the.com/window valance
A tiny curtain whose entire job is hiding the curtain rod's shame.
means A short decorative strip of fabric hung across the top of a window to cover the curtain hardware or frame the window treatment.
from 'Valance' entered English in the 1400s, probably linked to the French city of Valence, though no one can prove the drapers of that town actually invented it — it may equally trace to Old French 'avaler,' meaning 'to let down or descend,' which fits a fabric that hangs down from the top of a bed or window. The word first dressed beds, not windows, draping the frame to hide the unglamorous joinery beneath — only later did it migrate to windows for exactly the same reason: concealment with style.
- origin
- from Old French valer, meaning to descend
- function
- conceals hardware, not for warmth or light
- peak era
- 1980s suburban dining rooms, lace-trimmed
- design rule
- should cover about one sixth of window height