As they are lightweight, they pose no threat if they ever dislodge from your ceiling. But being lightweight comes with a price; they aren’t very durable. You can easily make a dent in them with your fingernails. Cornice is a more generalized term; it is the horizontal molding that covers a part of a window, a furniture or an exterior wall of a building. Serving mainly as a functional tool on buildings’ exterior walls, cornices are used to expel rainwater from the openings of a building facade. There are many different examples of building cornices but it is another topic which would require its own blog post. This padded and upholstered pelmet is large and heavy and lowers the appearance of height of the room. The look you want to achieve is an important criteria for your pelmet depth. If you want a decorated pelmet, you might want a wider pelmet to increase the surface area to apply more decorations. If you don’t want to overcrowd your room, just use a simple narrow pelmet -to the limit of its functionality. Types of Curtain Pelmets

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You can attach strips of light behind the curtain pelmet to enhance the ambient light of the room. The light bouncing off from the curtains will prevent glare. Having said that, additional light exposure on your curtains can fade its color if you are going with a color other than white. Foamboard curtain pelmets are the next best thing after their wooden counterparts. They are very simple to install and leave almost no trace when removed so you can install plasterboard curtain pelmets even if you are renting. And they are even cheaper than MDF or plywood curtain pelmets. Many fabricated designs are available with generally low price ranges. Now, as you did with the quilt batting, cover the structure with your fabric and staple to the inside. You can also decorate with your choice of accessories, such as ribbons if you wish. If you choose a patterned fabric, you may not need to. Step 5: Fit to the Wall It is often troublesome to distinguish whether a hard top window treatment is a cornice or pelmet as they can be used interchangeably. They both can be defined as the decorative wooden plank covering the curtain fixture but they are technically a little different. Metal curtain pelmets are the go-to if you intend to have a durable and stylish look. Depending on your furniture and overall style of your room, metal curtain pelmets are irreplaceable in some cases. If you have tall windows or curtain walls with metal mullions, metal pelmets will complement your windows astonishingly.There are numerous variations, so take a look at the photograph examples below and see if you can get some ideas on using pelmets in your curtain design. Pelmets can be defined as cornices without having a crown molding on top. The origin of the word pelmet actually comes from an old English word, “palmette” or palm leaf as pelmets covered in fabric looks like palm leaves. It is an different fabric to the curtains and quite frankly, I think the curtains get lost in this example, but the pelmet is certainly one of the main focal points of the room. You can make a pelmet for curtains by using foam core or plywood to create a structure which can be covered in a fabric of your choice and mounted to the wall above your curtains. They can add a finishing touch to your window design.

Curtain Pelmets - Made to Measure Curtains and Tracks Curtain Pelmets - Made to Measure Curtains and Tracks

Old fashioned pelmets tend to be deeper as more surface area allows more decorations and ornamentations to be applied on the pelmet. Modern curtain pelmets often have a minimalistic approach and don’t need as much depth. Storage & organisation Furniture Textiles Kitchenware & tableware Kitchens Lighting Decoration Rugs, mats & flooring Beds & mattresses Baby & children Smart home Bathroom products Laundry & cleaning Plants & plant pots Home electronics Home improvement Outdoor living Food & beverages Christmas Shop Shop by room

Step 3: Cover with Quilt Batting

Find more curtain design pictures here Interested in taking your love of fabrics and curtains further? While cornices are generally attached to ceiling edges, pelmets can be applied on the upper edge of the windows. So if you have a curtain fixture that you want to conceal, not situated on the ceiling, the surface you cover it with is called a pelmet, not a cornice. Using cornices or pelmets in your room depends on the look you want to achieve. Cornices cover up all of the wall surface thus it is well-suited with good-looking curtains. With using pelmets, you can even make a simple cloth work in your room without having to consider getting aesthetically pleasing curtain fixtures. Do Pelmets Save Energy?

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Curtain pelmets can be used for hiding the top edge of the curtains and any fixtures on which the curtain is attached. Also, it helps control the airflow inside your room. In this example it provides a more elegant curtain and makes the window appear larger than it is rather than creating a single pelmet over the window and designating the actual size of it. This way the french doors are left unadorned during the day and at night the entire curtain can be pulled around the wall creating one long and continuous curtain wall. This creates the illusion of a large window and bigger room as there is no stopping and starting of curtains. Wooden curtain pelmets can be found in traditional and modern houses alike. You can see subtle, functional curtain pelmets made of plain wood in any modern house today. In old times though, as woodworking was an expensive craft and quality wood was not purchasable by most of the population, pelmets could be found in houses of the high-class.

Width

Wooden curtain pelmets can be shaped in many different ways. They can be shaped with curves, they can be straight bands, they can have ornamentation. The intricacy of the woodwork enhances the visual quality of a pelmet. To consider curtain pelmets only as old fashioned decoration is an injustice in a world of global warming and high energy costs as curtain pelmets play a big part in the heating/cooling of your home. You can reduce your energy bills and reduce your carbon footprint by using curtain pelmets as they act like shields for preventing hot air from entering inside in hot season and escaping in the cold season.