Soft treatments · Top treatments
Valances & cornices, the top edge
The band across the top that hides the hardware, adds height and gives a room its one deliberate flourish.
Why a top treatment
It hides the machinery.
Every shade has a headrail, and every drapery has a rod and rings. Individually they are fine. Across a room with five windows in it they add up to a lot of visible hardware at eye level. A cornice or valance covers that line and gives the room a single clean horizontal instead.
It also adds apparent height, in the same way a well-hung drapery rod does, and it is the one place in a scheme where a bolder fabric works — a small enough area that a pattern you would not want on full-length panels becomes a good idea.
Which one
Hard, soft, or somewhere between.
The names get used loosely. Here is the practical difference.
- CorniceA rigid board, upholstered in your fabric. Architectural, crisp, holds its shape permanently. The right choice in a formal room and over wide openings where a soft treatment would sag.
- ValanceSoft fabric, gathered, pleated or shaped. Warmer and less formal than a cornice, and easier to change later if you redecorate.
- Shaped or straightA straight bottom edge reads modern; a shaped or scalloped edge reads traditional. On a house with period trim, shaped almost always sits better.
Pairs with
What sits below it.
A top treatment is a layer, not a whole answer.
Questions
Asked and answered.
Do valances look dated?
A heavy swagged one from the nineties, yes. A clean upholstered cornice in a good fabric does not — it reads as architecture. As with most things on this site, the execution decides it rather than the category.
Can a cornice hide the headrails of existing shades?
Usually yes, and it is one of the better reasons to fit one. We measure the projection needed to clear whatever is already there, so the shade still operates freely behind it.
Are they made to my window?
Yes — built to the measured opening in the fabric you choose, like everything else here. There is no stock size that will fit your window properly, and a top treatment that is slightly wrong is very visible.
Free & no-obligation
Roll credits on bare windows.
Tell us a little about your project and we'll call to set up your free in-home consultation — usually within one business day. Prefer to talk now? Call (610) 883-9063.
- Up to 30% off current promotions applied to your quote
- Professional measuring included
- Lifetime service warranty on every install
Windows still bare? The consultation is free and the coffee's on you.