The short, sheer curtains that cover only the bottom half of a window over a kitchen sink, frequently matched to a valance across the window's top, are called café curtains.
Sill Length
1/2" above the window sill. Casual and charming. These are the shortest of the standard curtain lengths, which makes them a good opportunity to have some fun with pattern or color.
One idea is to use a floor-length curtain to make short windows look taller. Hang them on stylish curtain rods installed at least 5 inches above the window frame. If your window is both short and wide, a medium-weight fabric is a better choice.
Hanging long drapes on a short window is one of the easiest ways to increase the importance of the window and bring it into proportion to the room. Short drapes on a short window call attention to the size of the window and reduce the significance of the room, window and drapery style.
Jabots. In the world of window treatment, window jabots can also be called cascades. They are decorative, narrow side-panels which are either tailored, pleated or ruffled arrangements of lace or cloth.
Rod pocket curtains, also called pole top or casement curtains, are a classic, and classy, way to hang drapery. A casing sewn onto the back of the curtain panel at the top allows the rod to slip through unseen. Panels bunch in gathers on the rod for a soft look with clean lines.
These short panels are available in hard-to-find 36," 45" and 54" lengths. Each curtain panel has 8 grommets (1.5” inside diameter). It also features 1" side hems and a generous 3” bottom hem.
Standard curtains come in three lengths—84 inches, 96 inches, or 108 inches.
Most curtain designs come in standard drop sizes of 54”, 72”, 90” and 108” so you may have to round up to the nearest size. For example, if you measure your drop and it is 147cm (58”) in length and you wanted your curtains to sit off the floor you would round this up to the 72” drop curtains.
A rule of thumb (from Architectural Digest) is that curtains should be hung between four to six inches above the window frame, so install your curtain rod accordingly. When you hang the curtain rod high, it will make the window appear taller.
Hang Them High
Sleek, floor-length panels draw the eye upward along the entire length of the curtains, creating an illusion of height. Hang curtains about 4 inches above a window frame in rooms with ceiling moldings and up to 6 inches in rooms without moldings.
The material should barely touch the floor or hover half an inch above. Use this approach for café curtains, too, short panels covering only the lower portion of a window, hitting the sill, which works well in kitchens and bathrooms, where long drapes or curtains aren't practical.
Small windows above larger windows or doors are called transom windows. In some older homes, the windows will be operational. These windows were used to help air flow through rooms in hot climates. Today, most transom windows are used to bring in additional light and to add to the visual height of a room.
Too small for shades or drapes? Try swinging-arm curtains! You simply mount a swing-arm rod to one side of the window and attach an appropriately sized curtain. They're a unique and efficient way of controlling light.
A valance is a short curtain and comes in many many shapes and styles. Valances can be used on their own to cover the tops of windows, doors or along with sheers and drapes.
Simply put, they're called valances. Valances are stationary, meaning that they don't move. Shades can also be hung above a window, which are functional window treatments that can be moved up or down. Most people know what shades are, so we'll focus on valances in this post.
Frequently used components include finials or end caps, smooth or fluted poles, brackets, rings and holdbacks. All components are grouped by style and matching pole diameter for convenience.