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A window valance (or pelmet in the UK) [1] is a form of window treatment that covers the uppermost part of the window and can be hung alone or paired with other window blinds, or curtains. Valances are a popular decorative choice in concealing drapery hardware. Window valances were popular in Victorian interior design. In draping or bunting form they are commonly referred to as swag.
Window valances are also called window top treatments. The earliest recorded history of interior design is rooted in the renaissance Era, a time of great change and rebirth in the world of art and architecture, and much of this time saw understated, simple treatments, eventually moving towards more elaborate fabrics of multiple layers of treatments, including, towards the end of this period, valances, swags, jabots, and pelmets. By the Baroque and early Georgian period (1643-1730), elaborate and theatrical treatments placed high emphasis on the cornice and pelmet as a way to finish off the top of a window treatment.[ citation needed ]
Valances can be used alone but are often hung over windows where curtains and drapes have been installed to better frame the windows. They are often installed over kitchen sinks or in other areas where floor space may be limited or blocked; they can be used to hide architectural flaws and windows placed at different heights; when using blinds, shades, and shutters, valances are often used to soften the windows or to tie in the fabrics of corresponding furniture such as couches and recliners.[ citation needed ]
Valances can be manufactured with any type of fabric, but most are made of jacquard, silk, faux silk, poly/cotton, linen, satin, velvet and polyester. Many are lined with an extra piece of fabric sewn on the back to prevent the solar radiation from damaging the fabric.[ citation needed ]
The fabric of this valance curtain "balloons" out providing a full appearance. Balloon valances are commonly made of lightweight cotton material.[ citation needed ]
The fabric of this valance curtain hangs across brackets and drapes over the top of a window, with tails hanging down on each side. Almost any type of fabric can be used. When a lightweight or sheer fabric is used this may be known as a scarf valance.[ citation needed ]
The fabric of this valance forms triangular shapes which hang over curtains or drapes. These valances are often made of more elaborate materials, including silk or velvet fabric with tassels or fringe.[ citation needed ]
The fabric drapes across the top of the window with the length of the fabric forming a curve with the shortest width at the center of the window.[ citation needed ]
A flat, symmetrical fold of cloth sewn in place to create fullness, spaced evenly across the top of a drapery. The fabric can be folded back on either side of the pleat to show, for example, a contrasting fabric.[ citation needed ]
A zig-zag-shaped piece of fabric falling gracefully from the top of a drapery or top treatment. Cascades can also be called an ascot or jabot, depending upon the shape and pleat pattern used.[ citation needed ]
A rigid treatment that sometimes serves as a mask for holding attached stationary draperies or for hiding window hardware or even masking architectural flaws. The cornice is typically constructed of a chipboard-style wood or other lightweight material over which some kind of padding is placed, then covered with a fabric of choice and finished with decorative trim or cording. Like all other valences, a cornice is usually mounted on the outside of the window frame.[ citation needed ]
A stationary panel, decorative in nature, used in tandem with a swag (festoon), also known as a tail.[ citation needed ]
Much like a valance, only the fabric has been stiffened and shaped and then embellished with a variety of decorative edgings, including trims, tassels or color bands.[ citation needed ]
Fabric gathered into a shape of a flower. Typically placed at the top right and left corners of a window frame to accent an existing treatment, such as a scarf or drapery panel.[ citation needed ]
A single, lengthy piece of lightweight fabric with a color/pattern that shows on both sides (as opposed to simply being imprinted on one side) that either wraps loosely around a stationary rod, or loops through decorative brackets placed on either side of a window frame.[ citation needed ]
A section of draped fabric at the top of the window that typically resembles a sideways “C” shape (swag) sometimes coupled with a vertical “tail” which hangs on either side of the swag. There are many kinds of swag top treatments, but the prevalent styles are the basic pole swag or the bias swag which can be hung in a variety of ways, including from a cornice box or a pole attached directly to the inside of a window frame.[ citation needed ]
A treatment ranging from simple to elaborate, the valance is a piece of decorative fabric usually hung from a rod, a piece of decorative hardware or a board. Valances can take on many shapes: scalloped, layered, pointed, arched, pleated, shaped, gathered, tailored, grommet top.[ citation needed ]
In architecture, a cornice is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a pedestal, or along the top of an interior wall. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown, as in crown moulding atop an interior wall or above kitchen cabinets or a bookcase.
A window blind is a type of window covering. There are many different kinds of window blinds which use a variety of control systems. A typical window blind is made up of several long horizontal or vertical slats of various types of hard material, including wood, plastic or metal which are held together by cords that run through the blind slats. Vertical blinds run along a track system which can tilt open and closed and move side-to-side. Window blinds can be manoeuvred with either a manual or remote control by rotating them from an open position, with slats spaced out, to a closed position where slats overlap and block out most of the light. There are also several types of window coverings, called shades, that use a single piece of soft material instead of slats.
A curtain is a piece of cloth or other material intended to block or obscure light, air drafts, or water. A curtain is also the movable screen or drape in a theatre that separates the stage from the auditorium or that serves as a backdrop/background.
A window cornice is an ornamental framework of wood or composition to which window curtains are attached by rods with rings or hooks. Cornices are often gilded and of elaborate design, but they are less fashionable today than before it had been discovered that elaborate draperies harbor dust and microbes.
