Quick Answer: What Are the Main Types and Styles of Curtains?
Curtains are generally categorised in three separate ways: heading style (how the top attaches to hardware, such as eyelet, pencil pleat, or wave), hanging style (the hardware itself, a pole or track), and drop style (how the fabric meets the floor, from a clean floating length to a dramatic puddle). Understanding all three, rather than just fabric and colour, is what actually determines how curtains look, perform, and suit a specific room.
How Many Types of Curtains Are There?
There is no single fixed number, since curtains can be classified by heading style, hanging method, drop length, and function all at once, and each category has several options. As a practical answer: there are around six to eight commonly used heading styles in UK homes, two main hanging systems (poles and tracks), four recognised drop styles, and three core functional types (standard, blackout, and thermal). The often-cited “12 types of window coverings” question is broader than curtains alone and typically includes blinds and shutters as separate window covering categories.
Curtain Heading Styles Explained
The heading is the top section of the curtain where it attaches to your pole or track, and it is the single biggest factor in how curtains look and perform.
Eyelet Curtains
Eyelet, or ring top, curtains have large metal rings punched through the fabric that the pole slides directly through. They are extremely easy to hang, create clean, even folds, and suit modern interiors, though the rings sit on top of the pole rather than below it, leaving a small gap that can let light through at the top, particularly noticeable in bedrooms.
Pencil Pleat Curtains
Pencil pleat is the most traditional and widely used UK heading, using a heading tape pulled tight with cords to create tightly gathered, upright folds. It works on both poles and tracks, is highly adjustable for fullness, and performs well for insulation thanks to its dense gathering, making it a strong all-rounder for bedrooms and period properties.
Pinch Pleat Curtains
Pinch pleat curtains have permanently sewn pleats, usually in groups of two or three folds, creating a structured, tailored look that holds its shape without dressing. This heading uses more fabric than pencil pleat or eyelet, placing it firmly in the premium category, well suited to formal living rooms and statement windows.
Wave Curtains
Wave curtains use a specific track and evenly spaced gliders to create a continuous, uniform S-shaped fold from one end of the window to the other. They offer the neatest stackback of any heading style, making them the top choice for bi-fold doors, floor-to-ceiling windows, and modern open-plan spaces.
Tab Top and Rod Pocket Curtains
Tab top curtains have fabric loops sewn along the top that hang directly over a pole, giving a relaxed, informal look well suited to lightweight fabrics and casual rooms. Rod pocket curtains use a sewn channel that the pole threads through, creating soft, gathered folds, though the bunched fabric makes them better suited to stationary decorative panels than curtains opened and closed daily.
Curtain Hanging Styles: Pole vs Track vs Ceiling
Separately from heading style, curtains are hung using either a visible decorative pole or a concealed track, each suited to different situations and compatible with different headings. Our curtain poles guide and curtain tracks guide cover hardware selection, weight capacity, and fitting in full detail. As a quick summary: eyelet curtains need a pole, wave curtains need a specific wave track, and pencil pleat and pinch pleat work with either.
Curtain Drop and Length Styles
Beyond the top of the curtain, how the bottom meets the floor is its own style decision, with four commonly recognised drop styles.
| Drop Style | Description | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Floating | Hovers just above the floor, typically 1 to 2cm clearance | Practical everyday use, family rooms |
| Grazing | Just skims the floor without touching | A clean, tailored look with easier movement than puddled styles |
| Break-puddle | Extends slightly past the floor, roughly 2 to 3cm of extra fabric | A touch of softness without full puddling |
| Puddled | Extends well past the floor, pooling in soft folds | Formal, decorative rooms where curtains stay mostly stationary |
Stackback Explained: Why It Matters
Stackback is the amount of space curtains take up at the sides of the window once fully open. Wave curtains offer the neatest stackback of any heading, since the evenly spaced gliders compress the fabric efficiently, while pencil pleat and pinch pleat curtains, particularly with triple pleats, tend to stack back further due to their gathered bulk. In smaller rooms, bay windows, or narrow wall returns, poor stackback can reduce how much daylight actually reaches the room even when curtains are fully open, making this a genuinely important practical factor, not just a style detail.
Return Depth and Light Control
Return depth is the distance from the wall to the front of the curtain pole or track, and it directly affects how much light escapes at the sides of a closed curtain. A greater return depth allows curtains to wrap further around the hardware, sealing the sides more completely against the wall, which matters most in bedrooms or any room where genuine darkness is the goal. Combined with a heading style that sits close to the wall, such as pencil pleat or pinch pleat on a track, adequate return depth gives the best realistic light control available from curtains alone.
Functional Curtain Styles
Beyond heading and hanging style, curtains are also categorised by function, primarily determined by their lining. Standard curtains prioritise drape and appearance, blackout curtains use a coated lining to block light, and thermal curtains use an insulating layer to reduce heat loss. Our curtain linings guide covers all three in full detail, including cost and how to add lining to existing curtains.
Decorative Styles: Cafe Curtains, Swag and Valance
Some curtain styles serve a primarily decorative rather than functional role. Cafe curtains cover only the bottom half of a window, offering privacy while keeping the top uncovered for light, a classic choice for kitchens and bathrooms. A valance is a short fabric band that hides the curtain pole or track along the top of the window, while a swag is a softer, more fluid length of fabric draped elegantly across the top, both typically used to add a finished, layered look above full length curtains.
