Most people choose a curtain fabric first and leave the heading to the supplier. It is the wrong way round. The heading, which is how the top of the curtain is gathered, decides how the folds hang, how much fabric is needed, how wide the stack sits when the curtain is open, and therefore most of the price.
Here is what each one actually gives you, in the context of Dubai windows.
Wave
A continuous, even S-curve from top to bottom, on a special track. It is the cleanest, most contemporary look and it stacks tightly, which matters on full-height glazing where the open curtain should not eat the view.
Fabric allowance is usually 2 to 2.2 times the track width. Wave needs a track, never a pole, and the track should be ceiling-fixed. Best for apartments, modern villas and anywhere with floor-to-ceiling windows.
Pinch pleat (double or triple)
Pleats hand-stitched into groups at the top, giving a tailored, formal fall. Triple pleat is fuller and more traditional than double.
Allowance is around 2.2 to 2.5 times, so it uses the most fabric of the common headings and costs the most. It works on both a track and a pole. Best for formal sitting rooms, majlis and dining rooms, and for heavier fabrics that need the structure.
Eyelet (grommet)
Metal rings punched through the header, threaded onto a pole. Casual, quick to make, and the cheapest of the lined options.
Allowance is about 1.8 to 2 times. The folds are deeper and less regular than wave. It needs a pole, which means you cannot ceiling-fix it, and the light gap at the top is larger. Best for bedrooms on a budget, children's rooms and secondary windows; less suitable where full blackout matters.
Pencil pleat and rod pocket
Pencil pleat gathers on a tape into narrow, upright folds and is the most traditional and the most forgiving of an imperfect window. Rod pocket, where the pole passes through a channel, is the simplest and least expensive of all, and the curtain does not slide easily, so it suits a window that stays dressed rather than one opened daily.
Sheers, and why Dubai needs two layers
A sheer is a light, translucent curtain that gives daytime privacy while keeping the room bright. In Dubai it is not optional on any window that faces a neighbour or a road, and the two-layer arrangement is the standard we recommend: sheer on the inner track, heavier curtain on the outer.
That gives you three settings instead of one. Sheer only for daytime; both open for the view; both closed for heat, glare and privacy. On a double track, ceiling fixed, it also looks considerably better than a single heavy curtain pulled halfway across.
Linings: where the performance comes from
Standard lining protects the fabric from sun and adds a little body.
Dim-out cuts most of the light. Right for living rooms.
Blackout is what a Dubai bedroom needs, and the fitting matters as much as the lining. Fix the track at the ceiling and run it 15 to 20 cm wider than the window on each side, with the curtains overlapping in the middle. A blackout curtain on a narrow pole above the window will still let a bright frame of light in, which is the usual reason people say blackout curtains do not work.
Thermal interlining adds a middle layer. On west-facing glazing it makes a measurable difference to how hard the air conditioning has to work, and it makes the curtain hang with more weight.
Track or pole, and where to fix it
A pole is a visible decorative element and suits eyelet, pencil pleat and rod pocket. A track is discreet, takes more weight, allows wave and double layers, and can be ceiling fixed or recessed.
For Dubai, ceiling fixing is almost always the better choice. It makes the room look taller, closes the light gap at the top, and lets the curtain fall the full height of the glass. Where there is a curtain pelmet or recess already built, we fix inside it.
Measuring: the two numbers people get wrong
Width. Measure the track or pole, not the window, and add the overlap and the return to the wall. Curtains made to the window width always look mean.
Drop. Decide whether the curtain sits 1 cm above the floor, breaks on the floor, or puddles. For a room that is used daily, 1 cm clear is the practical answer; puddling looks beautiful in photographs and collects dust in a Dubai villa.
We measure on site as part of the quotation anywhere in Dubai, which removes both of these problems. The heading and lining options are on our curtains and blinds page, and where a curtain is too heavy for the window, a Roman blind is usually the answer.
The heading decides how the curtain hangs, how much fabric it needs and how much it costs. Choose it before the fabric.