A pelmet is a framework placed above a window, used to conceal curtain fixtures. These can be used decoratively and help insulate the window by preventing convection currents. It is similar in appearance to a valance, which performs the same function but is made of fabric. A pelmet can be made of plywood, and may be painted, or fabric covered.
A pleat is a type of fold formed by doubling fabric back upon itself and securing it in place. It is commonly used in clothing and upholstery to gather a wide piece of fabric to a narrower circumference.
The Blue Room is one of three state parlors on the first floor in the White House, the residence of the president of the United States. It is distinctive for its oval shape. The room is used for receptions and receiving lines and is occasionally set for small dinners. President Grover Cleveland married Frances Folsom in the room on June 2, 1886, the only wedding of a President and First Lady in the White House. The room is traditionally decorated in shades of blue. With the Yellow Oval Room above it and the Diplomatic Reception Room below it, the Blue Room is one of three oval rooms in James Hoban's original design for the White House.
The East Room is an event and reception room in the Executive Residence, which is a building of the White House complex, the home of the president of the United States. The East Room is the largest room in the Executive Residence; it is used for dances, receptions, press conferences, ceremonies, concerts, and banquets. The East Room was one of the last rooms to be finished and decorated, and it has undergone substantial redecoration over the past two centuries. Since 1964, the Committee for the Preservation of the White House has, by executive order, advised the president of the United States and first lady on the decor, preservation, and conservation of the East Room and other public rooms at the White House.
The Red Room is one of three state parlors on the State Floor in the White House, the Washington D.C. home of the president of the United States. The room has served as a parlor and music room, and recent presidents have held small dinner parties in it. It has been traditionally decorated in shades of red. The room is approximately 28 by 22.5 feet. It has six doors, which open into the Cross Hall, Blue Room, South Portico, and State Dining Room.
The Green Room is one of three state parlors on the first floor of the White House, the home of the president of the United States. It is used for small receptions and teas. During a state dinner, guests are served cocktails in the three state parlors before the president, first lady, and a visiting head of state descend the Grand Staircase for dinner. The room is traditionally decorated in shades of green. The room is approximately 28 by 22.5 feet. It has six doors, which open into the Cross Hall, East Room, South Portico, and Blue Room.
The State Dining Room is the larger of two dining rooms on the State Floor of the Executive Residence of the White House, the home of the president of the United States in Washington, D.C. It is used for receptions, luncheons, larger formal dinners, and state dinners for visiting heads of state on state visits. The room seats 140 and measures approximately 48 by 36 feet.
The Vermeil Room is located on the ground floor of the White House, the official residence of the president of the United States. The room houses a collection of silver-gilt or vermeil tableware, a 1956 bequest to the White House by Margaret Thompson Biddle. Portraits of American First Ladies hang in the room.
Theater drapes and stage curtains are large pieces of cloth that are designed to mask backstage areas of a theater from spectators. They are designed for a variety of specific purposes, moving in different ways and constructed from various fabrics. Many are made from black or other darkly colored, light-absorbing material. Theater drapes represent a portion of any production's soft goods, a category comprising any non-wardrobe, cloth-based element of the stage or scenery. Theater curtains are often pocketed at the bottom to hold weighty chain or to accept pipes to remove their fullness and stretch them tight.
A window treatment is a cover or modification of a window, often with the aim of enhancing the aesthetics of the window and the room.
A canopy bed is a bed with a canopy, which is usually hung with bed curtains. Functionally, the canopy and curtains keep the bed warmer, and screen it from light and sight. On more expensive beds, they may also be elaborately ornamental.
The conservation and restoration of textiles refers to the processes by which textiles are cared for and maintained to be preserved from future damage. The field falls under the category of art conservation, heritage conservation as well as library preservation, depending on the type of collection. The concept of textile preservation applies to a wide range of artifacts, including tapestries, carpets, quilts, clothing, flags and curtains, as well as objects which "contain" textiles, such as upholstered furniture, dolls, and accessories such as fans, parasols, gloves and hats or bonnets. Many of these artifacts require specialized care, often by a professional conservator.
A front curtain, also known as a (front-of-)house curtain, act curtain, grand drape, main curtain or drape, proscenium curtain, or main rag is the stage curtain or curtains at the very front of a theatrical stage, separating it from the house.
Pipe and drape refers to pipe, fixed or adjustable telescoping vertical uprights supported by a weighted steel base, and adjustable telescopic or fixed horizontals that provide a drape support frame with removable drape panels. Pipe and drape is used to divide, hide, and/or decorate a space temporarily.
A jabot, also called cascade or tail, is a vertical pleated piece of window treatment used with festoons or swags along the top of a window on the inside of a building. The usual purpose of a jabot is to hide the seams between individual swags, though for treatments with only one swag their purpose is simply decorative . Visually, they represent a continuation of the swag over the ends of a pole, and are always made of the same decorator fabric on the facing side as the swag itself. Jabots are often lined, however with a different style or color of fabric which is then revealed along its bottom edge with each pleat.
A curtain tie-back is a decorative window treatment which accompanies a cloth curtain. Within the field of interior decoration, tie-backs made of fabric are classified as a kind of "soft furnishing" while those made out of wood, metal, or glass are considered "window hardware".