Choosing Curtain Styles by Decor Theme
| Decor Theme | Recommended Curtain Style |
|---|---|
| Maximalist | Bold colours, jewel tones, dramatic patterned fabric |
| Minimalist | Pale or monochrome, wave heading, clean lines |
| Bohemian/Global | Rich textures, layered fabrics, tab top or tie-top styles |
| Cottagecore | Floral prints, muted tones, pencil pleat or cafe curtains |
| Scandi | Neutral shades, linen or wool, simple pencil pleat or eyelet |
Best Curtain Types and Styles for the Living Room
Living rooms suit the widest range of styles given their flexible daytime and evening use. Pencil pleat suits traditional living rooms, particularly where a track is already fitted, eyelet suits modern, easygoing spaces, and wave curtains suit contemporary living rooms with large windows or bi-fold doors. For rooms facing the street, a track-based heading offers better evening privacy than eyelets on a pole, given the reduced light and visibility gap at the top.
All Curtain Types for Bedrooms vs Living Rooms
| Factor | Bedroom Priority | Living Room Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Heading style | Pencil pleat or pinch pleat on a track | Flexible, eyelet or wave both suit well |
| Function | Blackout or thermal lining important | Standard lining often sufficient |
| Drop style | Floating or grazing, practical for daily use | Puddled or break-puddle acceptable for formal rooms |
| Light control | High priority, track-based heading preferred | Lower priority, more style flexibility |
Curtain Hook Types Explained
Curtain hooks connect the heading to the gliders or rings on your pole or track, and different heading styles need different hook types. Pencil pleat curtains typically use simple metal or plastic hooks spaced evenly along the heading tape, pinch pleat curtains use pin hooks inserted directly into each sewn pleat, and eyelet curtains need no hooks at all, since the pole passes directly through the fabric. Wave curtains use specific carriers built into the heading tape, matched precisely to the wave track’s glider spacing.
Curtain Styles Comparison Table
| Style | Hardware | Best Room | Light Control | Stackback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eyelet | Pole only | Living room, modern spaces | Moderate, gap at top | Medium |
| Pencil pleat | Pole or track | Bedroom, period homes | Good, better on track | Medium-high |
| Pinch pleat | Pole or track | Formal living/dining | Good on track | High |
| Wave | Wave track only | Bi-fold doors, modern homes | Very good | Low, neatest |
| Tab top | Pole only | Casual, cottage-style rooms | Low | Medium |
Common Mistakes When Choosing Curtain Styles
- Choosing eyelet curtains for a bedroom needing full darkness, without accounting for the light gap at the top
- Ignoring existing hardware, then discovering the desired heading needs a different pole or track entirely
- Overlooking stackback in a small room or bay window, resulting in curtains that block light even when fully open
- Choosing a drop style purely on appearance without considering daily practicality, such as puddled curtains in a high-traffic family room
- Focusing on fabric and colour while treating heading and hanging style as an afterthought, when they affect function just as much as looks
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the different types and styles of curtains?
Curtains vary by heading style (eyelet, pencil pleat, pinch pleat, wave, tab top), hanging style (pole or track), drop length (floating, grazing, break-puddle, puddled), and function (standard, blackout, thermal).
What are the 12 types of window coverings?
This broader question typically includes curtains alongside blinds (roller, Roman, vertical, Venetian) and shutters as separate window covering categories, rather than referring to 12 distinct types of curtains specifically.
How many types of curtains are there?
There is no single fixed number, since curtains can be classified across several independent categories, heading, hanging, drop, and function, each with multiple options, rather than one simple list.
What are the three types of curtains?
This commonly refers to the three main functional types: standard curtains for general use, blackout curtains for light control, and thermal curtains for insulation, though heading and hanging style add further variation within each.
Expert Insight
Curtain fitters consistently note that customers focus heavily on fabric and colour while treating heading style as a minor detail, when in practice heading choice affects light control, insulation, and hardware compatibility just as much as any fabric decision, making it worth deciding early rather than as an afterthought.
Final Thoughts
Choosing the right curtain type and style genuinely means making three separate decisions, heading, hanging hardware, and drop length, rather than one single choice, with function and decor theme layered on top. Working through each decision in order, starting with the room’s practical needs before moving to style, gives the most reliable result.
Planning new curtains? Decide on heading style first, since it determines your hardware options, before choosing fabric or colour, since working in this order avoids the common mistake of falling in love with a fabric that does not suit your existing pole or track.
Related Guides
- Curtain Poles: The Complete Buying and Fitting Guide
- Curtain Tracks: The Complete Guide
- Curtain Linings: The Complete Guide
Written by the HometoWorld editorial team. HometoWorld covers home improvement, renovation, and property maintenance across the UK, with guides written and fact-checked against current UK soft furnishing industry terminology and trade fitting standards. This article draws on curtain-making and interior styling trade knowledge to give homeowners a genuinely independent overview of curtain types and styles, rather than promoting one retailer’s product range.
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