Pick Great Curtain Rods and Your Window Treatments Will Soar!
We all know you can’t possibly have curtains and drapes as your window treatments without curtain rods. Don’t think of them just as a necessity. The right rods, brackets and finials will take your window treatments to the next level.
The wide variety of options available to you will fit any living room design and any type of curtain or drapery. Rods are so versatile that you can change your brackets and finials and easily transition among design styles. By using spring or café rods, you can add sheer curtains within the space of your window that maintain your privacy while letting light in.
Let’s get this window treatment party started with the various types of drapery rods available.
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Types of Curtain Rods
Café Rods
Café rods mount in the center of a window opening instead of above the window. Once a sheer curtain is hung, this allows natural light in while still maintaining some privacy. Spring loaded café rods are used often, but brass and other types of metal rods are popular, as well.
Standard Rods
Standard rods consist of several different groups, including double curtain rods, curved rods, bay window rods, corner rods and tension curtain rods. These are generally metal rods and some come with extenders for extra long window openings.
Sash Rods
These are a type of decorative rod that have the circumference of a pencil. They can be mounted a few inches above and below a window and when paired with a longer curtain serve the purpose of covering the window, molding and trim.
Pressure Rods
Pressure rods are also known as tension rods, which are spring-loaded so they can be mounted in window openings of varying sizes. The biggest advantage to using these is that they require no hardware. The pressure from the inner springs holds them in the window jamb.
Traverse Rods
Traverse rods are covered by the drapery and allow the window treatment to be opened and closed via a pull cord system. Traverse rods are very versatile and come in one or two ways draws with cords on the left or right. They’re also very useful for double rod curtain systems.
Decorative traverse rods come in different colors and finishes and often feature rings versus the slides that usually accompany plain rods. They often arrive in a center split configuration but have instructions to convert them into a one way draw in either direction.
Flexible traverse rods are used for bay, bow and corner windows. They can be cut to size and easily bent once you take them out of the box.
Continental Rods
Continental rods were created to hold heavy fabric curtains with large pockets. Kirsch originally created continental rods and is still the primary manufacturer. These rods also work very well for hanging valences.
Poles
Pole type rods are made in wood, metal and iron. They can be hung using brackets with finials attached to each end to hold the curtain panels in place or installed with elbows that attach to each end of the pole and then into the wall.
Both tab top and grommet top curtains can be hung on pole rods.
Special Purpose
Although these are included in the standard curtain rod family, rods like curved rods, bay window rods, and corner rods are also referred to as special purpose curtain rods. You can also get crystal clear rods that are bendable to fit any type of window shape.
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Decorating Tips for Curtain Rods
Inevitably, you’ll find that certain types of rods work better with specific design styles. Here’s some examples to get you started out right.
Chrome rods, glass finials, metal, iron and cable systems work quite well in contemporary living rooms. Bright polished silver or chrome poles also are a great fit for a modern living room. Carved dark wood and traditional shaped rods are a good fit in formal, traditional, or period living rooms.
Contemporary and modern rooms value clean lines so your hardware will need to be simple and your treatments should appear uncluttered. Ornate rods and finials work well in formal living rooms, in contrast.
Metals like iron, wrought iron (especially in black) and other rustic metals will go well in country interiors, rustic rooms, and some themed rooms in Tuscan, Spanish, and other rustic styles. Country themed living rooms can also be accented with pine, iron, and simple wood rods.
Metal poles can fit well with more casual styles. A weathered looking metal pole will work wonders in a cottage style room. Darker metal poles with fleur de lis finials would look great in a french provincial living room .
Remember, you want rods, hardware and finials that will enhance your décor, not just fade into obscurity behind the curtains.
You’ll often find sheer panels on a traverse rod for privacy with a traditional window treatment over the top, complete with a valence that covers the traditional or continental rod.
The great thing about poles is that by changing the finials you can transition between different design styles. Use a geometrically shaped finial on the end of a dark wood pole in your contemporary living room. When it’s time to go lodge, change to a leaf shaped finial.
Buying Tips
Talking about curtain rods is easy. Going out and choosing the ones that will work best in your living room is another story entirely. That’s why we’re here with these tips. Please consider the following when purchasing rods…
- Your windows
- Your curtains
- Curtain rod strength
- Your budget
Measure your windows before heading to the store. Measure the area where you will mount the hardware. Do this because window sizes will vary, even in a house you just built. Additional trips and expense are yours to save when you do this first.
Keep in mind that, as a rule, your curtain rods should always be longer than your window by as much as 5 inches. This ensures total coverage for your windows.
Of course, you should never start buying curtain rods without looking first at the draperies that you will use. The type of curtains you use will determine the type of curtain rod that you buy.
For example, a contemporary curtain design will definitely not look good with a light wood curtain rod. By the same token, a casual curtain design would not work with a traditional pocket rod.
Your rods have to be able to support your curtains, bottom line. Coordinate your rod choices to your design style and the heaviness of the fabrics you’re using. In addition, using sturdy brackets with your rods can lend them the additional support they need to hold your curtains and prevent them from sagging and taking away from your design.
Curtain rods can be very expensive especially when made from high-quality materials. So if you can’t afford to buy more expensive styles, stick to something practical that fits with your design style.
Great buys are available so you have to shop around to get the most for your money. You don’t have to spend more to get what you’re looking for and to have a design that fits your living room to a tee.
So just one more time, consider your windows, your curtains, the strength of rod you need and your budget as you set out to purchase the perfect curtain rods for your living room window treatments.
Hanging Curtain Rods
script type="text/javascript">If you hang your curtain rods correctly, they will look great and support your curtains the way they should. Here are some keys to making sure your curtain rods will look and perform great all the time.
Start by measuring the width of the window. The rod should be at least five inches longer than the window itself. You can attach the curtain to the window frame but generally it’s far more visually appealing to move the rod outside the frame to the surrounding wall. Drywall can be repaired much easier than wood framing should you decide to move or change curtain rod styles.
Exceptions to this are if you are hanging long dramatic draperies and want to alter the perception of the window size. By attaching rods just below the ceiling molding and hanging long curtains, you can make short windows look longer. For long skinny windows, extending the curtain rod out on each side of the window a foot or more will make the window appear wider.
To designate where your rod brackets should be installed, measure out from the side of the window frame. Make a light pencil mark. Now measure up from the window frame. Two inches is the standard measurement for both of these, but as discussed above, you can do whatever feels right for your decor. Use a level or laser stud finder to make sure your marks are all level before installing the brackets.
Grab your drill and make a small hole, right on your mark. This is referred to as a pilot hole. We strongly recommend never screwing something into your walls without creating a pilot hole first. Stud, good. Just sheetrock, bad. With positive stud contact, the next step is screwing in your bracket with the included hardware. Voila!
Now, back to reality. More times than not, you will hit sheetrock. Get ready to use your sheetrock anchors. Once you tap them into the wall, they spread out behind the sheetrock and anchor your screw. Pretty neat, huh?
Couple more things. Match the drill bit size to the anchor size and tap the anchor into place. It shouldn’t slide in easily and you shouldn’t have to whack the crap out of it, either.
Now screw your curtain hardware directly into the anchor. Lather, rinse and repeat. Time to hang ‘em up!
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