Drapes-To Line or Not to Line

I recently was talking with someone about their window treatments.  (They are sewing some new ones themselves and wanted to know if they should pay the extra money and time to line them.)  Most designers will tell you to line everything!  I don't necessarily believe this, so here's what I look at when deciding whether or not to line.

Let's talk first about why you'd want to line them.  There are multiple reasons to line those drapes:

-To give your drapes body so that they'll drape nicely instead of look limp

-To look consistent from the exterior of your home.  Imagine standing outside the front of your house and seeing the back of all your different colored curtains...doesn't look very good, does it?

-To protect some fibers, such as silk and linen, from the sun.  These materials can be broken down by constant sunlight.

{Drapes from West Elm}

So how do you decide?  Look at the material your using for your drapes.  Is it thick?  Is it thin?  Is it neutral colored, or did you choose some bold colors or patterns?

For light to medium weight fabrics of a neutral color I'd opt to keep them unlined for a more airy feel.  (Although lining them is just fine too.)

For light to medium weight fabrics with a bold color or pattern, I'd definitely line them.  It helps to see the pattern better on the inside, and keep things nice looking from the outside as well.

For heavy material of any color I'd look at the back.  Does the pattern show through on the back or not?  If you don't like the look of the back of the material then I'd line them in a lightweight lining.  Heavy materials usually have enough body on their own drape well.

A lot of it really has to do with the look you're going for!