CURTAIN FULLNESS: WHAT LOOKS BEST?
Do you prefer curtains that appear ‘full’ or a little more sparse? Fullness refers to the amount of fabric incorporated into a pleat/ (the heading) at the top of a curtain.
The industry standard ranges from 2 times to 3 times the fullness; but can be varied to suit the individual circumstances. Controlling fullness is useful if you have limited space to stack an open curtain, if your curtain is particularly heavy, or requires interlining. Heavy fabrics perform better if they have slightly less fullness, to avoid “kicking out” from the wall. Alternately, adding more fullness will give a a more voluptuous appearance to an otherwise fine fabric such as a sheer or silk, thereby making it seem more luxurious.
The following pleats can be adjusted to be more or less full:
- Knife pleat (preferably used under a pelmet)
- Inverted box pleat. The bulk of a box pleat is concealed behind the pleat and it is often difficult for the untrained eye to tell how much fullness is in the curtain; a great illusion.
- Pinch pleats can be double or triple
- S-folds can use 1.8 to 2.2 times, depending on the tape length for the top of the curtain. The longer the tape, the fuller the curtains, but the more room it will occupy.
