Will Insulated Drapes Help Drafty Old La Crosse and Winona Windows?

By Kevin Sill

October 26, 2026

Yes, they can help. But only when the drapery is made and hung well. Lined panels that sit close to the glass hold back more of the cold that pools at an old window. They work best with the top closed off and the sides sealed. What drapery won't do is fix a window that leaks a lot of air. That window needs some work first. Then the drapery becomes your second layer.

Old houses are a big part of life in this valley. So this question comes up every winter. Below are the common beliefs about drapes and drafts, sorted into myth and fact. For each one, you'll see what it means for a lumber-era home in La Crosse or Winona.

Why do old La Crosse and Winona windows feel so cold in January?

Start with the houses. La Crosse's Cass and King Street Residential Historic District alone counts 220 contributing buildings. They date from 1882 to 1946, per the Wisconsin Historical Society. The district is also known for its Prairie School designs. Across the river, most homes around Winona's Windom Park were built between 1856 and 1900. That's from the City of Winona's own historic district record.

These homes were built with tall single-pane sash windows, wood frames and weights in the walls. Many have been updated over the years. Plenty still have their originals. Either way, a window that's 80 or 100-plus years old has had a long time to shift, shrink and loosen.

Then add the weather. La Crosse's average January low is 10.5°F. The average high is just 27.4°F. Those are long-term averages from the Wisconsin State Climatology Office. On the shortest day of the year, we get less than nine hours of daylight.

When the glass is that cold, the air right next to it cools. It gets heavier and slides down toward the floor. That's the chill you feel at your ankles near an old window. It happens even if no outside air leaks in at all. Some of what people call a draft is really this slow fall of cold air off the glass.

Myth: will any heavy curtain stop a draft?

No. Weight alone does surprisingly little.

Picture a thick, unlined curtain on a rod a few inches out from the wall. It leaves open paths at the top, the sides and the bottom. Cold air off the glass drops behind the curtain and spills out underneath. Warm room air gets pulled in over the top to replace it. The curtain ends up acting like a chimney, with the window at the back.

That's why plenty of people hang heavy curtains in an old house and barely notice a change. The fabric was fine. The way it hung was the problem. An older fact sheet from Cornell Cooperative Extension backs this up. It says drapes hung the usual way cut a window's heat loss by no more than 10%.

What matters more than weight:

How close the panel sits to the window
Whether the top is closed off
Whether the sides and bottom meet the wall, sill or floor
Whether the panels overlap in the middle
Whether the fabric has a real lining

Myth: should drapes hang well away from the glass?

For looks, sometimes. For warmth, no.

The same Cornell sheet says to place a window treatment about an inch from the glass. That traps a thin layer of still air. The farther the fabric sits from the window, the more room cold air has to move.

That doesn't mean every panel has to hug the glass. Old La Crosse and Winona homes often have deep, fancy trim. Nobody wants to hide it. So get the drapery as close as the trim allows. Then deal with the edges. They matter just as much.

Old trim raises a second question. Where do the brackets go? In a historic home, lots of owners would rather not drill into the original casings. Hardware can often go on the wall just above and outside the trim. That keeps the woodwork intact. It also lets open panels stack beside the window instead of over it. Ask about it before anyone picks up a drill.

Myth: is drapery only for formal rooms?

Not at all. This myth keeps people from using drapery where it would help most.

A lined panel in a plain linen or cotton weave looks right at home in a kitchen nook. Same goes for a bedroom or a reading corner. It doesn't need tassels, swags or a big valance. Older homes often have tall windows. Simple floor-length panels hung high suit those rooms better than anything fussy. They echo the height of the original windows.

The rooms that gain the most are usually the everyday ones. Think of the bedroom where you feel the cold at night. Or the front room where you sit by the window. Or the dining room where the chairs sit right against the wall.

Fact: why does lining matter more than weight?

A lining adds a second layer of fabric. Between it and the face fabric is a pocket of air. The Cornell sheet suggests a separate lining for this reason. The trapped air adds some insulation. And a fabric that doesn't let much air through slows the flow even more. The sheet cites experiments where lined drapes, hung the right way, cut a window's heat loss by up to 25%. Your own results will depend on the window and the fit.

Lining helps in other ways, too:

It protects the face fabric from sun.
It helps the panel hang in straight, even folds.
It makes the drapery look more finished from the street.
A darker lining can make a bedroom a lot dimmer.

Unlined panels have their place. They're light and airy, and they're lovely in summer. But for a winter window in an old house, lining is the first thing to ask about.

Fact: why do a closed top and sealed sides make the difference?

