Today, we are defining drapery design pleat-by-pleat, and taking you on a journey to picking the perfect drapery pleat for your personal decor style.  From minimalist to ultra-chic glam, the drapery pleat defines your interior with personality. 
What's Your  "Pleat Personality"?

The Minimalist

Not to be interpreted as 'Modern', The Minimalist is more extreme with the least resistance of conflicting patterns and textures, selecting straight lines, mostly monochromatic, subdued and filling light into the space through highly dedicated over-sized windows.  Moody, dramatic and not the easiest of decor themes to pick the perfect pleat . . .

The perfect pleat for our Minimalist room is really no pleat at all, but structure that gives the ultimate in straight fabric folds.  Our choice is from our friends at Hunter Douglas with the Vignette Traversed in the selection of Newport Linen.

Our Minimalist lightens up . . .

Our Minimalist living room showcases the bare bones of the space with an expanse of tile plank flooring "Downtown" by Emser Tile in a light-airy setting.  Our draperies fade into the back wall and sofa colors with a pleat-style, yes, these draperies are pleated.  Ripple-fold pleats maintain structure from floor to ceiling.

Modern

Moving from Minimalist to Modern allows us more freedom with color, texture and pattern.  When I think of Modern interiors, my mind goes to Mid-Century Modern and the Mad Men TV series, edgy for the time period featuring specialty windows and wall-to-wall draperies.  Oftentimes, the pleats were hidden behind a soffit or cornice box.

Today, the modern drapery takes on a new character, it is often the focal point or backdrop of the interior, losing the cornice box all together and not only extending wall-to-wall, but floor-to-ceiling for seamless beauty.  

Do's and Dont's:

Transitional

I do believe most of us will fall into this category: Transitional, the marriage of all things traditional and contemporary.  Contemporary styles do get recognized as Modern in design, however, they are more of what's now, and trending in today's fashion.

Transitionally Inspired, the same style of pleating, "French", is utilized in all three of our inspiration rooms, but the looks are totally individualized with fabric choices and placement.

Transitional Decor is that place to have fun with different pleat styles that make a statement on the window. 

From Transitional To Truly Traditional

True to Tradition and timeless in its function Traditional Interiors are indeed what has worked for years, and those same strategies for furniture and drapery placement still work today.  From the lived-in look of home to higher-end sophistication a traditional interior, is not complete without draperies.  
Pleat styles are timeless as well, with french and goblet pleats among the most popular.

Traditional style lives on . . .

French Country, Farmhouse & Cottage

In a more relaxed, comfortable, casual state of being, Traditional Interiors take a deep breath in all of our most desired Farmhouse decor themes, where every pleat tells the story, and that story is: Contentment.  Just as there is an art to relaxation, there is also an art to creating and customizing a relaxed pleat.  

Tip:  When you want the relaxed pleat, you will achieve the best results with customization.  One does not simply clip a ring to fabric and get the looks we've discovered in our inspiration rooms.  Custom drapery is key to your pleat success!

Rustic Refined. Chic. Glam.

A newer trend that is ever-popular among baby boomers (yes, I read that somewhere) is the emergence of great contrasts and there are no greater contrasts in interior design than that of Rustic Refined.  The contrasted elements are typically the distressed wood or aged stone floors, walls, and furnishings, paired dramatically with the sparkle of a chandelier, and refined with fabric draperies dripping in natural sheen and embellishments.  

Dramatic Finishes

A pleat by any other name is just..... French, Inverted, Boxed, Ruffled, Rouched, Goblet, Ripplefold, Inset, Slouched, Embellished, Smocked, Flounce, Tabbed, Pencil, Cartridge.

Did you discover your pleat personality?

We are thankful for our findings on all of the pleat styles we discovered through the media, our archives, and mainly on Pinterest, that brought this Blog to life.  The talents in designing the perfect pleat begin with a designer who has a vision for the space, which is then communicated, more than likely sketched, for the client.  Once that vision is met with excited approval, the designer relays the project to the workroom/seamstress.  Knight's is fortunate that we work alongside our workroom professionals to ensure that the drapery and pleat style is created to the fullest of our intent.

Aside from our complimentary consultations with our window covering professionals, we are able to assist you with your fabric selections from our vast library of designer-quality fabrics.  Our drapery hardware collections can be customized to fit any space, and our installers are experienced, personable and professional.

Please Allow Six-To-Eight Weeks

For Your Custom Drapery

Happy Decorating!