Soft window coverings include any type of window covering treatment that is soft enough to twist, drape or tie back. These types of window treatments can be made out of almost any type of material as long as it is fluid and can be arranged in a decorative fashion from a curtain rod or swag.
Curtains and drapes are available in all kinds of different fabrics including tapestries, damasks, velvets, sheers, cottons, silks, satins, chenille, linen, polyester, polyvinyl, chiffons – you name it you can either buy or make a soft curtain from it.
The considerations when choosing these types of window coverings are mainly 1) what room is it going in 2) how much coverage does the window need to protect from sunlight and prying eyes and 3) will it go with the décor.
Window shades can also qualify as being one of the soft window coverings especially if they are made out of fabric and not a rigid paper or vinyl based materials. However technically they are not because they cannot be tied or draped in the same way as curtains and drapes.
Valances also qualify as soft window coverings. These are long strips of material, usually two types or two colors, twined together that are wrapped around a curtain rod in an asymmetrical fashion in order to decorate a window.
You can also buy soft swags. Swags are like fabric crowns for your window treatment that sit above the curtain rods. The fabric type is usually used in more formal window treatments. You can also buy swags that are made of wrought iron and other decorative materials that don’t have any material at all to them. Other types of swags are made of wood that has been covered in fabric that matches the valance or drapery. Sometimes you can get a swag, valance and drapery as part of an elegant three-in-one package so that all three components of your formal curtain set match.
Yet another simple type of window covering is the woman’s large scarf. This type of window covering is classic and easy. You simply take a beautiful scarf, preferably one with a fringe and fold it in half so that it makes a triangular shape. You then simply hang this in an attractive manner from a curtain rod. Some people have also made window coverings by attaching several attractive scarves to “pinch style” curtain hooks. Keep in mind that this is a more casual window treatment and that if you are simply going to fold the scarf and throw it over the curtain rod that you should locate it in a window that does not have the kind of traffic that can be pulled down.