Question 1

What is custom drapery?

Accepted Answer

Custom drapery is drapery specified, fabricated, and installed to the dimensions, architecture, and use of a specific room — measured on site, hand-tacked in the workroom, and finished with sewn-in lining and weighted hems. Nothing about it is pulled from a standard size.

Question 2

What is the difference between drapes and curtains?

Accepted Answer

Curtains are typically unlined, lightweight, and casual; drapes are lined, heavier, and architectural. In the studio's vocabulary we work exclusively in drapery — lined, hand-fabricated, mounted to read with the architecture.

Question 3

What is the difference between drapery and shades?

Accepted Answer

Drapery is soft furnishing — panels of fabric that traverse or stack. Shades are inside-mount window coverings that raise and lower. Most luxury rooms specify both: shades for inside-mount glare and UV control, drapery for evening privacy and acoustic warmth.

Question 4

Which pleat style is best for my home?

Accepted Answer

The architecture decides. Traditional and transitional rooms favor French pleat; contemporary rooms favor ripple fold. The studio specifies the heading the room is asking for, regardless of fashion.

Question 5

What drapery length works best for luxury interiors?

Accepted Answer

Kiss-to-floor on contemporary and transitional rooms; small break in tailored traditional rooms; full puddle only in formal romantic interiors where the architecture supports it.

Question 6

Should drapery puddle on the floor?

Accepted Answer

Only in formal rooms with traditional architecture. Contemporary drapery should meet the floor cleanly without pooling.

Question 7

Which fabrics provide the most privacy?

Accepted Answer

Heavyweight linens, wool blends, and velvets paired with lining give the most opacity. For complete privacy after dark we layer with a tighter weave or an over-drapery.

Question 8

Which fabrics block the most light?

Accepted Answer

Three-pass blackout linings, paired with heavyweight face fabric and side channels, deliver near-total light control — the only specification the studio accepts in primary suites and nurseries.

Question 9

What fabrics work best in sunny Los Angeles homes?

Accepted Answer

Performance linen blends from European mills, solar-control sheers, and UV-stabilized blackout linings. We specify by orientation — west-facing exposures are the most demanding.

Question 10

What fabrics are easiest to clean?

Accepted Answer

Performance synthetics and treated linen blends. The studio specifies cleanable assemblies on every commercial project and on residential nurseries and kitchens.

Question 11

What fabrics are best for allergy-sensitive homes?

Accepted Answer

Tightly-woven cotton, linen, and dedicated low-allergen performance fabrics. We avoid silk in allergy-sensitive primary suites.

Question 12

Do blackout linings block all light?

Accepted Answer

Three-pass blackout linings block virtually all light through the fabric itself; edge light around the panel is controlled with side channels or generous returns.

Question 13

How does the design process work?

Accepted Answer

In-home consultation across Los Angeles, written specification, fabric selection, on-site measurement, workroom fabrication, professional installation, and final dressing — six to twelve weeks depending on scope and fabric lead time.

Question 14

How are windows measured?

Accepted Answer

On site at the residence, by our installer, to the sixteenth of an inch. The studio does not fabricate from client-supplied measurements.

Question 15

How long does fabrication take?

Accepted Answer

Three to six weeks after fabric arrives; estate-scale programs run longer.

Question 16

How long does installation take?

Accepted Answer

Most residential drapery and curtain installations in Los Angeles complete in one to three days; estate-scale programs run a week or more, with rolling scaffolds, marble and hardwood protection, and final on-site dressing handled by the studio's own install team.

Question 17

Do you serve Beverly Hills, Malibu, Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, West Hollywood, and surrounding Los Angeles neighborhoods?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The studio works privately across Greater Los Angeles — with active residential and trade projects in Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Holmby Hills, Brentwood, Malibu, Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, and Pasadena, alongside estate-scale work in Calabasas, Hidden Hills, and the foothill neighborhoods. Consultations are conducted at the residence; measurement, fabrication, and installation are coordinated end-to-end by the studio.

Question 18

Do you remove old drapery?

Accepted Answer

Yes — removal, hardware tear-down, drywall patching, and disposal are coordinated within the install window.

Question 19

Can I supply my own fabric?

