A well-designed pelmet can change the whole look of a window treatment. It conceals the curtain track or rod, adds height and structure, creates a polished finish, and helps with light control by closing the gap at the top. In heritage and character homes, pelmets are often essential to an authentic, period-appropriate look — but a clean, tailored pelmet can add equal refinement to a contemporary interior.
At Hay Interiors we make custom pelmets in our Nedlands workroom — from clean box pelmets to softly upholstered or gathered styles — each designed to complement your curtains, your room’s proportions and your home’s architecture.
Annie treats a pelmet as part of the whole window composition, not an add-on. The height of the window and ceiling, the cornice detail, the width of the opening and how the curtains stack back all inform the pelmet’s design. A pelmet that’s too shallow or too deep detracts from a room; a well-judged one enhances it significantly.
The depth, shape and fabric of the pelmet also affect how much light enters the room and how the window reads from outside. Annie works through these considerations during your consultation, ensuring the pelmet serves both a practical and aesthetic purpose rather than simply covering the track. She’ll also advise whether a pelmet, a decorative heading, or swags and tails best suits your windows and the character of the room.
Because everything is made in our workroom, we can match fabrics exactly to your sheer curtains, blockout curtains or Roman blinds, or choose complementary textures for contrast. Options include:
Pelmets have an important role in period homes — they can conceal modern tracking systems while maintaining the authentic appearance of traditional drapery, and they help control light bleed at the top of the window, which matters in rooms with tall original windows and limited wall space above. Annie’s experience with heritage and historic properties gives her a sound instinct for when a pelmet is architecturally appropriate and how it should be proportioned for the era of the home. See our heritage curtains page for more on our period-home speciality.
The best way to begin is to visit our showroom in Nedlands. You can explore hundreds of fabric samples, see finished examples, and often watch work happening in the attached workroom. Annie or a member of the team is always happy to talk through possibilities and answer questions.
Alternatively, we can arrange an in-home consultation at a time that suits you. This has the advantage of enabling us to consider your actual windows and provide advice on the best window dressings for your space.
Either way, you will receive honest, expert guidance focused entirely on what is right for your windows and your home.
We look forward to helping you create window furnishings you will love for many years to come.
A pelmet hides the curtain track or heading, adds structure and a finished look, and improves light control and insulation by closing the gap at the top of the curtains. In heritage homes it also helps maintain an authentic period appearance.
No — while they suit period homes beautifully, a clean, tailored box pelmet can add real refinement to a contemporary interior and tie a window treatment into the room’s overall scheme.
Yes — because we make both the curtains and the pelmet in our own workroom, we can match or complement fabrics precisely for a cohesive, considered result.
