Custom Valances & Cornices

Custom Valances & Cornices in Chicago, IL

What sits at the top of a window often determines whether the whole thing looks finished. Custom valances and cornices Chicago homeowners commission give a window a tailored, intentional appearance while hiding the hardware that keeps your drapery or blinds functioning. If you’re ready to talk through options for your home, schedule a design consultation with our team.

Custom Valances and Cornices Crafted for Chicago Homes

We build every cornice and valance to fit the window in front of us, not a standard size off a shelf. That means accounting for trim depth and mounting hardware, then measuring the exact proportions of your space before a single piece of fabric gets cut. A cornice is structured, built from a rigid material and upholstered in fabric of your choosing. A valance stays soft, using pleated or gathered material that drapes rather than holding a fixed shape. Either way, the goal is hiding the rods and headers so the window itself gets the attention.

Architectural Impact: Framing Gold Coast and Lincoln Park Windows

Gold Coast is home to some of Chicago’s most recognizable architecture, where Moderne and Italianate homes sit next to brownstones and greystones, with the occasional luxury high-rise breaking up the block. Lincoln Park carries a similar mix, pairing vintage graystone walkups with high-rise units that often include floor-to-ceiling windows and skyline or lake views. In both neighborhoods, a well-fitted cornice or valance frames the window in a way that respects the building’s character while giving the room a finished, considered feel.

Concealing Hardware for a Polished Skyline View

Rods, brackets, and headrails tend to draw the eye in the wrong direction, especially in units with wide, unobstructed views. A custom window cornice or valance covers that hardware completely, so the sightline runs straight to the skyline or lake instead of stopping at a curtain rod.

Adding Structure to Historic Brownstones and Modern High-Rises

In older brownstones, a custom cornice board can echo the formality of the building’s original details. In newer high-rises, the same treatment can introduce clean, structured lines that suit a more contemporary layout. Cornices and valances adapt to the architecture instead of fighting it.

Popular Custom Cornice and Valance Styles

There’s no single right answer when it comes to cornice valance ideas. The style that works best depends on the room, the light, and how formal or relaxed you want the space to feel.

Upholstered Fabric Cornices

A fabric cornice is padded and wrapped in the material of your choice, then finished with trim or cording along the edges. It brings softness and color to a window without sacrificing structure, and it works well in living rooms and bedrooms where a warmer feel is the goal.

Board-Mounted Valances

Board-mounted valances offer the tailored, structured look of a cornice but with more flexibility in fabric weight and shape. They’re a good fit for formal dining rooms or offices where clean lines matter.

Decorative Swags and Tailored Toppers

Swags are soft, sweeping arcs of fabric, often paired with jabots that frame the sides of the window. Some homeowners go formal with silk; others prefer something more relaxed in linen, and both show up often in dining and entertaining spaces. A heavier board-mounted valance with long jabots sits at the higher end of this style and feels like a genuine luxury addition. Cascades, sometimes called ascots, use a half-moon, deep-folded drape for a similar effect with a different silhouette.

If your building falls within a historic district or has HOA guidelines on visible treatments, this kind of top treatment is worth a look. It can soften or dress up existing window frames without requiring exterior changes, which matters in parts of Gold Coast, Old Town, and Lincoln Park where facade modifications are often restricted.

Fabrics, Finishes, and Details That Personalize Your Design

The fabric you choose shapes the entire feel of the piece. Structured treatments can be built from wood, metal, fabric, or woven materials like bamboo and grasses, while soft top treatments typically use cotton, linen, silk, or polyester in pleated, gathered, or tailored styles. Wood valance styles can be painted or stained for a formal look, or upholstered and padded for something softer and more textural.

Trim, welting, and nailhead details add another layer of personalization, and pairing this top treatment with blinds, shades, or coordinating custom draperies helps reduce light gaps while supporting better insulation. Our designers can walk you through custom cornice Chicago options and how they pair with your existing drapery during a free consultation.

Our Custom Workroom Process

Step 1: Schedule Your Expert Design Consultation

We start with a free in-home design session where our designer brings curated fabric and finish samples so you can see options in your own space and light before committing.

Step 2: In-Home or Showroom Measurement

Precise measurements make or break the fit of a custom cornice or valance, so our team always confirms them in your home. You’re welcome to visit a showroom first if you’d like to see materials in person: Lincolnshire is open daily, and Downers Grove is by appointment.

Step 3: Handcrafted Fabrication in Our Chicago Workroom

Once measurements and fabric selections are finalized, your piece is fabricated by craftspeople who pay close attention to how everything fits together and holds up over time.

Step 4: Professional Installation

Our own certified installers handle the final mounting. No subcontractors are involved, so the piece hangs securely and looks exactly as designed.

Why Chicago Homeowners Trust Drapery Connection

We’ve served Chicagoland since 1939, and we’re a fourth-generation, family-run business. We started with two people and have since grown into a team of more than 30. We’re also woman-owned and WBE-certified, with veteran designers on staff who guide every consultation from the first sketch to the finished window. Because we fabricate and install everything ourselves, there’s no subcontractor gap between design and delivery. We were also honored with the Illinois Small Family Business Award from Loyola’s Quinlan School of Business in 2017.

Schedule Your Custom Cornice or Valance Consultation Today

Whether you’re in Lincoln Park, the Western Suburbs, or elsewhere across Chicagoland, our design process costs nothing, stays local, and is built around your home and your windows. Reach out and contact our team to schedule a consultation or an in-home custom measurement, and start planning valances and cornices that fit your space and your style.