Formal Decor

• Fabrics should fit in with the look that you are expressing. Silk, velvet and brocade fit well with a formal decor. These fabrics look elegant when hung from ceiling to floor and tied back with gold tassel rope tie backs. Velvet draperies with ornate trim along the bottom edge of the drapery are also formal. They can be hung from the top of the window to the floor and held to the side with tie backs that match the trim on the bottom of the drapes.
  
  There are many different styles of drapery rods that can be used for that formal look, such as a brass rod with ornate finials on the ends or a plain pewter or wooden rod.
  
  

Formal Swags

• Swags can be used alone as a window treatment or in combination with a drape. Swags drape the fabric over the rod. There are several styles of swags and ways to loop the fabric.
  
  When a swag is used alone it is merely a decorative window treatment. A lined velvet swag draped over a gold rod provides a formal look, as would a heavily brocaded fabric swag draped over an ornate brass rod with glass finials. When used in combination with a drape, the swag is made of the same fabric as the drape.
  
  

Casual Swags

• Swags are most often used in a formal setting, but they can also fit well into a more casual decor. Consider a swag made in a bold plaid or a floral design fabric draped over a painted wood rod. Another option would be to have a swag made out of an off-white nubby cotton fabric and trimmed with a wide grosgrain ribbon of a contrasting color.
  
  You can also combine these swags with a draperies made out of matching fabric. The drapes can go from ceiling to floor, from the top of the window to the floor or from the top of the window to the bottom of the window.
  
  Plain wood rods fit in with the casual decor; they can be painted or stained.