With realty prices and rentals zooming skywards in urban zones, small spaces have become a reality of life in cities. Singles, couples or families, smaller residences are being picked over larger units for cutting down on mortgage, monthly utility bills, and property maintenance hassles.

Small spaces may be pocket-friendly but come with their own décor challenges. For comfortable living, your compact space should look lovely and livable, not cramped and squeezed in. Purple velvet curtain panels

Choosing the right kind of window dressings is key as the wrong choice of fabric or treatments can make the space look even more busy and cramped. We bring you our top ?ve tips to    get window draperies to streamline small spaces and up their style factor:

GO FOR ROMAN SHADES INSTEAD OF CURTAINS.

Drapery needs stacking room on sides and gathered fabric adds volume. As roman shades  stay close to the windows and cover just the window area without gobbling up adjacent space, this helps expand the space visually. So for narrow windows, we suggest opting for a roman shade style with a minimalist vibe. Pick a no-fuss style such as ?at panel shades with or without slats - that use less fabric, don't pack in too much volume and don't horde valuable space in stacking up.

USE LIGHTWEIGHT AND SHEER FABRICS. AVOID HEAVY DRAPERIES.

Heavy fabrics like velvet, taffeta and raw silk block in?ow of light and air that could create a sense of claustrophobia in a small space. Choose semi-sheer or sheer curtains in linen, cotton or polyester blends for maximizing incoming light that will make your small space feel bigger and airier. Another smart idea is to skip combining valances and curtains. Together, these can cramp up your space. On their own alone, either one can look good.

USE VERTICAL PATTERNS ON WINDOW DRESSINGS.

Another way to visually expand a small space is to create an illusion of extra height. This can be done by choosing shades or ?oor to ceiling, extra long curtains with vertical patterns (thin stripes, vertical chevronsor climbing vine patterns running along the length of the curtain/shade are great ideas). Skip patterns that are horizontal, oversized and/or packed- with-too-may-elements as these will simply make space look closed in. Wine velvet curtains

CHOOSE FABRICS IN COLORS THAT MATCH THE ROOM.

Similar colors create a sense of ?ow and visual continuity. To make your small room appear bigger, choose window curtains similar or lighter in color to other room elements like the walls, carpet, and upholstery. Neutral and light colors like pastels, white, cream and beige work especially well here.

MOUNT YOUR CURTAIN RODS RIGHT.

If using drapery, something as simple as the right placement of a curtain rod can work wonders. We recommend that you mount curtain rods close to the ceiling height rather than just above the window frame height. Hang ?oor length drapes (no window sill length curtains, please) as these will draw the eye upwards and create an illusion of height. Keep rods wider than window frame width so that when drawn aside, curtains frame the windows and do not hamper the light coming in.