Curtains 101: Valances
The Basics
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Figure 1. Here is our Victoria Park valance on its own. (click image to see larger version)
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Figure 2. ...and here is that same valance combined with our Victoria Park Toile curtains to create a complete window treatment. This photo was edited to make the valance stand out. (click image to see larger version)
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A valance is a short curtain or drape designed to conceal curtain rods and other window treatment hardware as well as providing a pleasant look without blocking much light. You can use a valance on its own or as part of a complete window treatment setup with other window treatments such as curtains and scarf panels (see figure 1 and figure 2). As simple as that sounds, it's easy for one to be confused by all the various styles of valances as well as what size valance to buy to properly fit your window (contrary to what your intuition would suggest, the width of the valance you need does not necessarily equal the width of your window).
Valances are usually meant to cover no more than the upper third of a window, but other sizes are available depending on the look you want to achieve. For example, while the majority of our valances are 16" long, we stock valances ranging from 9" long (our Rod Sleeve Topper) all the way up to 24" long (like our Victoria Park Tie-Up Valance). Valance width is similar - the "standard" width of the valances we carry in stock here at Curtains Galore is about 60 inches, although again there is variation, with valances ranging from 30" wide (our Rome Valance) to 142" wide (no, that's not a typo - it's our Lorraine Valance).
The basic anatomy of a valance is very simple: aside from a few exceptions, a valance generally has a rod pocket (the pocket into which the curtain rod goes, not surprisingly) and may or may not have a heading, which is decorative fabric above the rod pocket (see Figure 3). The rod pockets are generally one of two sizes: standard, which is a 1 1/4" to 1 1/2" rod pocket and fits a conventional curtain rod, and a wide pocket, which is approximately 3" and fits wide pocket 2.5" wide curtain rods (like our Wide Pocket Topper Rod). Headers, since they have a purpose which is much less functional and almost entirely ornamental, aren't standard in size, although many of the valances we sell have headers between 1.5 and 2 inches.
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Figure 3. Diagram showing the location of the rod pocket and heading on a valance.
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Fullness
If you take a piece of string that is laid out straight and bunch it up, the string will take up less horizontal space - less length - even though the string itself is of course the same length it was before you bunched it up (see Figure 4). Makes sense, right? But the same principle applies to window treatments, and very often people don't realize it until their order arrives and they discover to their dismay that they have too little fabric to cover their window. You see, valances are rarely flat. It's certainly not unheard of - our Branford and Sela Cornice valances are good examples of flat valances - but the vast majority of valances are gathered, meaning that the fabric is bunched up like the string in our example.
The degree to which a valance is gathered is not standard - there are valances that are only slightly gathered (our most popular valance, The Windsor, is a good example) and valances that are very gathered (like the Interlude Tacked Scalloped Valance, which from across the room might be mistaken for a roast beef sandwich by a relative with poor eyesight). What's the right degree of "gathered-ness" for you? It really depends on your personal preference, what you think would look best on your window.
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Figure 4. The two blue lines are the same length. Notice how if you ordered a valance that is the exact width of your window and the valance is gathered (as in the top line), it won't be enough to cover the entire window. In this case, we'd have to multiply the window width (the black line line) by about 1.25x to 1.5x to find out how much valance width we'd need to fully cover our window.
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So how do you take this into account when picking out valances for your window? Well a good rule of thumb for most valances is to use 2x your window's width in fabric. For very thick fabrics, you'll generally need approximately 1.5-2x your window width, and for very thin ones you'll probably need to go up to 2-3x your window width to achieve the proper fullness (and thus the intended look for your window. After all, that's the whole point, right?).
Kinds of Valances
There are as many kinds of valances as there are fish in the sea...OK that's not true, but there are a lot of different kinds of valances. Here are some of the more popular ones:
Straight Valances are valances that have a straight bottom edge (see Figure 5). Examples of this kind of valance are the Carolina valance, the Florence, and the Chantung Triple Tuck valance, as well as all the other valances found in our Straight Valances section.
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Figure 5. example of a straight valance.
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Shaped Valances are valances that have a (wait for it) shaped bottom edge, rather than the straight bottom edge of straight valances. Examples of shaped valances are the Windsor, the Vintage, the Cambridge, and all the other valances found in our Shaped Valances section.
Tab Top Valances are valances that hang not by rod pockets like most other valances, but by several loops of fabric ("tabs"). This provides a unique spin on the original idea of the valance - after all, the basic purpose is to hide the curtain rod while giving the window a pleasant look, right? Well, sometimes when you have a nice decorative curtain rod, you just have to show it off, and a tab top valance will let you do just that. Example: the Catarina Tab Top valance.
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Figure 6. Example of an ascot valance.
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Balloon Valances are valances that have a puffy look to them, owing to the fact that they have fabric pockets that are basically "stuffed". Example: the Marissa Balloon valance.
Fabric Shades are really a kind of curtain which are (drumroll please) shades made out of fabric. Like regular shades, fabric shades can be rolled up to let light in or down for privacy. However, unlike regular shades, they don't roll up by a mechanical mechanism. Rather, they are usually adjusted by tying the shade up using the shade's hanging ties (this is the reason why you may sometimes hear them referred to as "tie-up panels"), although they can also be adjusted with ring clips. Fabric shades work well as undertreatments or by themselves. Fabric shades are also sometimes referred to as "Roman Shades." Examples: the Batista, the Rattan.
Ascot Valances are valances with a downward-pointing triangle shape, often with a tassel at the tip. A pleasing effect can be achieved by hanging two ascot valances on two different curtain rods, one behind the other such that the downward points on the rear valance are behind the upward "recesses" on the front valance. Example: the Harmony valance.
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