Apron
Horizontal decorative wood trim below the sill.

Clearance
The distance from the mounting surface to the back of the curtain rod. Important consideration if an under treatment is to be used.

Finial
Decorative end-piece of a rod or pole.

Heading
The top of a rod-pocket curtain which forms a ruffle when the curtain is on a rod. The pleated portion of a pinch-pleated drapery.

Holdback/Scarfholder
Decorative drapery hardware designed to hold draperies off to the sides of the window. Also used to hold scarves and create swags treatments. View Products

Pin-on Hook
A metal pin designed to slide into draperies, and then to attach (hook) to the carriers/slides of a traverse rod.

Recess
The available depth of the window opening. Important when considering an inside-mounted treatment. For most treatments, it is necessary to deduct the space that is taken up by a window crank, latch, sash, or any other protrusion, to assure smooth operation.

Return
The drapery fabric that covers the area from the end of the curtain back to the wall. In shirr-on curtains, the fabric is eased around the corner of the curtain rod. In pin-on draperies, an additional pin is used at the outside top corners of the drapery and hooked into the rod bracket hole.

Rod Pocket
A pocket or casing sewn across the top (and sometimes bottom) of a curtain panel through which a rod is inserted. Generally, the pocket should measure 1/2" to 1" larger than the rod.

Sash
The part of the window which includes the glass and the frame that holds the glass. Normally, the moveable part of the window.

Sash Rod
A small rod designed to be mounted inside a window frame on the sash. View Products

Sconce
A decorative bracket through which fabric is threaded. View Products

Shirr
Gathering a piece of fabric onto a rod through a rod pocket.

Sill
The horizontal ledge at the base of the window.

Stackback
The amount of wall space occupied by draperies or vertical blinds when they are completely open.

Swag
Fabric which is draped above a window, possible extending down the sides. View Products

Tab Top
A strip of material attached to the drapery which slides over the rod or pole, eliminating the need for rings.

Traverse Rod
A rod which incorporates draw cords and a pulley system to open and close draperies. Available in decorative and non-decorative styles. Designed for use with pin-on draperies. View Products

Valance
A decorative fabric treatment installed horizontally across the top of the window. View Products

What are window blinds?

A window blind is a covering for a window, usually attached to the interior side of a window. It simply refers to some device to hide from sight (thus "blinding" the viewer) or to reduce sunlight. There are several kinds of blinds, including:

Slat blinds, which consist of many horizontal, flat slats, usually of metal or vinyl, connected with string in a way that they can be rotated to allow light to pass between the slats, rotated up to about 170 degrees to hide the light, or pulled up so that the entire window is clear. (So special version pulling up diagonally or even down — mostly motorised or with hand winder). The rotation of the blinds is achieved by rotating a connector attached to the strings or by pulling a cord; the raising and lowering of the blinds is achieved by pulling a different string. However, there also exists version with a winding mechanisms that combine both functions into one winding rod and can mostly alsobe used for motorisation. Such blinds include:
Venetian blinds, basic slatted blind made of metal or plastic; wooden slats are sometimes used but these are usually referred to as wood blinds or bamboo blinds. Venetian blinds were introduced around 1770, possibly in Venice, Italy. Slat width can be between 50-120mm, however most common are 50mm)
Miniblinds, Venetian blinds with very narrow slats (usually 19 or 24mm wide).
Vertical blinds, or track blinds, consisting of slats of stiffened fabric, plastic, or metal hanging by one end from a track; like the horizontal versions, the slats can be rotated 90 degrees to allow light to pass through or to fold up on one side of a door or window.
Solid blinds, which either roll up or fold up but cannot be opened in place to allow light through. These are also often referred to as window shades. Such blinds include:
Holland blinds, or roller shades, which are pull-down rolling window blinds.
Woven-wood blinds, which are slats of decorative wood, bamboo, or other natural material woven together with simple string, colored yarn, or other decorative material to make a nearly solid blind; these either roll up out of the way or fold up out of the way.
Pleated shades, which are pleated fabric shades that pull up to sit flat at the top of a window
Honeycomb shades, or cellular shades, which are similar to pleated shades except that there are two or more layers joined at the pleats to form compartments that trap air, providing insulation.
Roman shades, made of fabric or woven wood, that pull up by having each section of the shade fold behind a higher section.
All of the above can also be motorised.


Brief History of Blinds

It is interesting to note that the ancient Egyptians first used blinds in an effort to control the heat. Etchings on the walls of some Egyptian tombs show horizontal blinds constructed of reeds. The Egyptian slaves were depicted pouring water over these vertical reed blinds in an effort to cool the rooms of the Egyptians.


Brief History of Roller Shades

The most common window covering during the 19th century was the roller shade. It was inexpensive, could be made at home, blocked direct sunlight, offered privacy, and gave some protection from insects. There were basically three type of roller shades. One was generally made of fine linen and came in a variety of colors. Another alternative was the transparent shade made of artist's tracing cloth. And lastly the roller shade made of oilcloth, which was opaque.