Swags and tails are among the most traditional and formal of window treatments — opulent fabric arrangements that frame a window with graceful curves and cascading tails. Executed with skill and proportion, they bring history, grandeur and refined beauty to a room, and suit Perth’s heritage homes, period properties, formal dining rooms and grand entrances.
Many Perth curtain shops don’t make these at all. At Hay Interiors we create swags and tails that feel authentic rather than theatrical, informed by traditional techniques and genuine respect for architectural proportion. It is one of Annie’s signature specialties, and one of the clearest expressions of what makes a traditional workroom different from a retail showroom.
Annie’s training in Southampton, England included mastering the precise calculations, pattern matching, pleating and finishing that beautiful swags and tails demand. She understands how these treatments interact with cornices, architraves and window proportions — knowledge essential for heritage work — and draws on her experience with historic buildings and museums to create treatments that honour the original architecture.
Getting swags and tails right requires more than skill with a sewing machine. The calculations for balanced proportions, the cutting of bias-draped fabric, the shaping of the tails and the final dressing of the treatment at installation all require experience that takes years to develop. Annie brings that experience to every project — see also our heritage curtains page for more on our period-home speciality.
Every fold, pleat and tail must be perfectly proportioned. Because we make them in our Nedlands workroom, we control every detail from pattern-making and cutting to hand-finishing and installation. We work closely with clients on fabric — often silks, velvets or high-quality linens that drape and age beautifully — and create complementary pelmets and traditional curtain headings where appropriate.
For heritage blind styles that complement swags and tails, we also make London Blinds, Austrian Blinds and Festoon Blinds — decorative styles that share the same traditional sensibility and are equally rare in Perth.
Swags and tails aren’t right for every window, and Annie will always say so honestly. A room with low ceilings, modest proportions or a casual contemporary feel is unlikely to suit formal drapery — and a treatment that fights the architecture rarely looks as good as one chosen sympathetically, even if the latter is simpler and less expensive.
The consultation is where these decisions get made properly. Annie considers ceiling height, window proportions, cornice and architrave detail, how the room is used, and fabric — because a heavy silk swag reads very differently from a linen one, and both differ from a patterned damask. Getting that combination right is what produces a result that feels genuinely distinguished rather than merely decorative.
If swags and tails are the right choice, you’ll have something few Perth homes have and fewer Perth makers can produce. If they’re not, Annie will recommend what is — a beautifully lined pinch pleat curtain, a decorative pelmet or something simpler. Either way, you leave the conversation with a clear picture of what will work and why.
The best way to begin is to visit our showroom in Nedlands. You can explore hundreds of fabric samples in natural light, 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 traditional, formal curtain treatment where draped fabric curves across the top of the window (the swag) and falls in pleated cascades at each side (the tails). They suit heritage and formal interiors and require specialist skill to execute well.
Very few — they require specialist calculation, pattern-matching and hand-finishing that takes years to learn. Annie’s Southampton training and heritage experience make this one of her signature specialties.
Silks, velvets, fine linens and damasks all drape and age beautifully. Annie advises on fabric weight and behaviour during your consultation — the wrong fabric can prevent the treatment from hanging correctly regardless of the sewing quality.
