Once synonymous with old stately homes filled with heavy drapes, it’s time to rethink curtain pelmets. While still providing the same functional benefits — hiding curtain rods, blocking light, and streamlining a space — designers are using new, modern pelmet ideas to approach the traditional design element, creating layered spaces with an artful touch.
“Similar to frilly dresses and oversized collars, people are becoming more confident with more traditional interior styles,” explains interior designer Kate Guinness, regarding the modern window treatment trend. “Just like with vanity, larder, and bed skirts, window pelmets are being used more frequently today.”
To prove our point, we asked designers for the ways they’re embracing the traditional style in their contemporary schemes. From whimsical shapes to plastered iterations and pattern-drenched designs, we’ve uncovered plenty of pelmet ideas to persuade you that they’re definitely still on trend.
1. Add structure to a relaxed scheme
A pelmet can be a great way to give a room a bit more structure. It's also a neat and organized way of finishing your bedroom curtains in a room that is otherwise quite relaxed. In this bedroom, designed by London-based studio Barlow & Barlow, a simple wooden pelmet adds a touch of formality to the otherwise layered and textured bedroom.
"Pelmets can mostly work in any interior scheme and can be used as a subtle addition to a room or as a bold feature," explains the studio's creative director Lucy Barlow. "In this London townhouse, we wanted the room to feel fresh and sleek, but still peppered with elements of color and pattern. We love how the headboard's border mirrors the curtains lining, yet the paired back pelmet helps to keep the overall space looking clean, organized and chic."
2. Embrace a modern take on traditional style
Sometime the best approach is to lean into the traditional feel of a pelmet. Embrace the flounce and fuss and go all out with pattern and fabrics. When doing so, it's best to keep the walls a solid color to balance the patterned fabric, but don't be afraid to introduce pattern elsewhere in the space. A traditional pelmet can feel decidedly modern if you know how to curate a traditional maximalist bedroom that's still considered, like in this bedroom shown above.
"In this room, the fabric had a natural border within it which we used within the base of the pelmet — helping to elevate the room," explains Singapore-based interior designer Elizabeth Hay. "Pelmets have always been a classic part of designing a room and a good way of adding another layer. In a more modern space, cleaner and simpler pelmets with straighter lines work best."
3. Accentuate architectural features
It's such a shame to cover architectural features such as arched doors or windows with curtains and heavy drapes, and that's where shaped pelmets can help to accentuate and enhance a space's inherent design.
"Designing this arched pelmet to exactly fit the window guarantees that the eye is drawn to it and it gives this guest bedroom a very special elevated feel," explains interior designer Kate Aslangul, founder and creative director of Oakley Moore Interior Design. "There is something very spoiling about a room when great attention has been given to these sorts of details."
4. Blend a pelmet into the walls
Sleek and simple; by painting or covering a pelmet so it matches the wall color, you get all the benefits of disguising the top of your curtain without all the fuss of building a recessed curtain track. In this bedroom, a simple timber pelmet was incorporated into the pitched roofline and color-drenched to help it seemingly disappear into the ceiling.
"This pink bedroom had an unusual pitched roof, so we created the pelmet in timber and painted it the same warm enveloping tone," explains Becky Russell, associate director of Dublin-based Roisin Lafferty (formerly Kingston Lafferty Design). "Pelmets have an amazing way of streamlining what you see. A simple timber pelmet when painted in with the wall gives an illusion of more space, while pelmets work well in modern and contemporary spaces to help draw your eye away from any fuss and accentuate the clean architectural lines."
5. 'Plaster in' your curtains for a contemporary twist
This is perhaps the chicest and most creative way we've seen someone approach a modern pelmet design. Forget the chintzy fabric and forget using timber frames — why not opt instead for a plastered-in pelmet design?
Right at home in a more contemporary or Mediterranean-inspired style home, the bedroom above by Shiraz Jamali Architects not only frames the curtain and hides away the track, but also adds a striking architectural feature to the space, introducing interesting curved forms and an arch that looks like it's reaching out of the building itself.
