What is the difference between velvet and velour curtains?

Velvet and velour can look similar at a glance, both having a soft, raised surface pile, but the way they are constructed is different, and this affects how each behaves as a curtain fabric.

How each fabric is made

Velvet is traditionally a woven fabric, with an extra set of yarns forming the pile that is then cut or looped to create its dense, short nap. Velour is usually described as a knitted fabric with a similar pile effect. The weaving process generally gives velvet a firmer structure and a more directional sheen, while a knitted construction tends to make velour softer, with a flatter sheen. These names are not always used strictly, though, so a fabric sold as velour may be built differently from this description, and the name on a sample is not a reliable guide on its own.

How this changes the way they hang

• Velvet is typically heavier and drapes with more structure and fuller folds. Heavy velvet can settle further once it is hung, so ask your retailer about allowing extra floor clearance.
• Velour is usually lighter and softer, draping more loosely and with less body than velvet.
• Both can show shading differences depending on which way the pile is brushed, sometimes making the same curtain look slightly different in colour from different angles. At Speedy Blinds, unless the retailer asks for a different direction on the order, all the panels of a velvet curtain are made with the pile running the same way, from top to bottom.

Care differences to know about

Pile fabrics generally need gentler handling than flat woven fabrics. Direct heat and pressure can flatten or mark a pile, and some fabrics take steam well while others mark or shrink. Check the care instructions before anyone applies steam or an iron to either fabric, and ask your retailer first. Cleaning advice can also differ between velvet and velour, so check the specific fabric's care instructions rather than assuming they are identical.

What to ask your retailer

If you are comparing velvet and velour for a curtain, ask your retailer to show samples of both so you can see and feel the difference in weight and sheen directly, since photographs do not always capture it well. Also ask what each sample is made of, and for the care instructions for the specific fabric chosen. Lighting also plays a part in how either fabric reads in a room, since pile fabrics can look noticeably different under warm lamp light compared with daylight, similar to the colour shift that affects flat woven fabrics.