13 Board Mounted Valance Ideas (with Pictures)

Board mounts are the best way to ensure that a window treatment hangs properly. No visible rod pocket stitches and no constant adjustments on the curtain rod needed. Add to that the depth that the board creates, and you’ll quickly realize that a board-mounted valance has many advantages.

So let’s take a look at some picture ideas if you’re contemplating a board-mounted valance for your own home.

Pleated Board-Mounted Valances

On this appropriately named queen valance, a polka dot fabric was used as a base layer. Casual floral swags and pleated bells were used for the top layer.

Inverted box pleats are very popular nowadays, thanks to their clean, tailored design. Check out this post if you’d like more valance ideas for sliding doors.

The same inverted box pleat style can be adjusted to taper out on the sides, allowing the valance to frame the window more beautifully.

Or, you can keep it simple with a straight bottom hem.

Inverted box pleats can be placed anywhere on a valance. It isn’t uncommon to have a few pleats only off on the side of a valance. Check out more ideas for living room valances in this post.

When inverted box pleats are added on the corner of the board, they’re called kick pleats.

Board-Mounted Valances with Swags

The empire swag valance is an iconic valance style. When it’s board-mounted, the swags appear to come up from the behind the top of the board, creating a distinct waterfall effect.

Single wide windows often have a single swag. These valances require a lot of fabric yardage to achieve the proper pleats, but it’s absolutely worth it.

Some swags can be modernized. Here, the swag was created with a pointed tip. Notice how the valance was used as a complementary treatment to the adjacent bustle swag drapery.

Some valances are made with Austrian swags. Here, the swag is formed by gathering the fabric along the entire length of the swag. Compare this to the Empire valances above where the swags were only pleated on top.

Flat Board-Mounted Valances

Flat valances are a great way to feature a unique fabric pattern, like this French country rooster medallion.

You guessed it, toile fabrics and flat valances are made for each other. Take a look at this distressed linen with an oversized toile pattern.

Here’s another toile medallion that I could swear was made for our handkerchief valance.

Want more ideas? Take a look at the rest of our board-mounted valances.