Portieres, Door Hangings, Doorway Curtains The general rules and suggestions made for curtains serve also for door hangings. Plain portieres are best used with figured hangings. The doorway opening should be kept inconspicuous, otherwise it takes interest away from the room itself. The hangings may be rich but unobtrusive. They should be of a heavy fabric or the draught between the rooms will blow them out. They may be weighted at the bottom, but too much weight makes them sag. It is sometimes necessary to hang two sets of portieres at a large door opening. These should be lined with the color of the portiere against which they are seen. The valance also should be lined in the same color, as portieres must be presentable from both sides. In some instances one pair of portieres is enough. They may be made up of the colorings of each room on either side, in which case no valance should be used. Double-faced materials such as velour, rep, self-tone damask, cover many varieties of colors, and all have sufficient weight to hang well, and are an economical fabric for portieres as only one width is required. Plain or self-tone fabrics are preferable, as stripes and much-figured patterns serve to accent the door opening. The design must match on each pair. The nap of materials with a pile should always run down. The edges of portieres may be hemmed down with a wider hem at the bottom. If a cord is applied, be sure that the stitches are not pulled too tight, as it will show puckers. Lined fabric doorway curtains or portieres are made in exactly the same way as curtains, except that both materials come even at the edge, instead of being set back one-half inch, as in curtains. The portieres may be made as a bag, the two right sides being put together, stitched an inch from the edge, turned inside out, and the top slip-stitched. If a valance is used it should be made similar to a curtain valance, and should be at least six feet from the floor. Edging for portieres comes with a double heading, permitting the material to be slipped between the edging and then stitched on. Portieres should be hung with rings on rods from inside the trim, as the opening is an architectural feature and should be treated as such. Always see that the portiere blends with the floor covering. Next Page: Fireplaces & Lighting. | 