You can change the look of your curtains in a number of ways. Depending Upon the color or fabric of your curtains, you obtain a completely different look. The way you hang your curtains can also change the decor, as can the use of tiebacks. You can

make a complete change in your curtain's appearance through the use of tiebacks. There are different ways to put tiebacks on your curtains, and they all depend on where you put the tiebacks. We will discuss all of them here.

1. The High Tie is used with at least two panels, and the ties are put way up on each panel to create an open appearance.

2. The Middle Tie is used at approximately the middle of the curtain panels. It is not exactly centered at the middle, but placed a little below or above.

3. The Low Tie is the opposite of the High Tie, placed below the center mark of the curtain.

4. The Center Tie is placed at the exact center of the curtain, where the panels are pulled back.

5. The Crisscrossed Tie is used with overlapping curtain panels. The panel on the outside is pulled to one side while the panel on the inside is pulled to the other side.

6. The Angled Tie can be used with one or two curtains. When one curtain is used, the curtain is tied high up on the window, and then the opposite side is tied back much lower. It is then puffed out to create a billowy efffect.

Using any of these methods does not mean that you are limiting yourself to a certain kind of decorating. All of these methods can be used with either formal or informal styles.

Formal decorating is usually found in living rooms and formal dining rooms and usually heavier materials with formal patterns are used in conjunction with a set of sheer curtains. This layered look is what gives the formal style its unique charm. The first layer is sheer curtains, made of a light fabric such as linen, lace or polyester nylon. These sheer curtains diffuse the light from the outside, yet let some light in while the drapes are open, while they afford some privacy as well. The next layer used in this look is the drapery layer. This layer is heavier fabric that hangs to the floor (although some styles stop at just past the bottom of the window frame) from a traverse rod that serves to pleat the drapes for a soft, draped look. The drapes can be opened during the day and closed at night.

Usually drapes are hung above the window frame and fall along the side of it, completely obscuring the frame. The third layer is a valance. This goes horizontally across the top of the draperies, covering the traverse rod. In a formal decorating style, the drapes and valance are usually lined for insulation and to give a heavier appearance.

The informal style is comprised of lighter curtains that just add a touch of color or pattern to the window, and do not serve the main purposes of blocking out the light. They can be in both one or two layers, and are not lined.