Accepted Answer

Yes — designer-specified or homeowner-procured fabric is welcome, provided it meets the studio's quality threshold for hand, weight, and finishing.

Question 20

How much does custom drapery cost?

Accepted Answer

Luxury custom drapery typically runs $1,500–$6,000+ per finished panel installed, with motorization adding $1,500–$4,000 per opening. Total cost is a function of fabric, fullness, lining, hardware, mounting, and motorization — not panel count alone.

Question 21

What affects the cost of drapery?

Accepted Answer

Fabric tier (the largest single variable), fullness ratio, lining and interlining, mounting height, hardware specification, and motorization.

Question 22

Are motorized systems worth the extra cost?

Accepted Answer

In primary suites, great rooms with walls of glass, and any mount above ten feet — yes, without hesitation. The system pays back in daily use.

Question 23

What is included in a custom drapery quote?

Accepted Answer

Fabric and trim, lining and interlining, hardware, fabrication labor, on-site measurement, installation, and final dressing. Motorization is line-itemed separately and coordinated with the integrator.

Question 24

What is motorized drapery?

Accepted Answer

Drapery operated by a concealed DC motor that traverses the panels along a recessed track — integrated with the home's keypad ecosystem and addressable in morning, afternoon, evening, and away scenes.

Question 25

Can existing drapery be motorized?

Accepted Answer

Sometimes — it depends on the existing hardware and access for power. We assess each room before quoting a retrofit.

Question 26

How is motorized drapery powered?

Accepted Answer

Hardwired DC is the studio's default for new construction and substantial renovations; battery is reserved for retrofits where wiring is not possible.

Question 27

Is motorization compatible with smart homes?

Accepted Answer

Yes — Lutron, Crestron, Savant, and Control4 are all supported and integrated directly with the home's keypads and scenes.

Question 28

What happens during a power outage?

Accepted Answer

Hardwired DC motors continue to operate from the home's emergency power if installed; otherwise the drapery rests in its last position until power returns.

Question 29

What makes drapery suitable for hospitality?

Accepted Answer

Inherently fire-retardant fabric to NFPA 701, motorized layered systems integrated with the PMS, acoustic-grade construction, and a finish that reads residential-luxury. All four are non-negotiable.

Question 30

Are commercial drapery fabrics fire-rated?

Accepted Answer

Yes — commercial drapery is specified inherently fire-retardant to NFPA 701, often with additional jurisdiction-specific requirements.

Question 31

How do you maintain drapery in high-use spaces?

Accepted Answer

Cleanable assemblies are specified from the brief forward; panels are rotated and cleaned on a published cycle.

Question 32

Can commercial drapery be motorized?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and increasingly is — hospitality, office, and event-space drapery are now specified motorized as default.

Question 33

How do you design drapery for brand consistency?

Accepted Answer

Color, texture, and trim are coordinated with the brand's creative team and executed through the studio's European mill partners. Custom weaves are commissioned regularly for flagship hospitality and retail.

Question 34

Does the Studio Offer a Trade Program?

Accepted Answer

Yes.

Custom Drapery Los Angeles offers a trade program for interior designers, architects, builders, developers, purchasing agents, hospitality professionals, and other qualified members of the design trade.

Trade members receive access to preferred pricing, dedicated project support, sourcing assistance, and custom fabrication services.

Question 35

What Does a Typical Project Timeline Look Like?

Accepted Answer

Project timelines vary based on project size, scope, material availability, and customization requirements.

For a typical single-family residence with approximately three bedrooms, most custom drapery projects are completed within 2–4 weeks from final approval and deposit.

Larger residences, estate properties, commercial projects, hospitality projects, and specialty fabric programs may require additional time depending on complexity and product selection.

Expedited production may be available for select projects.

Question 36

Where Does the Studio Source Fabrics?

Accepted Answer

We source fabrics from a wide range of domestic and international suppliers based on each project's design goals, performance requirements, and budget.

Our sourcing network includes luxury European mills, commercial-grade manufacturers, and specialty textile suppliers.

