Trimmings, or trims and fringe more commonly, offer a beautiful finishing touch to any custom project. Whether you’d like to outline a drapery with side trims or add romantic accents to pillows or dust ruffles in the bedroom, trims are an easy way to take your room design into the realm of custom luxury.

Just like decorator fabrics used in custom window treatments are of much greater quality than fabrics used in store-bought window treatments, so are trims used in custom window treatments compared to those found on store-bought curtains. Decorator trims come in great varieties of color combinations that can coordinate with any fabric. Store-bought curtains are rarely adorned with trim, and when they are, the trims are usually solid colors such as beige or wine that would appeal to most buyers.

Decorator trims feature more hand-crafted details - many quality tassel trims, for example, feature tassels that are hand-knotted. Quality beaded trims sometimes are crafted by workers who add each bead individually.

Today’s trim industry has added so much detail to their products that it’s difficult to understand just how they make a profit considering the effort put into crafting such unique and intricate trimmings.

With all this variety, it can be a bit difficult to pick out the right trim. Many of our clients are afraid to pick trims because “…they might not go with the fabric.” Actually, if you’re looking for trim that will match a fabric exactly, then you may waste a lot of time. Looking for trims that are an exact color match to a fabric is a bit unrealistic. Remember, trims and fabrics don’t have to match, but they have to go together. In fact, many of our designers don’t suggest matching fabrics and trims exactly. Why, you might ask.

Let’s assume that today you have made up your mind to buy a custom window valance for your kitchen. This particular valance is made with a face fabric, lined in a contrasting fabric and features a tassel trim of your choice. You decide to paint your kitchen wall a deep crimson red. What better color to go with that than a soft green? Waverly’s Forever Yours fabric is a gorgeous floral fabric with a soft green background and crimson florals. The trim that you decide to use is a soft green trim with a combination of tassels and beads. The last remaining custom detail left to choose is the contrasting lining. You can either go with a brown and green check that matches the green background of the Waverly fabric and the trim or you can choose a contrasting fabric that pops such as a deep red.

If you wanted the trim to “pop” even more, you could try even a gold- or amber-colored trim.

Keep your mind open. There are many more possible combinations that you could imagine. Most color combinations work together. Just look above. The florals are a crimson color and the contrasting fabric is a dark red. Yet the combination works even though the green and brown check fabric matches the floral fabric more accurately.

The key is to repeat a color combination in the room to achieve a coherent look. Pick two or three colors and stick with them.

Another important piece of advice is to be careful when choosing trims. Trims are one of the most difficult components of a custom window treatment to choose. You should ask a drapery professional first before making a purchase. Most window treatments, pillows, bedding, shades, draperies and cornices will only work with specifically chosen trims. If the wrong trim is chosen, the finished product may be too stiff or not have enough shape. Sometimes a hem or pleat can’t be sewn properly if using the wrong trim so you’ll end up with a wrinkled and “bunched up” product that looks too unprofessional and sloppy.

Luckily, all our products on this website are configured to allow you to only choose trims that will work. Each product is reviewed by our designers and each trimming must be approved for it before it is placed as a product.

If you have any questions regarding trimmings, feel free to contact our professionals.