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!

How to determine the best drapery for your style:

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

In general, I like to think about drapery as a spectrum of weights -- with silks, sheers and linens 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.

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

1. Traditional (Vintage):

First up, is the traditional, or even vintage, style, which is one of my all-time favorites! It’s at its best when collected over time, well known featuring antique furniture, warm wood tones, intricate details and elegant fabrics. Layered with cozy upholstery, it’s sure to make for a style that’s rich in character!

If this is your style, the great news is that it’s incredibly versatile when it comes to window treatments! My suggestion would be to 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! Or, if you want something more classic, any cotton or polyester blend with a lining (60-80%) would work well. If you like 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 a living room we designed, and I’m obsessed with the character it adds to the room. 

2. 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.

Some of my TWOPAGES favorites for modern rooms are the Cloe, Patti, Vinny, Liz, Kyla or Isabella. If you do opt for a linen like the TWOPAGES Patti or Liz, I would consider adding a lining.

3. Transitional:

Transitional style is a blend of both modern and traditional styles, and 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 mid-weight draperies in transitional style 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 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!

4. Mid-Century Modern:

A style combines the bold colors and textured materials with the more toned-down neutral palette of the modern era, the mid-century modern style is a classic for its warm and full of personality, with lots of opportunities to showcase your unique style!

Like transitional, mid-century is a blend of two styles, so your selection of window treatments should be guided by which end of the spectrum you’d prefer your room to skew. Personally, I prefer to skew more mid-century and tend to use window treatments as an opportunity to add drama, so my go-to’s are usually a velvet or chenille fabric such as the TWOPAGES Birkin, Tavis, Tino — or even the Zola Polyester Twill. The Birkin in Gray Beige below is just the drama this home office needed!

If you’d prefer to skew more modern, I’d opt for cotton/linen blends — such as the TWOPAGES Liz (always so versatile!) Lila, Kyla or the Jawara — with a lining.

5. Scandinavian / Minimalist: 

Minimalism, sometimes referred to as Scandinavian, or even “Japandi” or “Organic” style, is known for its calming simplicity, natural palette and spaces free of any visual “clutter.” For this style I like to choose light and airy fabrics, particularly linens and even some lighter weight cottons.

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

6. 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. I’d also put “farmhouse” & “rustic” styles in this same category! But, from warm wood furniture to cozy throws and vases overflowing with flowers — there’s so much to love about this style.

What I love about this style is the opportunity to be a bit playful in your choice of window treatments, and maybe even incorporate some pattern (especially through plaids/checks or floral patterns).

7. 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 also like to keep drapery 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 Scandina sheers, or the Patti Linen with the Woven Bamboo shades are some of my favorite combinations!

Final Thoughts:

As we wrap up, other styles I didn’t have the chance to cover such as industrial, eclectic, art deco or Hollywood regency are all extremely versatile, and truly almost any type of drapery can work with these, so 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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