmade curtains became necessary additions as many of the large houses had sizable glass-pane windows. Curtains were still very expensive at that time and only the rich people can afford them. After all, fabrics were still handwoven as well as hand-sewn. .
Finally, the Age of Industrialization arrived and brought forth power looms and machineries that can produce textiles in abundance. Ordinary people can now afford to be stylish with their garments and with their curtains because textiles were more affordable. There was no shortage of designs either, as the Inventions of dyeing and printing processes enabled manufacturers to produce fabrics in varying colors and prints.
Curtain-making became a lucrative profession as well that in order to have a competitive edge over others, skilled makers developed different curtain styles as a way to make the cloth panels more decorative and stylish.
However, since curtains have become common as window treatments in every home, wealthy homeowners hired professional interior decorators to make sure that their window treatments aren’t just decorative additions. Curtains should give their homes a touch of elegance, in ways that will not only highlight their wealth but also to show their flair for sophistication.