15 Stylish Cornice Ideas for Windows

Get inspired by our favorite custom cornice window treatments for every style and space.

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Chic Window Cornice Ideas to Copy at Home

Typically made of wood upholstered in fabric, a window cornice is a hard-top treatment that serves as the crown of your curtains and instantly elevates any space. A cornice board encases the top of your window to hide pesky hardware from sight and lend your window a polished, tidy look.

From ornate and embellished cornice boards with cascading drapery to streamlined modern cornices sans curtain panels, we’re sharing 15 dreamy designer cornice ideas to copy for your windows at home. Check out our favorite cornice designs for your bedroom, dining room, den and beyond.

Get More Ideas: Window Treatments 101: Which Style Is Right for Your Space?

Play With Contrast

Add interest to your window treatments by installing cornices and drapes in contrasting colors. Here, creamy ivory cornices pair with gold silk drapes to bring warmth and a tailored look to this contemporary living room. Interior banding in the same gold finish as the drapes creates a tidy border on the cornice boards and ties the competing hues together for one cohesive, polished result.

Get More Ideas: Do's + Don'ts of Designer-Worthy Window Treatments

Choose Shapely Silhouettes

Unlike the sleek and streamlined contemporary cornices, traditional cornices offer room to play with ornate fabrics and shapely silhouettes. This chinoiserie-inspired dining room leans into the elaborate styling with custom cornices cut in a silhouette reminiscent of a pagoda. Follow suit in your own space and design custom cornices with curved, scalloped and sloped lines that suit your interior aesthetic.

From: Ansley Atlanta Real Estate and Luxury Portfolio International®

Wrap It Up

Don’t be afraid to wrap your window cornice around two walls. A wraparound cornice tops this contemporary bedroom’s perpendicular floor-to-ceiling windows, lending a polished, luxurious look to the space. This technique creates a unified appearance between the windows on each wall and visually expands the room for grander appeal.

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From: Jenn Feldman Designs

Frame the Views

If simple, straight-across cornices are a bit too minimal for your taste, you’re in luck. Take cues from designer Heather Garrett and make these window-framing cornices your muse. Recreate the three-sided cornices to frame the view beyond your dining room window and pair them with voluminous drapes for the maximum wow factor.

Get More Ideas: The Makings of a Modern Traditional Home

From: Heather Garrett Interior Design

Coordinate With Your Bedding

If you’re unsure what color or fabric to select for your custom cornices, start by looking at the existing elements in the space. Pull colors from your bedroom rug or bedding and choose a cornice fabric with the same hues to create a cohesive result.

Get More Ideas: 50 Inviting Main Bedroom Color Schemes

From: Kameran Schaffner

Or, Match to Your Shades

White bedding more your speed? Not a problem. Match your cornice fabric to your existing Roman shades, instead. Coordinating your cornice to your shades achieves the same cohesive look in your bedroom as coordinating with your bedding. Even better? This approach creates the illusion of taller windows for a grand effect.

From: Annette Jaffe Interiors

Take Color Cues From Your Walls

Add preppy polish to your white cornice with a banded border accent in the same shade as your walls. This airy blue bedroom offers ample inspiration with a tailored white cornice embellished with a ribbon border in the same soft blue hue.

Keep it Crisp

Never underestimate the visual impact of crisp-white cornices and pleated white drapery. This failproof combination shines against coral grass-cloth wallpaper in this traditional sitting room and would look equally polished paired with blue lacquered walls or a moody floral wallpaper. Wield the white-on-white window treatment combination to bring enduring elegance to your dining room, den or boudoir.

Get More Ideas: Top Living Room Color Palettes We're Loving Right Now

From: Heather Garrett Interior Design

Reach New Heights

Create an illusion of soaring height in your bedroom, dining room or entryway by installing your cornices flush to the ceiling. This trick works every time, drawing the eye up and lending a romantic feel to any room in your home.

Get the How-To: How to Hang a Curtain Rod

From: Becky Shea Design

Or, Expand Your Horizons

Another option: Widen your room by installing one continuous cornice across multiple windows or doors. A single white cornice crowns four windows in this transitional bedroom. The horizontal lines visually expand the room and create an illusion of grander windows.

From: Sara Lynn Brennan Interiors

Play With Pattern

Skip the solid shades and pack panache into your space with pattern-clad cornices and drapery. Polished plaids, graphic stripes and colorful floral motifs are enduring options that bring loads of personality to any room in your house.

Get More Ideas: 20 Classic + Cozy Patterns We Love

From: Illustrated Properties and Luxury Portfolio International®

Mix Materials

The secret to achieving that designer-worthy look in your home lies in mixing materials. Create interest and a one-of-a-kind window treatment by pairing fabric upholstered cornices with woven grass or bamboo Roman shades. The unexpected mix complements each other and lends a put-together, professional quality to the space.

Get More Ideas: Classic Bamboo Roman Shades

From: Jordan Shifrin

Extend Beyond the Window

It’s no secret that cornices bring structure and elegance to windows, but did you know they look equally lovely installed elsewhere in a room? Take notes from this tranquil retreat and install custom cornices and drapes for your bedroom windows and the wall behind your headboard. Continuing the horizontal line of your window cornices around the room to behind your bed will expand the space, while the mirrored drapes will wrap the walls with drama and softness.

Get More Ideas: 10 Striking Bedroom Window Treatments

From: Jenn Feldman Designs

Go Bold in Kids' Bedrooms

Our motto for kids’ window cornices is the bolder, the better. Choose a showy fabric that jumps off the walls like the fiery red-and-white striped number at work in this modern playroom. Remember: Cornices are less expensive (and much easier!) to refresh with new fabric down the road than traditional drapes, so don’t be afraid to take the plunge with punchy or playful prints in your little one’s room.

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From: Vanessa Antonelli

Embellish a Little

Give your cornice window treatment a fresh, preppy look by installing matching drape tiebacks. This dining room window looks oh-so-pretty with a gray, ribbon-banded cornice and two coordinating tiebacks that pull the curtains to the side in a chic, symmetrical display.

Get More Ideas: 13 DIY Curtain Tieback Ideas That Don't Look Cheap