Baseball Curtain Rod
Curtain rods not only provide an implement from which to hang curtains, but also help accentuate your room's décor. By considering your hobbies, travels, or other personal interests, you can design one-of-a-kind curtain rods and window treatments to make a personal statement. Curtain rods range from the traditional and ready-made to the unusual and hand-crafted. Store-bought rods may be adapted for a more personalized touch, or hobby and sport materials utilized for your own signature-look. Does this Spark an idea?
A Skiers Room
Tap into your favorite hobby to add a touch of whimsy to your room while recycling items you already have. For example: A skier may want the room to reflect his/her preferred winter sport.
Curtain rods may be fashioned from a pair of cleaned-up unused ski-poles mounted to the window. Before hanging the rods, decide if your curtains will hang inside or outside the window frame. Hang the ski-poles above the frame to allow space for the baskets and points. Use brackets long enough to accommodate the basket width. If you want your curtains to be inside the window frame, a matching or contrasting valance may be hung on the ski-poles, and your curtains hung on a spring-load rod inside the frame. If using tab curtains or a valance, allow for the several inches above the actual curtain and hang the ski-poles higher to accommodate for the tab gaps. When using heavy fabric, make sure the poles are sturdy and well-secured to hold the weight. You may need to brace the rods at the halfway point. Additionally, be sure the ski-pole baskets fall outside the curtain width.
A Garden Room
For a garden room effect, consider adapting Fragonard's Eighteenth Century painting "The Swing." Purchase ready-made rods in the correct width, then paint them grass green or sky blue. Find lengths of silk-flower vines in coordinating and/or contrasting colors, and wind them around the rods. Secure the flower vines at several points along the rods with a dab of hot glue. Mount the rods above the window frame to accommodate light-weight tab curtains.Carefully thread the fabric onto the rods and finish the ends with dangling flowers and vines. For curtain tie-backs, seat dolls dressed in frilly pink gowns as depicted in the painting on swings tied with natural rope.
Using Color and Texture
A room's decor often begins with color selection, whether vivid or earthy, light or dark. Your curtains and curtain rods will emphasize the mood you wish to create as well as provide privacy, temperature and light control. Color charts and wheels can help you make your decisions. Often, an opposite color in a similar depth will accentuate the other, such as a deep red curtain lining will make forest green curtains seem more pronounced. Your curtain rods help to determine what fabrics to use. If using an ornate rod, such as in the garden room, choose solid curtains. The ski-pole rods are sleek and straight, so a print fabric will not clash with them.
Texture adds additional interest to your curtains. Some designers prefer multiple weights and textures, while others prefer fabrics that are similar. It's your choice. A heavy highly-ornamented brocade maybe too heavy for the garden room flower curtain rods, but a light-weight, airy fabric would work well. A heavy fabric would compliment the sleek look of the ski-pole curtain rods and lend an interesting contrast.
Tags: curtain rods, window frame, Curtain rods, fabric would, garden room, heavy fabric