We regularly work with fabrics from respected brands and mills including:

Scalamandré
Loro Piana Interiors
JAB Anstoetz
Zimmer + Rohde
Fabricut
Kravet
Schumacher
Romo
James Hare
Samuel & Sons
and many other domestic and international partners

We also source:

Belgian linens
Italian linens
Performance fabrics
Commercial-grade fabrics
Acoustic textiles
Blackout fabrics
Sheers
Hospitality fabrics
Fire-retardant fabrics

Fabric selections are tailored to each project's aesthetic, performance requirements, and budget rather than limited to a single supplier.

Question 37

Why can't custom drapery be quoted instantly?

Accepted Answer

Custom drapery is not a product with a shelf price. Every element that determines the final number — fabric, fullness, lining, hardware, motorization, mounting, and installation — is specified for one specific room. Before an honest number exists, the studio must measure the opening, define the treatment type, and write the specification. Instant online quotes exist; accurate instant quotes for luxury custom drapery do not.

Question 38

Why does fabric affect price so significantly?

Accepted Answer

Fabric is the largest single variable in almost every project. It is sold by the yard on varying widths, and viable combinations of fiber, weave, pattern, and finish reach into the millions. Two visually similar cloths can differ by a factor of ten in cost — and yardage itself changes with fullness, pattern repeat, and lining before it can be calculated.

Question 39

Why does hardware affect price?

Accepted Answer

Hardware ranges from a simple ceiling track to hand-forged bronze rods, custom finials, curved and specialty brackets, and hidden systems behind cornice boxes. Two identical windows can carry entirely different budgets because the hardware specifications are different. The studio treats hardware as an architectural decision first and a merchandising decision second.

Question 40

Why do workroom prices vary between fabricators?

Accepted Answer

Every workroom has its own labor rates and quality standards, as every tailor does. Some steam every panel before delivery; others charge steaming separately. Pleats, hems, weighting, interlining, blackout construction, and dressing are not identical from one workroom to another. A designer-led project specifies the construction to the fabric and the room, rather than defaulting to whichever specification the workroom prefers.

Question 41

Does motorization always increase cost?

Accepted Answer

Yes — and by more than most homeowners expect once it is done properly. A hardwired DC system planned before drywall closes is roughly half the cost of the same system retrofitted after; keypad programming, low-voltage runs, and smart-home integration are budget line items in their own right. The value is measured in daily use over years, not in the invoice.

Question 42

Why can two identical windows have different prices?

Accepted Answer

Because they are not identical projects. One window may be specified with interlined ripple fold on a concealed motorized track in a premium linen with three-pass blackout and hand-forged bronze hardware; the other may be a stationary decorative pair in a mid-tier fabric on a simple ceiling track. Same opening, different assemblies, different budgets — correctly.

Question 43

Why can't a website accurately price every project?

Accepted Answer

Because the price is a function of a written specification that does not exist until the room has been measured and the treatment has been defined. Any website that returns an exact number without seeing the room is quoting a category average, not the project in front of it.

Question 44

What information do you need before preparing an estimate?

Accepted Answer

We evaluate the architecture, the room's use, privacy, natural light, lifestyle, fabric direction, hardware direction, motorization intent, installation complexity, budget, and design priorities. That evaluation is the diagnosis. The estimate is the prescription that follows.

Question 45

Should I choose fabric before requesting a consultation?

Accepted Answer

It is not required. Many clients arrive with an inspiration image or a direction; others prefer to discover fabric during the consultation itself. Choosing fabric before the room is diagnosed can lock in the wrong specification. We recommend starting with the consultation and letting the fabric direction follow the brief.

Question 46

How is custom drapery designed, specified, and priced?

Accepted Answer

In the House of Drapery Standards: consultation and diagnosis first, treatment type and specification second, fabric and hardware third, fabrication and installation fourth, motorization coordinated throughout. The complete methodology is documented in the Standards chapter Understanding Custom Drapery Pricing, which is the canonical reference for pricing on this site.

Frequently Asked

Product & Style questions

Fabric & Performance questions

Process questions

Pricing questions

Motorization questions

Commercial questions

Studio questions

Recommended Resources

Drapery Styles Guide

Luxury Fabric Library

Luxury Fabric Houses

Window Types Library

Case Studies

Drapery Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

Commercial & Hospitality

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