Your Guide to Choosing the Perfect Drapes for Every Aesthetic

By Grace MacDonald

As an interior designer, when I talk to clients about window treatments, I always like to refer to them as “the icing on the cake” of a room — it’s an opportunity for them to add their own personal touch to the overall room design through their choice of color.

However, the style of a curtain still has the power to make or break the overall style/aesthetic of a room – and between all the different fabrics, weights, lining and header style options — it can be an overwhelming choice to make!

Determining the best drapery for your style:

There are so, so many styles & aesthetics out there, but for the purposes of this guide I’ve tried to bucket them into the most common categories. Below, I’ll walk through the key elements of each style, with my recommendations on drapes for each.

Generally speaking, I prefer to think about drapery as a spectrum of weights, with silks, sheers and linens being on the lighter end; cotton/polyester blends being somewhere in the middle, and heavier polyester blends, velvet, or anything with a blackout lining, being on the farthest end.

For most styles, some form of weight either through the curtain material itself or the lining is necessary in order for the curtain stack to hold a nice shape (and in some cases, even more may needed to control light, sound or temperatures), but in general — lighter weights tend to pair well with lighter, airier styles, and heavier weights tend to lend themselves to heavier or more dramatic styles. For all styles, I would recommend a “pleated” header for the most polished look!

Modern:

If you like a fresh, clean look with a neutral palette, but you wouldn’t quite describe yourself as a minimalist – then a modern style is for you!

With modern styles, I would avoid heavier weight fabrics, such as velvet, as well as the opposite end of the spectrum of very lightweight linens and aim for something simple and in the middle — such as polyester, cottons or even a cotton/linen blend for that fresh, neutral look.

My favorites are the TWOPAGES Cloe, Patti, Vinny, Liz, Kyla or Isabella. If you do opt for a linen like the TWOPAGES Patti or Liz, I would definitely add a lining. Pictured below is the Liz in Beige White with a lining, and I just love the refreshing yet cozy feeling it gives this room!

Traditional / Vintage:

The traditional style is one of my all-time favorites! It’s often collected over time and known for furniture pieces that are antique or handmade, with warm wood tones, turned legs and unique details. Layered with cozy upholstery, it’s sure to make for a style that’s rich in character!

If this is your go-to style, it’s one of the most versatile there is when it comes to window treatments! For the purposes of drapery choices, I’d probably also put farmhouse and rustic styles into this category as well.

When choosing curtains for a traditionally styled room, I’d opt for a mid-to-heavyweight fabric — you want something with some substance. If you’re looking for a little more drama, a velvet option would be perfect — such as TWOPAGES Birkin or Tavis, both favorites of mine! If you want something more classic, any cotton or polyester blend with a lining (60-80%) would work well. If you’re more into textures, I would suggest the TWOPAGES Zola Polyester Twill or Liz Linen (with a lining). If pattern is more your style, this is a great place to incorporate it — I would suggest considering either the TWOPAGES Holly, Celia or Sara Le Polyester Heavyweight.

Here is the Sara Le in the Vintage Print in our living room, and I’m just obsessed with the character it adds to the room. 

Transitional:

Though it’s a very versatile style, as a blend of both traditional and modern styles one of the biggest challenges can be striking the right balance between the two! It’s because of this that I like to keep my choice of drapery flexible in any transitional style.

I tend to opt for “middle of the road” weights in transitional rooms, though, you could also go heavyweight including fabrics with noticeable texture – such as chenille or jacquard.

The herringbone pattern of the TWOPAGES Ron or Lydia D-series are just perfect for a transitional style! I also love the rest of the Lydia Jacquard heavyweight series, as well as the Tino, Sarai or Liz Linen lines for transitional rooms too! Like I said, you have options when it comes to this style!

Mid-Century Modern:

A style that typically consists of the bold oranges and bright green / yellow tones of the mid-century style combined with the toned-down neutral palette of the modern era – the mid-century modern style is warm and full of personality, with lots of opportunities to showcase your unique style!

Like transitional, this style is a unique blend of two styles, so your choice of window treatment should be guided by which end of the style spectrum you would prefer your room to skew. If you’d like it’d to skew more modern, I’d opt for cotton/linen blends — such as the TWOPAGES Liz (truly, one of the most versatile lines there is and always a hit), Lila, Kyla or the Jawara — with a lining. If you’d prefer it to lean more mid-century and/or would like a little more drama, I’d opt for a velvet or chenille, such as the TWOPAGES Birkin, Tavis, Tino — or even the Zola Polyester Twill.

The TWOPAGES Birkin pictured below in Grey Beige added just the right touch of drama to this home office! 

Scandinavian / Minimalism: 

I’ve bucketed these two styles together, as they are quite similar – and for the purposes of this guide, I’d also put the more specific styles of “Japandi” and “Organic” in this same category.

This style is most known for its simplicity and neutral palette, with plenty of hidden storage for spaces that feel calming and free of any visual “clutter.” For this style I like to choose light and airy fabrics, particularly linens and some lighter weight cottons.

My favorites are the TWOPAGES Liz Linen — even without a lining, Jawara, Patti, Vinny or Masha.

Pictured below is the Jawara Linen with a lining and I’m in love with how calming and serene it makes this space.

Coastal:

Often characterized by shades of white and blue and woven accents like rattan or wicker — it’s an aesthetic so calming you can practically hear the ocean waves.

For this style, I like to keep my choice of drapery also very light and airy — so a lightweight linen or cotton curtain, even without a lining, are my usual choices. My go-to selections from TWOPAGES for coastal rooms are the Liz, Patti, Freya or Masha.

I also LOVE to layer TWOPAGES products —the Liz Linen with the Scandia sheers, or the Patti Linen with the Woven Bamboo shades are some of my favorite combinations.

Cottage / English Country / French Country:

This style will always hold a place near & dear to my heart for its charming, European-inspired and oh-so-perfectly whimsical aspects. From warm wood furniture to cozy throws and vases overflowing with flowers — there’s so much to love about this style!

In my opinion, this style is an opportunity to be a little playful in your choice of window treatments through the incorporation of pattern — especially plaids/checks and floral patterns, but you can also keep it neutral if you’d prefer.

Personally, I prefer a lighter to medium weight fabric — such as linen, cotton or linen/cotton blends — so the patterns of the TWOPAGES Sara Le, Holly and Celia would complement this style perfectly, and the Liz, Kyle, and Masha are great neutral options!

Once again, bonus points for layering with woven bamboo blinds here as well! Layering adds depth and sophistication to any space!

Below is the TWOPAGES Liz in Beige White paired with woven wood blinds (as pictured above) and I just love how warm it feels – especially when the sun is setting.

As we wrap up, other, slightly more niche styles that I chose not include because, really, anything goes when it comes to these styles would be: industrial, eclectic, art deco or Hollywood regency. For any of these styles, I would encourage you to let your imagination run wild!

I truly hope these recommendations serve as a helpful guide when choosing the best style curtains/drapes for your space! I’d also like to note that these recommendations are based entirely on aesthetic styles of window treatments — and do not take into consideration light/sound blocking or temperature control elements that may also factor into your choice of fabrics and linings. But whatever your window treatment needs, TWOPAGES’ wide array of extremely customizable options makes it very easy to get the curtains that are just right for you!

Thought of a style I missed? Please reach out!

*All photographs credit: Grace MacDonald

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