Window treatments are anything you put at a window to dress it or control light. A valance is a short strip of fabric across the top. A cornice is a firm, boxed top piece. It's usually padded and covered in fabric. A swag is fabric draped in a soft curve. All three still suit Cedar Rapids homes today. Most of the time they sit above a shade or blind that does the daily work.

What are window treatments, in plain words?

It's the catch-all name for anything that covers or frames a window. Blinds and shades count, and so do shutters and drapes. Top pieces count too.

The pieces do two jobs. Blinds and shades handle light and privacy. Top pieces are mostly about looks. They frame the window, hide hardware and can make a window seem taller.

What is a valance?

A valance is a short length of fabric that runs across the top of a window. It covers the top few inches of glass and frame. It also hides the top rail (the headrail) of the blind or shade below.

Some valances are gathered on a rod. Some are pleated. Others hang flat. Because it's soft, a valance shows off the fabric's texture.

Try one when a window looks bare but full drapes feel like too much. A kitchen window over the sink is the classic spot. A bathroom window with a privacy shade is another.

How is a cornice different from a valance?

A cornice is firm where a valance is soft. It's a box, often made of wood. It mounts above the window and sticks out from the wall. Most are padded and wrapped in fabric.

That boxy shape looks crisp and a bit more formal. It's also great at hiding a bulky headrail.

The name comes from building trim. On a house, a cornice is the molding at the top edge of a wall. Same idea here: a finished edge up high.

What is a swag?

A swag is fabric draped in a soft curve across the top of a window. Picture a scarf hung loosely from two hooks. Swags often come with cascades, also called jabots. Those are the folded tails that hang down each side.

Of the three, swags use the most fabric and feel the most traditional. One simple swag over a plain shade can look fresh. Three layered swags with fringe can feel heavy in a newer home. The valance options we carry include long and short layered swags, cascades and jabots. You can go simple or full.

How do the three compare?

	Valance	Cornice	Swag
What it is	Short, soft fabric across the top	Firm box, usually padded and covered in fabric	Fabric draped in a curve, often with side tails
Look	Casual to classic	Tailored and formal	Soft and traditional
Hides a headrail?	Yes	Yes, best of the three	Partly
Pairs well with	Shades, blinds, sheers	Shades, drapery side panels	Sheers, shades, drapery side panels
Rooms it suits	Kitchens, baths, bedrooms	Living and dining rooms	Dining rooms, main bedrooms

Where can you see period style in Cedar Rapids?

Brucemore is a good place to start. It's a 26-acre historic estate at 2160 Linden Drive SE. The mansion went up from 1884 to 1886 for Caroline Sinclair. It's a 21-room home in the Queen Anne style.

Three families lived there. The Douglas family moved in in 1906. They updated the house in the Craftsman style, which was new and popular then. The Hall era began in 1937, when Margaret Hall inherited the house from her mother. She gave the estate to the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1981. One house holds more than one era of taste. The Brucemore history page tells the full story.

Brucemore offers tours of the mansion. Check their visitor page for hours first. Don't hunt for something to copy. Just notice proportions. How high does the fabric start above the glass? How far past the frame does it reach? Those habits work in a smaller house too.

Which is more classy, curtains or blinds?

Neither one wins on its own. Classy comes from fit and scale. A blind that fits the frame neatly looks finished. Drapes that just touch the floor look finished too. Drapes that stop halfway down the wall don't.

Often the best answer is both. A shade handles light and privacy. A top piece or side panels add softness. Older homes used the same layered idea, with more fabric.

Which old styles fit a Cedar Rapids home today?

Most of them, if you scale them down. A few ideas:

A flat valance in a solid fabric over a roller or cellular shade. Clean, with a little softness.
A slim cornice in a living room. Mount it a few inches above the frame and the window looks taller.
One swag over a sheer in a dining room. Skip the fringe in a newer house.
Straight, simple lines in a Craftsman-style home. Flat valances and plain panels fit better than ruffles.

Color matters as much as shape. Our guide to testing swatches in Cedar Rapids light shows how to check a fabric before you commit. Live in an older Marion house? See how Pucker Street homes compare with newer ones.

Want a second opinion on a top piece? We'll bring fabric and style samples for window treatments in Cedar Rapids and Marion right to your windows. Book your free consultation.

Kevin Sill is CFO and co-owner of the family-owned Budget Blinds franchises serving the Cedar Rapids and Marion area.