Custom Window Valances & Swags

Whether you’re updating your window decor or adding a luxe vibe to the space – you can count on our custom window valances for the final touch. Valances anchor the window treatments, add optical height to the space and provide a means to introduce chromatic and textural variety to the space. When designed correctly, valances contain light leaks from above the curtains/shades, cover up architectural defects, and conceal the hardware of the window treatment under them. 

All in all, valances are aesthetic add-ons, but they enhance the functionality and visual appeal of any window treatment. They can also be used as standalone treatments where you’re looking for an excuse to bring in some oomph and warmth. If you’re looking for a decorative fabric accessory to amp up the design value of your home, think valances. And read on to learn more about valances and creative ways to style them.

Window Valance Mounting Options

Spiffy Spools’ valances come in two key styles of mounting: board mounted valances and pole mounted valances. Board mounted valances provide a structured, formal look that turns window treatments into opulent focal points. In a different, but equally delightful way, pole mounted valances lend an informal, intimate touch to casual living spaces. Let’s take you through the details of both.

BOARD MOUNTED VALANCES

Valances in this category are attached to wooden boards with the help of velcro. They come pre-mounted on board with all required hardware, which makes them simple to install. Since the valances can be easily detached from the board, it is easy to clean and maintain them.

The board base renders the valance a highly structured and tailored look, which is especially well-suited for formal spaces like living rooms. The valances hides any drapery hardware, so if you don’t want the metallic fixtures to be visible, valances in this style are ideal for you. 

Board-mounted valances provide a continuous surface unhindered by pleats, frills, and ripples. This makes them excellent candidates for use with patterned fabrics, allowing for the motifs to be shown off without any distortion.

POLE MOUNTED VALANCES

Valances of this style are hung on a pole, just like drapes. They are either stitched with a rod pocket on top or have pinched headers to use with curtain rings and clips. Depending on the part that valances play in your window decor, the hardware decisions will change:

SINGLE POLE: If you are hanging your custom window valances standalone without curtains or over your roman shades, you’ll need a single-pole hardware configuration.

DOUBLE POLE SET: When you want to use your custom valances as an ‘over-treatment’ with drapes, consider a double pole set. In this set-up, the front pole holds the valance while the second pole holds the drapery behind.

Key Valance Styles

Apart from the classification as per the mounting style, valances can also be categorized based on their visual style and appearance:

FLAT-FRONT VALANCES: These valances feature a flat uncluttered frontage, free from pleats and ruffles. The flat surface allows patterns to display their shapes and colors vividly, and solid colors get to flaunt their saturation. The simple and chic structure renders these valances a very polished overall appeal. With straight hemmed bottoms, these valances take over a very minimalist approach. And with scalloped bottom hems, they look softer, tailored and informal. Flat-front valances are most apt for decor styles that are characterized by minimal details and clean contours.

GATHERED VALANCES: These valances feature pleats made by gathering fabric on the pole. The gathered top valances with grommets, rod pockets, and tab tops are excellent additions to a casual space. Their soft gather and relaxed pleats are the highlights that shine best on plain fabrics and small-scale motifs.

PINCH-PLEATED VALANCES: These valances imbibe the stitched-in pleats of traditional drapery styles like French pinch pleats, inverted pleats, and euro pleats. The tailored look and sculptural pleats featured in these styles make them especially well-suited to a formal, traditional decor. Our stylists also recommend these styles on plain fabrics as the architectural nature of pinch pleats can make up for the relative simplicity of monochrome fabrics. 

OPULENT SWAGS: Featuring opulent swags and flowing jabots, valances in this category are truly a dream come true for maximalists. Perfect for traditional homes, these valances come mounted on board to suit the plush, classical tone of such spaces.

Style Notes

To help you along your shopping spree for custom window valances and swags, here are some helpful tips from our stylists::

SCALE CORRECTLY: Since valances occupy small optical space, using them to bring in patterns is a tempting decision. But going right with the scale is very important. Large patterns that might get cut off at awkward length will diminish the impact of your carefully chosen valances. Therefore, our stylists recommend considering the scale of the pattern and ordering fabric samples before making a final decision.

KEEP UP THE DECOR STYLE: Ensure that your valance’s structure, mounting style, palette, and pattern rhyme with your decor style. Flat-front valances go with modern, minimalist aesthetics while the tailored folds of pinch pleats embrace the embellished details of traditional design. Cottons and linens air a casual vibe while silks and velvets speak formality and opulence. Florals in pastel hues depict country charm whereas abstract designs ring in the modern vibe. Be in line with your overall decor style from the choice of fabric to the style of the valance.

STANDALONES: Valances need not be used with curtains always; they are decor elements in themselves. They provide a lovely excuse to bring in vibrance and color where window treatments are not required to provide privacy or light control.  Besides, if there are various types of windows in a given space differing in position, shape, or size, valances can be that single unifying element that rings in cohesiveness. When placed above the window, they woo the eye upward, serving as a foolproof trick to fake optical height in the room. 

WITH INSET ROMAN SHADES & INDUSTRIAL BLINDS: Valances can make up for the minimalism and sterility of industrial blinds. Roman shades – that look fabulous in themselves – can be upscaled further with valances that bring in a contrast of hues and designs. Go for a vibrant pattern or hue that will anchor the eye and call attention away from the austerity and neutral hues of the shades and blinds. 

WITH CURTAINS: Valances and drapes have been a celebrated couple for centuries now. This layered arrangement is an opportunity to juxtapose solids and patterns, contrasting hues, and varied styles. For curtains with relatively simple heading styles, a decorative valance can offer the ‘wow’ element they lack. Besides, the valances hide the hardware of the drapes and cancel light leaks from the top.

UNIFY VARIOUS TREATMENTS: Going by the varying needs of different rooms and spaces, you might have opted for multiple types of window treatments. While this is practically correct, you might find it difficult to draw a common line for cohesiveness. Here, valances come to the rescue. Design valances of the same fabric for all the various treatments and unify them under that theme. The trick is to choose a fabric that can match or complement all of them.

SELECT STYLE WITH FORETHOUGHT: Pole-mounted valances make a great fit for casual spaces, like your bedroom or informal sitting room. Since the hardware still shows, pole-mounted valances may be less suited for formal settings such as your home office or formal living room. For these areas, we recommend board-mounted valances which have a more architectural finish. Also, pay attention to the stitching style. The scalloped styles, swags, and the like look out of place in minimalistic homes, and the matter-of-fact ones such as the flat-bottom ones and the flat-front ones may not chime with extravagantly detailed interiors.

SPIFFY TIP: Most fabric bolts come in standard widths of 54 inches. This means that valances of width greater than 48 inches will need vertical joining hems to achieve the extra width. This is standard industry practice.

Valances are not a thing of yesterday but a fast-emerging trend with modern iterations. Whether it’s a heartthrob pattern that you wish to introduce in moderation or a design statement that you wish to make emphatically, valances fit the bill. With over a dozen styles of valances available at Spiffy Spools, you’re sure to find a suitable one no matter what style of decor you follow. So, get browsing and happy shopping!

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