- Architrave
- The timber trim framing a window or door; wall-fixed hardware usually mounts just above or beside it.
- Blockout fabric
- Fabric or lining that stops light passing through entirely; the darkness comes from the lining and the fit together.
- Break
- A small amount of extra length that lets the hem fold softly where it meets the floor, like a trouser cuff on a shoe.
- Ceiling fix
- Mounting the track to the ceiling rather than the wall, letting the curtain run full height and the window read taller.
- Drop
- The finished length of the curtain, from the top of the heading to wherever you decide it ends.
- Dressing (dressing in)
- Setting the folds by hand after hanging so the fabric learns its shape and falls the same way every time.
- Dual roller / day-night roller blinds
- Two roller blinds sharing one bracket, usually a sunscreen for day and a blockout for night; the blind trade's version of a double track.
- Eyelet heading
- A heading with metal rings punched through the fabric, threaded on a visible rod, falling in wide deep folds.
- Face fabric
- The fabric you see and chose for looks; linings hide behind it and do the technical work.
- Finial
- The decorative end-cap on a curtain rod that stops the rings sliding off and finishes the line.
- Fullness
- How much fabric width the curtain carries relative to the track, usually about double; it is what makes folds instead of a flat sheet.
- Heading
- The construction at the top of the curtain that creates the folds; the biggest single style decision. Full guide.
- Kiss
- A hem finished to just touch the floor: the crispest of the floor-length options.
- Light-filter fabric
- Unlined fabric dense enough to blur shapes and soften daylight, but not to darken a room.
- Overlap
- The generous crossing where a pair of curtains meets in the middle, so no light gap opens between them.
- Pelmet
- The box or fascia closing off the top of the window over the track; part trim, part thermal seal. Why it matters.
- Pencil pleat heading
- Fine, even gathers drawn up on a sewn-in tape; the classic Australian heading that suits nearly every room.
- Pinch pleat heading
- Groups of two or three folds stitched at their base, fanning open at the top; the tailored, formal heading.
- Puddle
- A deliberately over-length curtain that pools fabric on the floor; romantic, and a housekeeping commitment.
- Return
- The short wrap of fabric turning the corner at each end of the track back to the wall, sealing the side light gaps.
- Rod (pole)
- Visible hardware, timber or metal, carrying curtains on rings or eyelets; chosen to be seen.
- Roman blind blinds
- A fabric blind that folds up in soft horizontal pleats; the most curtain-like blind, sewn from drapery cloth.
- S-fold (wave fold) heading
- A heading where the fabric runs in one continuous even wave, made by glider spacing on a purpose-built track.
- Selvedge
- The woven, self-finished edge of a bolt of fabric; the mark of cloth as it comes off the loom.
- Sheer fabric
- Transparent, lightweight fabric (voile, open weaves) that diffuses light and softens glare while keeping the view.
- Sill length
- A drop finishing at or just below the window sill; right over benches, window seats and radiators.
- Stack-back
- The space the open curtain occupies beside the window; planned well, it clears the glass entirely.
- Thermal lining
- An insulating lining that slows heat crossing the window in both directions; teams with a pelmet for best effect.
- Track (rail)
- Slim, usually hidden hardware the curtain runs along on gliders; the only home of the S-fold.
- Voile
- The classic sheer fabric: fine, soft and translucent, the cloth most S-fold sheers are made from.
- Wand
- A slim rigid handle for drawing a curtain by hand without touching the fabric; the cord-free operation we favour in family homes.
Now you speak workroom. The measure will feel like a conversation, because it is one.
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