I thought the ‘velvet’ curtains would look heavy next to my contemporary modern furniture, but they don’t. The curtain material is more like light corduroy than velvet. The curtains darken my living room nicely when my family watches movies. It’s as if we’re in a theatre. Also they do help dampen outdoor noise and block out the WI winter cold. When the curtains arrived in the package, they were wrinkled by the folding. I suggest ironing them instead of steaming because the steam does not take out the wrinkles and might ruin the grain of the velvet material. I am very satisfied with this purchase.