prairiegirlz5: budge1 was considering the Silk Taffeta drapes which are a shinier silk and give a more formal look. The Thai Silk, also by RH, comes in the same colors and on their website it does look like the same stuff. So basically, whatever color she likes, she could get in either style. But, in person, they do look different as the Thai silk has less sheen and is more nubby--why it's so important to look at these drapes IRL. Budge1, are you near a RH? At the RH where I live, they have panels up of the majority (not all) of the drapes which you have been looking at. There are differences not only in terms of the sheen, but with the fullness as well--some are interlined others only one lining. If you get any type of stripe, they show differently depending on the pleat/rod style you choose. With stripes in the pleated styles one of the colors would be much more apparant than the other.

Marti - I'm hoping you get some responses, soon. If not, try and start a new post with one question (In the body of your post)......maybe "Do you have drapery with ruched/smocked fabric? Or, "Will ruched/smocked fabric work for my drapery idea? Then, show your pictures. Also, some pictures of the room where the drapery will be would be helpful to see. Your pictures are great! I'm really glad you posted some together and from a distance, too. I like the burgundy & the gold together. I'm not sure that I would add a third fabric (gold flower/vine) to the drapery. First, do the panels. Then, you can temporarily swag the third fabric above and stand back and see. There is a way to add more than one picture into your post at one time. You don't need to "reply". I don't know how to describe how to do it other than : After I copy & paste the HTML letters, etc for my first picture, I then press the ENTER key and the cursor moves down a space. Then, I am able to copy and paste a different/second picture into the same post. You can repeat this and post several pictures. Hope I described that ok. Laurie

I personally don't like really formal style drapes with pleats. I prefer lined cotton or cotton/linen blend with ring clips that allow you to push to the side with a loose manual "fold". I have this look in my living room. I also like these types of fabrics "shirred" tightly on the rod through the rod pocket, especially in a bedroom. Another casual look I like is wide tab tops - I can make them hang in a loose fold similar to the clip on rings. That is the look I have in my DR. One more look I have (in my office) is tabbed backs on my valences (tabs are sew on the back and a continental rod slides through the tabs). That also gives a loose fold. So basically, my favorite style is more casual - it suits my house :). I like the look that Annie posted - a little more "dressy" than my look, but not stuffy or dated. Tuesday

Hi Kitchenstumpt2! Good to see you too. And I know Exactly what you mean about looking at panels. I was making valances, london shades, or even what my husband mockingly refers to as, "Romantic Balloon Curtains" for years, simply because the panels always looked lame to me. Finally, on someone's post on a long ago (at least 5 years!) thread at another board, somebody did a blow-by-blow account of how they bought the dowel to make an extra long rod, spray painted it black, then, used a .99 bottle of craft paint in antique gold to antique it and make it look more expensive. They bought their antique gold (already finished) brackets & finials from JCPenney, and had a beefy pretty rod hung. Then, they made extra wide drapes out of really nice waverly fabric, and voila! I loved the look. And I realized that my cheapness, (frugality? budget-minded decorating? Scrooginess?) didn't have to hold me back from panels any longer. Red