Pinch pleat drapes have been around for a very long time. For hundreds of years people have been utilising this style, and it still remains a favorite amongst those that have a nostalgic sensibility and like the traditional things in life. A pinch pleated drape is one that has the top of the material pinched, or bunched, together, at regular intervals along the curtain, forming a pattern along the top of the window and causing the curtain to fall in waves, or pleats all the way down to the floor.

The three most popular styles of pleats are butterfly pleat, the goblet pleat and the double pleat. These different styles relate to the way the material is gathered. The butterfly pleat is usually pinched about two inches below the top of the curtain creating an effect that looks similar to a Chinese fan. A goblet pleat is one that is pinched at the back, causing a cylindrical tube to form, and a double pleat is one that is pinched in two places, causing the pleats to run parallel to each other.

When the material is pleated in this way, the effect is quite stunning, the material forms waves along the entire length, and the light shines on some parts and not on others, creating a gradient of colors that is both soothing and interesting, giving your room substance and warmth, and making the curtain look full of body and life, rather than just having a flat piece of material up against your window.

This style of curtain is most popular for larger windows. If you have a feature window in your living room, or a big sliding door leading out to your patio, then these are great places to utilise the effect of a pinch pleated drape. Although some people use these for smaller windows, they really lend themselves to full length situations, where the pleat can travel all the way down to the floor of your room.

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These drapes attach to the curtain rod a little differently than other styles of curtains. In most cases, when thinking of curtains, you will imagine curtain rings or eyelets that the curtain rod is slipped through. In the case of the pleated curtain, it is more customary to have pins that are slipped into the back of the curtain, through the pleat, and then attached to a rail at the top. This setup makes the curtain a lot easier to open and close, as it travels smoothly along the track. If your prefer not to use this method, you can get larger hooks that go straight over the curtain themselves, although this option makes your curtain a little bit harder to open and close.

If you would like the wavy effect of the curtain, without having to look at the pleats at the top, there is a way to have the best of both worlds. In fact, there are two ways. The first is to get a valance that goes over the top of the curtain rod, or for something a little more substantial, you could get a cornice installed at the top. Either of these options will go over the top of your curtain, hiding not only the pleats, but the hardware of the curtain itself.

For extra insulation, you can get thermal backing on your drape, or if you just prefer to block out the sun, you can get blackout curtain lining. Both of these solutions will fit right onto the back of one of these drapes with no problems at all. If you want something lighter to let some air travel through your room, you can also get sheer pinch pleat drapes, which give you the classic functionality of the pleat, coupled with the light country style feeling of a sheer curtain.