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What Kind of Curtains Would You Use on Long Casement Windows?

Casement windows have earned their popularity with an unobstructed view and easy operation. Once associated with the Tudor and Mediterranean-style houses popular in the 1920s and 1930s, new casements use wood and vinyl frames, in place of metal, mullioned or mullion-free glass panes and low-profile controls that do not tangle in curtains. Casement window treatments can vary from simple on-the-frame curtains to elegant, valanced drapes.
  1. Casement Logistics

    • Long casement windows let in lots of light and fresh air. Taller than double-hung windows, they can be opened to provide an unobstructed view of the outdoors. Close cousin to long casement windows is the French door. Casement windows can be chosen to open outward from the frame or inward into the room. Your window treatment will be determined in large part by which way your casements open.

    Curtaining Inward-Opening Casements

    • The challenge of inward-opening casement windows is curtaining the windows without tangling or damaging curtains by opening the window panes. One approach to curtaining inward-opening casements is to mount curtain rods on the frames of the moving panes. Simple sheers still allow for daylight when window panes are closed. For greater privacy, choose a heavier fabric. Curtains can be mounted on a single rod or top-and-bottom rods, like a door curtain. While curtains are often gathered, flat-panel curtains that gain their beauty from embroidery or applique are a traditional Tuscan fashion that can be adapted to American decor.

    Curtaining Outward-Opening Casements

    • Options expand when casements open outward. Roman-style shades or curtains can be raised when casements are opened. Sheer curtains and flat panels can be mounted on the main window frame, although drafts from open windows may blow them outward or against the window screen. Provide tie-backs or mount sheers or heavier curtains on swing-arm rods, which can be rotated away from the open window and back for privacy when the window is closed.

    Valances and Side-Panel Drapes for Casement Windows

    • For outward-opening casements, consider a scarf-style valance and side-drape. A box valance sets a slightly more formal tone. On a wall with more than one window, a single valance can be used to span and unify the windows. This is particularly effective with side-panel drapes, which are mounted adjacent to the window frame. With or without a valance, side-panel drapes are designed to extend the visual width of a window, not cover it. Side panels can be made in a heavy fabric that integrates the window treatment with formal decor or repeats a color used elsewhere in a traditional room decor scheme. This strategy is often used when casement windows form a bay or bow window. Side-panel drapes frame the window and also fill the wall spaces between windows.