Because that's where the air moves.

The Cornell sheet describes a "tunnel" of air between the fabric and the glass. Warm air goes in at the top. It cools against the window and drops out the bottom. Closing off the top breaks that loop. A cornice, a board or a mount that meets the wall all do the job. The sheet also says to seal the drapery at all four edges. And the panels should overlap in the center by about four inches.

Here's what that looks like in a real room:

Top: a cornice, a top treatment or a rod mounted tight to the wall. Warm air can't slip in over the panel.
Sides: panels that wrap back to the wall. These are called returns. They close the gap at each end.
Center: a generous overlap where the two panels meet.
Bottom: a panel that reaches the floor or sits right on the sill.

None of this has to look heavy. A well-made panel with returns and a neat top can look simpler than a loose curtain on a fancy rod.

Fact: if air pours in, what does the window need first?

Some care, before any drapery.

Try this on a windy day. Hold the back of your hand near the edges of the sash, the meeting rail in the middle and the trim. Feel a steady stream of outside air? Not just a cool zone near the glass? Then the window itself is leaking.

Old windows leak for all sorts of reasons. Weatherstripping wears out. Sashes get loose. Trim pulls away and leaves gaps. Sash cords break. Sometimes a storm window is missing. A window or weatherization pro can tell you what's going on. They can also tell you what fits a historic home. Drapery over a leaking window still helps a little. But it's working against the tide.

Once the window is in decent shape, drapery and shades can do what they're good at. They slow the cold coming off the glass. And the room just feels better.

How do the drapery options compare?

Option	Cold at the glass	Daytime light	Look	Best rooms
Unlined drapery	Little help on its own	Soft, lets light through	Light and casual	Summer rooms, spaces that don't feel cold
Lined drapery, hung close	Noticeably better, especially with returns and a closed top	Blocks more when closed	Tailored, full folds	Living rooms, dining rooms, cold bedrooms
Lined drapery plus a shade	The most layers between you and the glass	Shade handles day, drapery handles night	Finished and flexible	The coldest rooms and tall windows

Can you pair a shade with drapery?

Yes. On tall old windows it's often the best setup. An inside-mounted shade sits right against the glass and handles daily light and privacy. The drapery hangs in front and gets closed on cold nights. Two layers trap more still air than one. The Cornell sheet puts sealed drapes over an inside roller shade at about 40% less heat loss.

Which shade? A fabric shade with a closed, layered build adds the most between you and the glass. A simple roller or Roman shade adds less. It still helps. The bigger win is pairing any shade with a drapery panel that closes properly. During the day, raise the shade and pull the panels back. The window looks as tall and handsome as it did when the house was built.

Bluff homes have their own reason to add that second layer. Once the leaves drop, a closed evening layer also blocks the view from the hill. Our guide to which La Crosse rooms feel most exposed once the bluff trees go bare covers that side.

Which rooms should you start with, and what should you ask?

Start where you feel the cold most and use the room most. In a lot of older homes around here, that's:

The bedroom with the coldest window, especially one facing north or west.
The living room window you sit next to on winter evenings.
The dining room, where chairs often sit right against an outside wall.
Any room with a tall window on a stair landing. Cold air spills right down the steps.

Example (a made-up house, for illustration only): think of a 1900s two-story home near one of Winona's old parks. The north bedroom has two tall original windows. It's the coldest room in the house. The owners start there. They go with lined floor-length panels, returns at both sides and a simple top board. A few weeks later, they add the same setup to the front parlor window where they like to read. The dining room and landing wait until next fall. One room at a time, they learn what works in their house before spending more.

What to ask before you choose

Does the drapery have a lining, and what kind?
How close can the panel hang, given my window trim?
Will the panels have returns at the sides?
What closes off the top: a cornice, a valance or a tight mount?
How much do the panels overlap in the middle?
Will a shade underneath fit inside my window frame?
How will this look from the street on an older house?

Newer homes come with a different set of questions. In the new houses going up around Holmen, the issue is usually big glass, not old sash. Our guide to what each window needs in a bigger Holmen home covers those.

You can look through drapery panel options to see fabrics, linings and styles.

Where do you go from here?

Pick one cold room and do it well. Give it a good lining, a closed top and sealed edges. Spend a few January nights in it. You'll know fast if the rest of the house deserves the same.

Need help measuring around old trim or picking a lining? Budget Blinds of La Crosse can stop by and look at your windows in person. We'll show you fabric options right in the room. Book your free consultation.

Kevin Sill is CFO and co-owner of the family-owned Budget Blinds franchises serving La Crosse, Winona and the Coulee Region.