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Archive for the 'Technical Information' Category

Upholstered Headboards – What Height to Order

Monday, September 28th, 2009

When it comes to upholstered headboards, customers want advice on how high to order their headboard.  Our standard upholstered headboard is a total of 44″.  The leg is 18″ and the fabric headboard is 26″.  On the tall end, the leg is 18″ and the board is 40″ for a total of 58″.  So with such a range of choices, the best advice we can give is to consider the scale and symmetry of your room and bed size.

Let’s start with the twin upholstered headboard.  The scale of a twin bed is on the small side.  The headboard has to work with the bed(s) and its surroundings.  We believe that the standard height works well here.  Chances are that you will have two headboards in the room and you don’t want them to completely overpower the room.  You should consider adding a few inches if you plan to add a nice selection of pillows.

You should notch up the height on a full size upholstered headboard.  The width of the mattress warrants a taller board to balance the scale of the headboard.   You should consider the range of 44″ to 48″.  Think about the pillows you will add and the height of the ceiling.

For a queen size upholstered headboard, you should be looking at 50″ or more.  The bed is a bit more substantial, you will have pillow shams and more decorative pillows.  You want balance with all the other elements of the room.

King size upholstered headboards should go to the limit at 58″ whenever possible.  It is the latest fabric headboard design trend for good reason – it looks great!  Tall king size fabric headboards are in nearly all the high end boutique hotels.  Regarding scale, if you were able to fit a king bed in your master bedroom, chances you can easily accommodate a tall headboard.   If you love lots of pillow shams and oversized decorative pillows, you can really go crazy and not hide your beautiful new upholstered headboard.

To really get the height right, we recommend using blue painters tape on the wall where you will have the headboard.  Take the tape and outline the size of the headboard.  Step back and take look.  Move the tape to a couple of different heights.  You’ll know when it right.


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Drapery Width Explained

Monday, July 27th, 2009

What is drapery width is one of the most frequent questions we are asked. Drapery width is a behind the scenes technical term used in the workroom for how much fabric is needed to start a drape or curtain fabrication. However, the term is often used by industry professional in conversations with their clients. We also use the term for ordering decorative drapes or panels in specific departments on our site.

Fabric is manufactured by the mills and the machinery used to make decorative fabric for drapes and home decor is primarily 54″ wide. So when we speak of a width of fabric, we are talking about 54″ wide. In making drapes, 8″ of the 54″ is needed for the hems on both sides, so we are left with 46″ of face fabric. Then in the fabrication of the drape, we use a minimum of 2 to 1 fullness to create the beautiful drape header. That simply means if you want a finished drapery panel to be 50″ wide, we will need 100″ of face fabric or two widths of fabric (54″ x 2 widths = 108″ less 8″ for hems = 100″).

Fortunately, you as the customer do not need to know the gory details of how the workroom determines the width and the math behind it. However, when you order decorative drapes on our site where we use width specifications, you should know what the finished product is going to look like. Below you will find the finished width measurement for common decorative sizes. We have also provided a chart to help you determine what width is right for your particular window.

Finished Drapery Width

1 Width Panel – the finished width of a single 1 width panel is approximately 20″ to 27″ wide. The width of two panels (pair) is approximately 40″ to 54″ wide.

1-1/2 Width Panel – the finished width of a single 1-1/2 width panel is approximately 25″ to 40″ wide. The width of two panels (pair) is approximately 50″ to 80″ wide.

2 Width Panel – the finished width of a single 2 width panel is approximately 36″ to 54″ wide. The width of two panels (pair) is approximately 72″ to 108″ wide.

Window Size Recommendations
Below is a general guideline for ordering the right drapery width for your window sizes. If your window is outside these measurements, stationary panels will still work, but you may want to call us to discuss your project.

Window Width Widths of Fabric
28″-48″ 1 Width/Panel
49″-72″ 1.5 Widths/Panel
73″-98″ 2 Widths/Panel


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