A Quick Guide on Drapery Pleat Styles

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When you order custom draperies, you know they will fit your windows or cubicles perfectly. You can choose the fabric from a sheer panel to a heavy fabric for the ultimate in insulation. You also choose the pattern and colors of the fabric as well as the heading type that best suits your style. Pleats are types of headings that are at the top of the drapery panels close to the decorative drapery rods.

All About Drapery Pleat Styles

There is a large array of drapery pleat styles and headings for you to choose from in custom draperies. Many people know what they are looking for, as they have seen it somewhere else and they really like it, but don’t know what to call it. This guide will help you to visualize what the different drapery headings look like and how they fit into your business.

The Pinch Pleat

The pinch pleat is a timeless classic heading that can also be called a French Drapery Pleat. The top of the drapery fabric is formed into a three-finger flute at the top to provide a lot of fullness down the length of the panels. This style is sophisticated and used in windows of restaurants that have formal dining, dining rooms of nursing homes and hospitals as well as executive boardrooms of businesses.

The Parisian Drapery Pleat

The Parisian drapery pleat is very similar to the pinch pleat but with the top three fingers tacked together at the top of the flute. This style is also a more formal style as the pinch pleat is and works well in the same settings.

The Goblet Pleat

The goblet pleat is another choice for a formal setting. It is gathered in an area that is a few inches from the top of a drapery panel and it appears like a rounded goblet on top with a stem to it on the bottom or an upside-down goblet.

The Ripple Fold Pleat

The ripple fold is sleek and modern while being very functional and easy to operate. It works best on draperies that you plan to open and close every day in your business. The drapery panels glide along a track when you open and close them and this type of heading is seen often in medical facilities to section off rooms between patients.

The Inverted Pleat

The inverted pleat style of heading on draperies is neatly pleated and it gives off a casual and relaxed style to blend in with any informal setting. The pleating style is square at the top and flat and then it supplies some fullness as it goes down the drapery panel.

The Grommet Drapery Pleat

The grommet drapery panel is hung from a curtain rod that is seen as the top of the panel has decorative grommets, which the rod is placed through. Decorative grommets come in many different finishes to match any decor you may have in a room. It can be matched to the drapery rod and the hardware in the same color or a coordinating color for a perfect blend of your window treatments. Grommet panels usually have the fabric extending about one inch above the grommets for sturdiness. You can make a grommet panel appear to be dramatic with the use of extra fabric to create deep folds.

Rod Pocket Drapery Pleat

The rod pocket drapery panel is a casual, classic and traditional choice in window treatments. This design creates the fullness down the entire length of the panel by the gathering of fabric under the rod pocket. You can add fullness by using more fabric on the rod pocket though the standard is twice as much fabric as the width of the window. You can also choose to have a larger flange on the top of the drapery panels above the rod pocket to add more character and uniqueness to your rod pocket drapery pleats.

Cubicle Drapery Panels

The cubicle drapery panel is a budget-friendly style that works especially well for cubicles, separation of areas or very large windows. It has small grommets on the top of the drapery panels that attach in hooks on a track. This allows you to pull the drapery panels open and closed easily with one hand while they simply glide along the track.

The Flat Drapery Pleat

The flat drapery pleat is a very simple style that is also considered a great choice for a casual setting. It is also called a flat pleat by some people. The top of the drapery panel is finished with a buckram tape to keep it firm at the top. Drapery hooks are installed on the back of the fabric panel and they attach to the eyelets of drapery rings on the curtain rod.

The Cartridge Drapery Pleat

The cartridge drapery pleat is a slightly formal style of heading that works well in any setting. The fabric is rolled into a cylinder at the top of the drapery panel and it creates fullness throughout the length of the fabric.

The Pencil Pleat

The pencil pleat is a drapery heading that is both tailored and considered feminine. Pencil pleating tapes are sewn to the back of the fabric with strings that cinch up the fabric to make elegant elongated pleats. This type of pleat works well for stationary panels that you will not be opening and closing each day, perhaps in a spa setting.

The Tab Top Pleat

The tab top pleat is usually found in more of a country setting, such as a casual restaurant. Tabs are sewn at the top of the drapery panels and the drapery rod fits through the tabs. You can choose a contrasting color for the tabs or the same color as the panel fabric. The tabs can also be held onto the fabric top with embellishments such as buttons instead of being sewn in place. This style displays the drapery rod and most find that a highly decorative rod works well with this style.

You can now see that there are many pleat options when planning the exact design of your commercial or business draperies. Customized draperies can accommodate any ideas you have for your window treatments in Maui through the use of designers to help you achieve the exact look that you want.

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