Why pelmets can be the perfect finishing touch for a room (and all about the different kinds)

As interior decorator Emma Burns has memorably remarked, i’f windows are the eyes of a room, pelmets are the mascara’, and since we all know the effect a good mascara can have on a face, it’s certainly worth considering the decorative potential of a pelmet. If they just seem a bit too granny-ish for you, think again! While we take delight in a traditional chintzy pelmet, there are plenty of styles that can work for contemporary houses, smart cottages and playful, youthful interiors.

‘Pelmets are not for everyone,’ says Lucy Hammond Giles, ‘and the proportions and structure should be carefully considered to avoid looking like an Eighties pastiche. But they can help you out of a tight spot.’ If you have difficult proportions to a wall or window, pelmets can conceal the awkwardness. ‘We have worked on a glorious Victorian house in the Lakes,’ continues Lucy, ‘in which the ceilings are high but sloped and the windows low. To correct these proportions, we fixed the sides of the curtains in place, which looked very strange until the beautiful pelmet was fitted over the top.’

The Australian designer Cameron Kimber, whose house in New South Wales is packed with pelmets, says it’s best to use them “to add height to windows and soften a room. To me, they hint at luxury and give a very finished feel.” In general, pelmets work best in rooms with high ceilings and on vertical windows, though if you have a country cottage, they can be quite charming on a lower, more horizontal window as well.

Soft pelmets

Alicia Taylor