Evening star., 1934-04-27
w WINDOW draperies are di-
~ vided into three types to
w MI three requirements.
First there are the glass

wv flll three requirements.
First there are the glass
curtains to make for pri-
vacy. These may be tinted to warm
a north light or to cool south light.
Gold, tan and orange will warm the
light. Soft green or blue will cool it.
The amount of light admitted may
be regulated by the weight of the net.
gauze, marquisette, voile, scrim or
whatever Is used.
The second is the shade or draw
curtain: the shade for double-hung
windows and the draw curtain for
easements. The draw curtain is used
for reducing the light more than the
glass curtains permit, for shutting out
the exterior view entirely and for in
suring privacy. Shades may be opaque
or translucent. or made of a decora-
tive material like chintz or cretonne.
The third class consists of dra-
peries which accent or soften the
window, correct architectural errors
and bring the room and its furnish
ings into key. The form Of the win
dow opening, its width and height,
the purpose Of the room and its degree
of formality, the wall treatment and
the color scheme and texture and
scale Of the rooms furnishings all
enter into the choice Of materials and
the form Of the drapes. t.-.
The Price of Materials.
The matter Of the price to pay for
curtain materials should be studied.
Often high price means exceptional
durability and quality. In the mat
ter Of cheaper materials the same test
holds: Buy for quality instead of lux
urious style. Not only are many fine
artificial silks a third lower in price
than pure silk materials approximate
ing the same appearance and weight
but without the permanence of color
but there are domestic renderings of
cretonnes, prints, chintzes, cotton
velours of permanent colors. reps,
machine made tapestries reproducing
old designs. and many other low
priced materials that bring the beauty
of appearance within the means Of
those who could not afford to pay for
materials Of higher price.
Materials suitable for decorative
window drapes are damasks, brocades,
chintzes, cretonnes, blocked linens,
crewel embroiderieS, velvets, lampas,
rayons and satins. These may be
plain, striped or figured, depending
upon the character of other mate
rials, including rugs and wallpaper,
used in the room Curtains of white
take the form nowadays of fllmy mar
quisette, sometimes checkered or cross
barred and, OF course, unmercerized
or of Swiss or organdy. Rufly cur
tainS Of this type are used In quaint
rooms characterized by chintz and
calico.
When choosing a material for your
curtains, never buy anything that
you feel Is so expensive that you must
economic on the amount needed, for
skimpy curtains are the worst of bad
taste. Rather, buy a less expensive
material so that you may have guam
titles of it.
Keep your trimmings simple, even
on curtains Of handsome materials.
Choose clear colors for your glass
curtains so that the light coming
through into your room will give the
appearance Of filtered sunlight. If
by chance your room does -os get
direct sunlight, cream, beige, ecru and
gold coloring will give you q sunlight
effect. Most Of us over-curtain our
windows. If you have a charming
view. do not shut it out, but feature
1t by drawing back the curtains and
framing the view for those within.
Do not use silk fringe on a cotton
curtain or cotton fringe on a silk
curtain.
If the architectural details of a
room are formal, the window treat
ment should be formal, too or at least
savor of formality. The most formal
window drapes are those which fall
unbroken from valance to floor. The
valance should be fat or shaped or
plated like the side drapes. Break
ing a drape with a tie-back makes it
more pleasing, but less formal. If
you have arched windows or beautiful
ones Of other types do not overburden
them with curtains, for such windows
are Joy in themselves and their lines
add distinction to your rooms.
Where you have curtains hanging
on rods between rooms, it is q good
plan to have these rods and the rings
that hold the curtains dipped or
stained the same color as the wood
work around the door. 1t makes them
inconspicuous, and they are more cas-
lily cared for. The rods are not diff
cult to paint, and the way to paint
the rings is to fasten a bit of string
to each one and dip it into the paint;
then tie II to a clothes line To suinn