6. Playfully pattern-drench with your wallpaper
Pattern drenching is a current trend that instantly gives a room a more modern feel. And you don't have to go overly bold with your combinations to create impact, either. In this bedroom by Barlow & Barlow, the wallpaper picks up on the same blue tones in the curtains and matching pelmet, but the patterns subtly clash.
"We love layering patterns and color in our projects to create playful and unique schemes," says interior designer Lucy Barlow. "For this project, we layered different tones of blue and used the same fabric across the curtains and pelmet to create a cocooned and cozy effect."
7. Make a small room feel taller
Because it's laid over the top of the window frame, a pelmet has the added benefit of being able to make the window (and therefore room) look bigger — whether that's taller, wider, or both. As such, they make for clever window treatments for small rooms.
"We added a valance over the striped roman blind on this sash window to draw the eye up and thus creating an illusion of height and space as the room is small," explains Oakley Moore Interior Design's Kate Aslangul. "We chose to make it in a contrasting fabric to the blind to add in a touch of color to this quiet neutral bedroom."
8. Add flair with a scalloped window pelmet
Not all of the best pelmet ideas are about blending them in, matching them to walls, and making them as subtle as possible. Pelmets can look fabulous when contrasted with the curtain fabric, as seen in this playful space, where a scalloped window pelmet takes center stage.
The scallop shape has gone through a (perhaps fittingly?) wavy journey in the design world, first big in the 1920s, then back again in groovy 90s girlish bedrooms, and now again in a more contemporary form, whether as a scallop curtain trend, home décor or paint designs.
In this space by designer Elizabeth Hay, the scalloped window pelmet adds shape and definition amongst the busier patterns, stripes and colors in the room. It's fun and playful, but feels fresh and modern too.
9. Use a pelmet to transition your wallpaper
Shaped pelmets open up a world of possibility. Not only can you play with their form, but you can color them, upholster them, or choose to leave them bare, lending to a sleeker, more contemporary style. Beyond covering the top of your curtains, pelmets can serve other aesthetic purposes too, like creating a considered pause between walls and ceiling wallpaper, as seen in the space above.
"Because of the dimensions of the room (small floor space with high ceilings) I wanted to use a simple, graphic wallpaper to readdress the balance," explains interior designer Lisa Le Duc of lldd studio. "However I didn't want the wallpaper on the walls, as this wouldn't create the illusion of a wider room, so in order to stop the wallpaper with a transition that felt intentional and at the correct level, I chose to use a pelmet. It does the job of both hiding the tops of the roller blinds, and creates a distinction between wallpaper and walls."
10. Opt for a bamboo blind with built-in pelmet
While your first thought may be fabric curtains, there are plenty of other options when it comes to window pelmets. You can choose to place them over blinds and Roman shades, or opt for a completely different style like the bamboo 'chik' blinds in this bedroom, by Texas-based Avery Cox Design, which has a built-in pelmet as part of its design.
11. Pick an unexpected texture
While generally made of fabric or timber, there are other options when it comes to modern pelmet ideas. Atelier Vime has been manufacturing unique wicker wares in France for over 150 years. "We always try to design timeless furniture with a poetic spirit, crossing the ages, as our brand has done since 1878," they say.
Included in their range of vintage and their own wicker collection, are stunning woven pelmets — seen in the scheme above. Choose between a square-set rattan pelmet, or scalloped wicker design, for an instant focal point in your space.
12. Frame more than just a window
And you needn't feel restricted to just your windows when it comes to modern pelmet ideas. They can be just as easily used to frame bed canopies, provide privacy for bunk beds, or, as seen in this room by Minneapolis-based Heather Peterson Design, to carve out a cozy space for a quiet reading nook.
13. Conceal 'smart' home tech for your curtains
A box pelmet may be the most style with the closest connotations to traditional homes, but their clean lines and simple design also lends them to more minimalist, contemporary spaces too — not to mention the modern-day design elements they're capable of cleverly concealing: smart curtains.
