Cafe curtains are a delicate type of lightweight lace curtain designed to allow soft filtered light to gently stream through a window while still providing privacy. Often featuring lovely floral motifs, scalloped edges, and romantic patterns like battenburg or eyelet lace, lace cafe curtains evoke French country cottages and quaint little cafes.
The delicate transparent quality serves a practical purpose as well – allowing those inside to peek out while preventing outsiders from easily seeing in. Cafe curtains create intrigue and a touch of mystery.
Valances as Stylish Window Accents
If cafe curtains lift spirits with their graceful beauty, valances anchor rooms with sophistication. A valance refers to a decorative window treatment stationed right above the window frame to provide a focal point while concealing hardware or architectural flaws.
Typically covering only the uppermost portion of a window, valances come in every style imaginable. They can be made of fabrics like lace or brocade in colors and textures matching or artfully contrasting the layers below.
Design Impact
Valances offer plenty of creative license, limited only by imagination. Go bold with graphic black and white stripes or keep it delicate with embroidered ivory lace. The key lies in allowing the valance to establish the tone for the window dressing below.
Functional Flair
Beyond aesthetics, valances serve multiple functions. They draw the eye upwards, provide contrast, conceal unsightly hardware, and filter incoming sunlight. By establishing a frame, they introduce order and continuity with even the simplest styles evoking an air of customized refinement.
Layering Lace Cafe Curtains With Valances
Layering a valance over lace cafe curtains combines the best of both worlds for window treatments. Valances provide decorative flair while the curtains below filter sunlight and inject privacy. Working in tandem, they create a polished, designer-worthy window installation sure to impress.
Playing with Patterns
When pairing lace cafe curtains with valances, popular lace patterns include:
- Madras Lace featuring a botanical motif
- Spring Rain offering a double ripple border
- Battenburg lace’s iconic checkerboard look
- Eyelet cutwork with orderly rows of holes
For real visual impact, match the lace pattern from the cafe curtains to the valance or echo elements like floral shapes or color variations.
Designing Your Cafe Curtain and Valance Duo
Achieving a coordinated look with lace cafe curtains and valances requires planning. Begin by taking measurements as the size requirements will determine which options work for your windows.
Factor in decor elements like wall colors and furniture finishes so the lace and valance patterns harmonize with existing rooms schemes. Lighting direction is also pivotal since lace filtering sunlight beautifully.
Whether going tone-on-tone or intentionally contrasting, fixed cafe curtain lengths work best for consistency. Consider tied back curtains or swag valance styles to play with textural dimensions. Incorporate metallic grommets, decorative ribbon or fringe for additional polish and customization.
Creative Inspiration
For kitchens, opt for everyday durability with polyester blends featuring cheeky coffee cup or teapot motifs. In bedrooms, lean into romance with fluttering floor-length lace curtains and frilly edged valances.
In nurseries look for sweet eyelet lace paired with playful pom pom fringe while offices deserve crisp no-fuss classic lace patterns and straight edge valances to channel productivity.
Hanging Your Layered Lace Cafe Treatments
Achieving the layered lace cafe curtain look requires proper installation. Here are step-by-step instructions to hang curtains and valances successfully.
Curtain Placement
Gather needed supplies like tension curtain rods, ring hooks and lace cafe curtains. Ensure you purchase enough length for desired floor coverage.
- Mount tension rod several inches above window frame securing hooks in place.
- Thread lace curtain onto each ring evenly spacing for optimal coverage allowing perfect puddling for elegance.
- Repeat on all curtain panels crossing panels attractively if using more than one.
Valance Positioning
Use a measuring tape to determine desired valance placement and length based on window height. Cut valance to custom fit if needed.
- Mark screw placement on wall above window frame.
- Secure valance mounting board ensuring it’s centered and straight.
- Attach valance to mounting board following included instructions.
- Make any final adjustments to align perfectly.
Admire the beautifully framed window now elegantly dressed in layered loveliness.
Caring For Delicate Lace Cafe Curtains
The intricate nature of lace cafe curtains requires gentle care for longevity. Always check fabric content first and follow manufacturer’s cleaning recommendations.
Many polyester blends allow for machine washing while delicate fabrics like linen or vintage lace require professional dry cleaning. To preserve flowing shape, air dry on a flat non-metal surface away from direct sunlight.
For everyday use, install proper curtain rods, rings and hooks to prevent snagging. Rotate panels seasonally if possible to mitigate fading. Above all, lightly dust frequently and promptly address spills by blotting gently with a clean damp cloth.
Valance Care
Protect decorative valances between dry cleanings by securing a clear plastic liner to the mounting board. This shields fabric from dust and retains shape. Check for slipping hooks, loose embellishments or signs of wear routinely when cleaning.
Use an upholstery attachment on low suction to vacuum velvet or brocade valances. Treat embroidered styles extra delicately by dusting instead. With proper care, both lace curtains and valances become long-lasting lovelies enhancing windows for years to come.
Affordable Places to Shop Quality Lace & Valances
While custom window treatments carry exorbitant price tags, quality lace curtains and valances exist at accessible price points. Sign up for email lists from top retailers like The Curtain Shop, Country Village Shoppe and The Vermont Country Store to receive special sale alerts and coupon codes.
Comparison shop for styles like the beloved Madras lace cafe curtains with matching valances ensuring reasonable return policies. Talk to customer service representatives about current deals and clearance items. With an eagle eye fine design touches graceful windows without breaking budgets.
Incorporate Romance Into Any Space With Lace
In addition to softening hard edges and filtering light beautifully, lace cafe window treatments introduce an element of romance into rooms. Delicate and decorative while still functional and providing privacy, they evoke nostalgia and feminine charm.
Hung at standard window height or modified as short sash curtains, lace infuses bedrooms, bathrooms, and cozy reading nooks with vintage whimsy. More unexpected spaces like entryways, kitchens and offices benefit equally gaining softness against sleek lines.
Pair lace cafe curtains with contrasting bold patterned valances in spaces craving playful juxtaposition over straight traditional. Or keep the entire vignette coordinated in powder blue hues for a coastal feel. Design options remain boundless.
Whatever the desired aesthetic, a touch of lace intrigues. Allow this textural fabric to romance any room with its heirloom-quality beauty and gauzy elegance.
Lace cafe window treatments evoke textural allure. Light dances cross their fabric intricacies carrying the eye to admire artisanal details. Their gauzy transparencies pay tribute to stained glass filtering colorful streaks.
These delicate layers boast inherently timeworn beauty and depth, gracing interiors with historical charm. Yet lace treatments never veer outdated, rather everlasting and poetic in their beauty. Introduce intrigue with lace and valances for they romance every space artfully.
