5 Reasons Why Custom Draperies Are Worth the Expense

Custom draperies are a misunderstood item of home decor, one homeowners often avoid because they can attract dust and require some investment.

But they’re an important element of a well-designed room, and there are many reasons why they’re a necessity.

However, they’re not an unnecessary expense. Here are a few reasons why custom draperies are as expensive as they are.

What Adds to the Cost of Custom Draperies?

Custom draperies make a room appear more sophisticated. They also give it a certain softness, luxury, and drama, making them a must-have decor essential. They are expensive and justifiably so.

1. You Get What You Pay For

The first item on your bill is a consultation fee. These include travel costs for the designer, access to their amazing ideas and resources, and taking measurements.

When it comes to custom draperies, you’re talking about a design solution that will work well with all the other elements of your room. And for that you’ll need professionals who not only look at the windows but your room as a whole.

Moreover, they will have a vast collection of fabrics at their disposal to suit your requirements and budget, combined with years of experience in fabricating, designing, and installing custom draperies. When you’re spending so much to make your house look perfect, draperies become a key component.

2. It’s All in the Fabric

If you don’t pick the right fabric, your draperies will look out of place in your beautiful home. The pleats of some fabrics, like polyester, never hang straight, no matter what you do with them.

And then there is the question of picking the right type of panels. Only a professional will tell you that there’s more to picking the fabric for custom draperies than its look.

If the draperies are going into your living room, you may want something structured and formal, or perhaps you prefer the casual look. Or, something gauzy and free-flowing may suit your bedroom when you want privacy and darkness at night. The eye of an expert and their knowledge of fabrics are key elements in selecting the right fabric. Knowing all your options will help you make an informed decision.

The fabric you choose decides the way your draperies will look and directly affects their cost, as does labour, hardware, and installation.

3. Height Matters

A big window is the focal point of any room. Imagine a huge two-storey window with two panels of drapes sewn together; they would stick out like a sore thumb.

What custom draperies can do for tall windows, store-bought curtains can never match. This is mostly because the latter only come in standard sizes. The tallest drapery you will find will be 108 inches. How are you supposed to fit that curtain on a window that measures over 200 inches?

You can sew them together but what will you do about visible seams running between the two panels? Plus, standard curtains are not usually lined and interlinked adequately; the header pleating is not tailored with buckram and is often sloppy. They don’t carry drapery weight at the hem and aren’t usually wide enough.

When you choose custom draperies, many things are taken into account, including the fact that the wall and floor are rarely levelled. It takes some adjustments and tweaking on site post-installation to make them fit perfectly. That’s why the cost of a custom drapery is higher than store-bought drapes.

And fitting drapes at a good height requires bravery, insurance, a big enough ladder, and a vehicle to transport that ladder. And it takes time, specialized tools, and expertise to install drapes on high windows and make sure they are properly secured to your walls.

4. Account for the Style

The cost of custom draperies also depends on both the style of window and the drapes. Custom drapes can fit any unconventionally-styled window with ease. For instance, if you have a curved or bay window, you’ll need custom rods to perfectly fit the curved wall.

To that end the designer will have to create a template and get the rod manufactured. The template needs to include the location of the brackets and where the windows openings are. Bay windows often need special corner adaptors to create a seamless flow of drapes or an illusion of a continuous rod. Your designer will have to think about every little detail.

Then there are the various styles of drapes to choose from. Simple drapes will not be as expensive as layered ones. Custom drapes that require more precision cuts and labour will be more expensive; heavy drapes will be more expensive than lighter ones; and so on. The more complicated the design and installation, the more expensive custom drapes become.

5. Functionality Is Important

Functionality in drapes means you can open and close them easily for privacy and light control.

Functionality in custom draperies requires more fabric for the panels. Now you don’t want drapes looking flat and having no folds or fullness when closed, would you? More fabric, of course, means a higher price.

Also, you will want a traverse rod. This will let you avoid tugging on them every day to open and close them. You will have seen traverse rods in hotels; the ones that have small carriers that glide across when you pull the cord. It gives you the freedom to open and close the drapes without touching them. Traverse rods are more expensive than a regular curtain rod. And if it is a wide window, they add a little more to the cost. The bottom line is you save significantly if you don’t need functional custom draperies.

If you’re curious about what kind of custom drapery will suit your interiors and how much will it cost, book a consultation. After all, there’s a lot more to custom draperies than you likely know, and wWe can enlighten you on this highly misunderstood piece of your interior decor.