Carole Fabrics Drapery from a Hunter Douglas Gallery Dealer

Fabric that suits the house it hangs in

Carole Fabrics drapery is where we start when a homeowner wants panels made for their room rather than bought off a shelf. Carole is part of Hunter Douglas, and its strength is choice: weaves, colors and patterns broad enough that the fabric can follow the house, not the other way round.

That matters around our North Dartmouth showroom, because the houses vary so much. A formal dining room in one of Padanaram’s older colonials can carry a rich pattern or a heavier weave. A shingled cape is often happiest in a relaxed linen. The living room of a ranch off Faunce Corner Road or Slocum Road, with its wide slider, may want something plain and easy that draws across a lot of glass. And a farmhouse toward Russells Mills, with deep nineteenth-century sash, needs panels hung outside the opening so the old window stays clear.

Choosing your Carole fabric

Most of a Carole Fabrics drapery project is spent on one happy question: which fabric. Here is how we help narrow it down.

Sheers and light weaves

Soft, see-through fabrics that filter daylight and blur the view from the street. Lovely on their own in a sunroom or layered over a shade.

Solid color and texture

Linens, slubbed weaves and deep solids that bring color and height to a wall without competing with the furniture.

Pattern

Stripes, prints and woven designs for a room that wants a statement. The same fabric can also be made into a matching roman shade.

Seeing fabric in your own light

A swatch in a store and the same swatch in your living room at four in the afternoon can look like two different fabrics. That is why our vans carry the sample books to you. We hold fabrics up at the actual window, at the time of day you use the room most, so you can see how a color shifts as the light changes.

Light is the big test in South Dartmouth rooms that face Apponagansett Bay, where hard afternoon glare comes off the water. Some colors and fibers hold up in strong sun better than others, and a lining behind the face fabric helps protect it. We cover this in more depth in our notes on choosing fabric for a sunny room. For rooms that need glare taken down during the day, we often pair the drapery with a shade from our guide to the best shades for sun and glare.

Pattern, scale and matching panels

Patterned fabric takes a little more planning. A large repeat needs enough panel width to show the design properly, and on a pair of panels the pattern should line up at the same height on both sides of the window. When we measure, we allow for the repeat so the finished panels look as though they were cut from one piece.

Scale matters too. A bold, large pattern can overwhelm a small cape bedroom but look right across the tall windows of a colonial front room. A smaller print or a tone-on-tone weave is often the better choice where the windows are modest.

Drapery and roman shades in one fabric

One of the nicest things about Carole Fabrics drapery is that the same fabric can be used for more than one treatment. A kitchen window over the sink might get a Carole roman shade, while the dining room next door gets full-length panels in the matching fabric. The two rooms then read as one space, even though each window is dressed for how it is used.

Layering works the same way. A roman shade or a sheer shade inside the frame handles daily light and privacy, and Carole panels on the wall in front add softness and color. See our main drapery page for how lining and heading style change the look.

Ordering Carole Fabrics drapery

1. Request a consultation online or with the call button. Our vans carry samples, so we bring the showroom to your home.
2. We talk about how each room is used, where the light comes from and the look you want.
3. You go through the Carole sample books with us at your own windows.
4. You receive a free estimate for the panels and hardware.
5. We measure rod height, width, stack-back and pattern repeat for each window.
6. A certified Hunter Douglas installer mounts the hardware, hangs the panels and dresses them so they fall evenly.

If you want to browse before we visit, the Hunter Douglas Carole drapery catalog shows the range.

Why buy Carole drapery from a Hunter Douglas Gallery dealer

Blinds & Designs is a Hunter Douglas Gallery dealer, and certified Hunter Douglas installers hang every panel we sell. Drapery only looks custom when the rod is set at the right height and level across the window, and that is part of the job we take care over.

If you are planning a whole room, our interior design consultations bring fabric, color and window choices together. Every project starts with an in-home consultation and a free estimate. We work across the South Coast from North Dartmouth, including Dartmouth, New Bedford and Westport; the full list of towns is on the store locations page.

Bring the sample books home

Request a consultation and we will bring the Carole sample books, linings and hardware to your home. You can also call the North Dartmouth showroom with the call button, or come in to look through the fabrics in person.

Every Hunter Douglas line we carry is on our Hunter Douglas Gallery dealer page.