Top 8 curtain fabrics for 2022

Tags: Fabric, Trends, Curtains, Inspiration,

If you’ve ever stepped into one of our showrooms, you’ll know that there’s a huge range of fabric to choose from when designing your curtains and Roman blinds. If you’re not sure where to start, this list of best-selling styles is here to provide the inspiration you need.

We’ve taken a look back at all of the jobs completed during the first half of the year to bring you our most popular fabrics, along with some examples of how we’ve used them in client homes.

As you’ll see below, sheer curtains are our most sought-after style at the moment, with translucent fabrics accounting for six of our eight best sellers. These are often layered with a blockout lining on a double curtain track, giving you the flexibility to draw your sheer curtain independently to the lining behind.

In recent years grey and white have been the neutrals of choice, but increasingly we’re now using warmer tones such as cream, sand and taupe.

Linen looks continue to be extremely popular, although many customers are now opting for polyester blends - giving the appearance of linen, but with all the practicality of synthetic fibres and a more affordable price tag.

So here they are, our top-selling fabrics of 2022 so far:

1. Cannes

Polyester | 320cm wide (continuous)

A long time favourite, Cannes is a linen-look sheer by Nettex that comes in 14 neutral colours. It drapes beautifully and is a great choice for sheer curtains, but also pairs nicely with our range of blockout linings for Roman blinds, lined curtains or double tracks.

Note: Due to its popularity, some shades of Cannes are currently on back-order.

For this Cambridge home we used Cannes colour Driftwood, fitted on a double track.

2. Pilbara

89% Polyester 11% Linen | 300cm wide

Wide-width fabrics like this one are a great option for seam-free curtains. Pilbara from Maurice Kain is a soft sheer that comes in a choice of 12 easy-to-use hues. The polyester and linen blend gives this fabric a beautiful drape and finish.

An up-close look at the weave of Pilbara.

3. Odin

Polyester | 300cm wide

Another wide-width fabric, Odin is a lovely textured sheer by Maurice Kain. It’s available in a range of light and dark neutral tones and is the perfect choice for daytime privacy and light filtering. It’s also fire retardant, making it suitable for commercial applications.

Sheer curtains in Odin fabric pair perfectly with the wood laminate floors in this home.

4. Abaca

Polyester | 300mm wide

The first fabric on the list that’s not a sheer! Soft and luxurious to the touch, this textured marle fabric by Maurice Kain is available in 15 colours. It has been tested to AS/NZS1530.2 & 3 fire safety standards.

Abaca has a soft marle texture.

5. Verne

Polyester | 320mm wide

With its good looks and sharp price point, Verne is selling like hotcakes! This wide-width fabric has a subtle textured finish and comes in 10 neutral colours. Its polyester composition makes it easy to clean and resistant to wrinkling, stretching and shrinking.

Note: Due to its popularity, some shades of Verne are currently on back order.

A sheer curtain in Verne colour Pewter provides privacy on this road-facing window.

6. Lena

85% Polyester 15% Cotton | 140cm wide

Classic, with a twist. A textured jacquard design adds interest to this solid fabric, with contrasting matte and lustrous yarns creating further depth. With 25 hues ranging from soft cream to berry wine and deep forest green, there’s a colour to suit every home.

The subtle wave pattern of Lena.

7. Bali

Polyester | 330cm wide

A linen-look sheer that has stood the test of time. This affordable, versatile fabric is available in a huge range of 21 shades. It meets AS/NZS 1530.3 for flame retardancy and comes in a practical 330cm width.

Warm neutrals in the Bali fabric range.

8. Antipodes

50% Acrylic 40% Polyester 10% Linen | 320cm wide

Last but not least, James Dunlop’s Antipodes is a sheer that comes in 11 shades of nature-inspired neutrals and pastels. With a lovely blend of yarns, it has a soft feel but all the practicality of a predominantly synthetic fabric.

Soft filtered light with James Dunlop’s Antipodes fabric.

So that's it, our list of best-selling curtain fabrics from the first half of the year.

Don’t see it here? This is just a small selection of our most popular curtain fabrics. We stock an extensive range of sheers, prints, neutrals and patterns from New Zealand’s leading suppliers. Get in touch and tell us what you’re looking for - we’d love to help!