"There is something about a pelmet that really 'finishes off' a window dressing," says interior designer Tiffany Duggan, founder of Studio Duggan. "I love interesting shapely designs but in this example, a contemporary box pelmet it an effective yet subtle way of creating a more polished, well-considered look. Pelmets also come in handy when concealing electrical tracks and remote operated window treatments, or for emphasizing the height or width of windows."
14. Keep it fuss-free with a solid fabric
A simple way to ensure a pelmet has a more modern feel is to stick with solid colors. As Texas-based interior designer Marie Flanigan advises: "If you’re looking to include a pelmet, but want a more modern take, avoid using patterned fabric. Keeping the fabric selection simple, leaves the entire window treatment elevated and sleek, instead of dated or heavy."
For the bedroom shown above, Marie's client wanted to nod to traditional style while still feeling updated. "We chose a beautiful window treatment with drapes and a pelmet because it gave the space a punch of color and sophisticated depth."
Marie agrees that pelmets are experiencing a resurgence in the design world right now. "I think people are beginning to gravitate toward this type of detail because it shows off gorgeous craftsmanship and luxe fabric," she adds. "Plus, pelmets are a great way to infuse a bit more color and interest into a space."
15. Make a statement with an oversized pelmet
If your room, and the windows, can handle it, you can turn pelmets into a real feature by going for an oversized box pelmet. Going big makes a pelmet feel like less of a fussy unnecessary addition, and actually adds some drama and elegance to the room. Take this eclectic-style living room designed by Kit Kemp, for example.
"This is a summery light room with big windows, so they could take a good sized pelmet without taking away too much light," explains renowned designer Kit Kemp. "We used a straight Buckrum pelmet that holds its shape well. It finishes off a room, giving fresh detail and adds to scale and balance."
16. Soften the look with a valance pelmet
A valance-style pelmet creates a much softer, more relaxed look than a classic box design — the perfect choice for a more laidback space. The slubby linen fabric used in the room shown above works perfectly with its coastal interior design, and the pelmet adds a touch of sophistication, while helping to make the window look bigger.
"A valance pelmet is the perfect finishing touch for the top of window treatments — soft valances add a nice tailored detail," explains Massachusetts-based interior designer Vani Sayeed. "In this Tudor-style home, the windows are flush to the wall without a casing around it, so adding a valance pelmet frames the window while hiding the mechanics of the roman shade under it. The vertical stripes of the embroidered fabric bring your eye up, giving the illusion of a taller ceiling, and repeating the embroidery stripe horizontally across the valance balances the pattern out."
Shop Pelmets
While most pelmet curtains will be made or sourced at the same time as your curtains or window dressing, which helps to ensure a cohesive look, there are a few styles available to buy separately. These are a few of our favourite.
FAQs
What is a pelmet?
A pelmet is a border that sits along the top of a window dressing to hide curtain rod brackets. It also ensures no light escapes out the top of the curtain, and ensures everything looks organized and finished.
The traditional approach is a box pelmet, which is made from a wooden frame and upholstered in a fabric matching the curtain it's housing. But there are other variations and modern interpretations including soft, fabric styles, scalloped window pelmets, and built-in designs.
Types of pelmets
- Box pelmet — the most traditional style, made from a square, wooden box that sits along the the top of the window.
- Soft pelmet — a more relaxed take; generally made from fabric that drapes or hangs along the top of the window.
- Shaped pelmet — also made from MDF or timber but featuring curved, sculptural or shapely edges for added decoration.
What is the difference between a pelmet and a valance?
Often thought to be interchangeable, interior designer Kate Aslangul of Oakley Moore Interior Designs explains: "A valance is a piece of fabric, gathered or pleated, straight-edged or shaped, which is fixed at the top to a pelmet board and is therefore softer than a pelmet."
Are pelmets in fashion?
Modern iterations of curtain pelmets are definitely in fashion right now — whether that's playing with the color, fabric, placement or shape of the once traditional window treatment. The concept has been reinvented and creatively reimagined, and we're predicting it will be everywhere in 2025. So, if you're looking for ideas of how to bring it into your home, here's how.
