21 Types Of Curtains For A Beautiful Window Treatment

While they may often be an afterthought, curtains can make or break a room. “Nothing can close off a space or take away from its brilliant design like the incorrect choice of window treatments,” says interior designer Laura Lubin. “They should always be accentuating the space or be intentional with the design.”

When researching the right type of curtain for your space, there are a few things to consider. Interior designer Sandra Drews Lucas says that when selecting curtains, the first thing to do is determine your window curtain goals. What do you wish for the curtains to accomplish? 

For Lubin, her first priority is always considering light requirements. Do you want to let in lots of natural light, or perhaps you want to block it out? Other elements to think about include how the curtains hang or attach to the wall, curtain length, and the pleat style. 

Our comprehensive guide to 21 types of curtains considers every decision that needs to be made on the path to the perfect window treatment. From there, color and pattern possibilities are just about limitless. 

Use Curtains To Block Or Filter Light

Blackout Curtains

Like their name suggests, blackout curtains completely block out light. Thick and heavy to ensure that no light slips through, blackout curtains are often the drapery of choice for bedrooms, where a blackout can help ensure a better night’s sleep.

Heat-Blocking Curtains

No matter where you live in the South, heat-blocking curtains can feel heaven-sent. Able to block out the frigid rays of cold winters and the staggering heat of Southern summers, these thermal curtains can help homeowners achieve the ideal home temperature.  Plus, they can save you money on your energy bill, since the HVAC won’t have to work so hard.

Sheer Curtains

Rather than stopping light in its tracks, transparent curtains welcome in natural light. This style of drapery softens light and keeps a room light and airy and can make smaller rooms feel larger. They’re a favorite of Lubin’s, too.

Light-Filtering Curtains

Less translucent than sheers but not as opaque as blackout curtains, light-filtering curtains are best for rooms where you want some natural light but would still prefer some privacy. They’re lightweight and allow light to trickle in, but offer a barrier from the outside.

Decide How To Attach Your Curtains

Grommet Curtains

Grommet curtains are characterized by open rings at the top, which can easily slide around a curtain rod. They’re a great choice for curtains that will be frequently opened and shut because this attachment style is easy to maneuver and won’t come undone. 

Rod Pocket Curtains

Rather than metal rings like grommet curtains, rod pocket curtains have exactly as the name suggests: a pocket for the curtain rod. To secure the drapes, rod pocket curtains are sewn with an opening for the rod to slide through.

This type of curtain attachment is common with blackout curtains because it leaves no room for light to slip in. However, they are not as easy to slide open and shut, so they may be best suited for a window that will have its curtains stay in one position.

Tie-Back Curtains

Curtain tiebacks are a stylish and classy way to hold back curtains and drape them elegantly to the side. Tiebacks can come in the form of loops in the same or a different fabric as the curtains, a rope, a ribbon, or otherwise.

Window Scarf Curtains

A complement to traditionally decorated rooms, window scarf curtains have two panels and a valance that drapes across the rod like a scarf. Depending on the fabric, window scarves create a romantic, wispy feeling or a more formal, luxurious look.

Tab Top Curtains

This kind of curtain can be identified by fabric loops sewn in at the top of the drapes. The curtain rod can then be easily slid into these holes to secure the curtains without curtain rings, similarly to rod pocket and grommet curtains.

Double Panel Curtains

This style refers to the instance of having a matching set of drapes that meet in the middle of the window. When drawn, there will then be one panel on each side.

Single Panel Curtains

Rather than having twin curtain panels frame either side of a window, opt for one large panel that can cover the whole thing or be drawn to just one side.

Choose The Right Length

Floor-Length Curtains

“Draperies should always go to the floor, even if the window doesn’t,” advises Lucas. Like the name suggests, these curtains are just the thing to satisfy her expert recommendation.

Puddle-Length Curtains

Longer than floor-length curtains, this kind includes excess fabric that "puddles" on the floor. While they may need to be washed more often, these curtains can satisfy an airy and elegant aesthetic.

Apron-Length Curtains

When curtains fall to just below the window sill, that’s known as apron length. This style is frequently chosen when there is furniture right below the window that longer curtains would interfere with.

Cafe Curtains

Cafe curtains only cover the bottom half of a window as opposed to the whole thing. This way, they provide privacy down low, but let light come in unhindered up top into places like the kitchen and bathroom.

Decide On Pleats

Flat Top Panel Curtains

Also known as flat pleat curtains and ripple fold curtains, this type of curtain has pleats when its drawn but flattens out completely when the curtains are opened all the way up. They're a go-to curtain choice for Lubin.

“I am a fan of flat top panels for most of the spaces that we design,” she says.

Pinch Pleat Curtains

“I like simple pinch pleat, or flat panel draperies that allow the pattern of the fabric to be the focal point,” says Lucas.

Like flat top panel curtains, pinch pleats are a classic and elegant choice. Pleats are sewn in at the top of the drapes so that they flow down in folds. This type of curtain is highly detailed and often custom.

Pleated Panel Curtains

A more formal style of window treatment, pleated panel curtains are often pricey and can be characterized by their symmetrical folds at the top. The pleats are formed by a header tape that pinches when drawn.

Euro Pleat Curtains

Lubin says that one of her favorite curtain styles “would be a Euro-relaxed pleat for more formal settings like studies and primary bedrooms.” These curtains are pinched at the top but flow gracefully to an open bottom.

Box Pleat Curtains

Unlike the Euro Pleat Curtains which open up, box pleats feature tailored and consistent folds. Deep pleats run the whole length of the drapes.

Inverted Pleat Curtains

For most curtain styles, the pleat is sewn into the front of the panel. However, inverted pleats feature the opposite. Back-sewn pinches are a subtle detail that gives drapes a modern and elevated look, but Lubin issues a warning about them.

“An inverted pleat looks beautiful, but requires a very specific type of fabrication in order for the drapery to fall appropriately,” she says. “Done incorrectly they can be very heavy and awkward to use.”