Last fall, we shared our tip for hanging affordable Ikea curtains so they look a lot more expensive than their $14 per panel price would suggest (across a whole house, you can save thousands with this trick and these curtains alone!!). But since we were just replacing the old curtains in our bedroom when we wrote this article, we skipped the crucial step of hanging the curtain rods themselves. And since we just installed about a million curtains at the duplex (okay, 16 of them, but that's a pretty noticeable amount to hang at once), we wanted to share a new trick we've used to speed up things, keep everything level and evenly spaced, and make it much easier and less overwhelming overall.
But first, let's quickly establish some curtain basics:
How high should you hang curtain rods?
As with all things in decor, there is no hard and fast rule for this, but most people agree that curtains look best when hung (say it with me!) HIGH AND LARGE. As in, taller and wider than the window itself. This not only creates the illusion of a taller and grander window, but it also makes your room appear larger and draws the look.It's a 9 inch piece below, and you can see how nice it is for the window trim to breathe a little, and the eye goes from floor to almost ceiling thanks to these long white curtains and this very hanging rod.
sofa |side table |coffee table |rug |bookcase |lamps |wall: SW White Heron |upholstery: SW Stone IsleSpeaking of the floor, most experts say your curtains should generally touch or almost touch the floor itself. This is all personal preference (some like them floating slightly above the floor, others like a dramatic pool of fabric at the bottom), but we usually like them to just touch the floor very lightly - like below in the dining room of our show house. We find this helps hold them in place better (when they don't quite touch each other, they tend to hang randomly, but when they graze the ground they anchor and stay put if that makes sense).
Having them just to the touch and not being too long and pooled makes them easier to move around for vacuuming and ours aren't all trailing and coarse on the bottom as they aren't excessively long (bonus: remember sure these curtains are 100% washable!In fact, one of the first steps to getting them is to wash them to pre-shrink them so that every time you wash them again later, they won't shrink on you and the rod is always in the right place - more on that here).
But back to the rod. The exact placement of yours depends on a few factors (ceiling height, curtain length, style of trim and molding, etc.), so I can't give you an exact measurement of where where your rod should always go...but generally we like ours about 3-4" below the ceiling or, if there is crown molding, 3-4" below the bottom edge of the crown.
capiz chandeliers |benches |chair |marble vase |stools |pendants |sconcesThis allows the curtain rod to "reside" entirely (including the finials) in the painted area between the window and the ceiling, which still looks TOO GOOD. But the important thing to note is that we hang them to the ceiling, not the window. It's the assumption that your curtains should be connected to the window that causes a lot of people to hang their curtains too low. Heck, we've seen rods drilled right into the trim window itself, which is just another way to make things look really chunky and cramped.
Remember, trim looks so good when it's allowed to breathe without any stems overhanging it or drilling directly into it. That being said - sometimes window trim is very close to the crown, and in that way we like to go into the wall above the trim if possible - as the crown or trim can look tortured with a rod sticking out. years to show what we mean:
Your best bet is to have someone hold half the rod with a curtain panel attached (after you've washed, ironed, and done anything that might change the height of your panel - except hemming , this should happen once they are hooked up so you can get the perfect length).If you step back and watch it while someone is holding it for you, you will be able to decide what works best for you – and using this guideline 3 to 4 inches below the ceiling or crown molding can help.
There are cathedrals or very tall rooms where the ceiling height is sloping etc. Any very tall rooms or spaces with sloping ceilings are special cases - but again, look with your eyes at someone. one holds a half rod with a panel on it can really help you visualize which is best.
How tight should you hang them?
This is another thing that is influenced by various factors, like the size of the window itself, what else is on the wall (especially if there are OTHER windows nearby) and how tight or loose you want your panels to be. Generally, we like to place the rod hooks about 8-11 inches from the outside edge of the window trim.
sofa |side table |coffee table |carpet |lamps |media cabinetThis gives us the loose, airy curtains we love, while allowing us to barely cover the window molding, creating the illusion that the windows are wider than they really are. terms: THE CURTAIN PANELS ARE HANGING IN FRONT OF THE WALL NEXT TO THE WINDOW - NOT IN FRONT OF THE WINDOW (making it look smaller and blocking out the light). Sorry for yelling but it makes such an insane difference when the people stop hanging their curtain panels right outside their windows.
We might hang the narrower rods if there are windows closer together than usual (like in our bedroom below - where they're only a few feet apart, and this window on the right is very close to the wall of right in that corner). We don't want them to look cramped, so in the example below we didn't go so wide with the rods - but we definitely made sure that as many curtain panels as possible can hang in front of the walls around the windows as opposed to blocking the windows themselves.
bed |bedside table |armchair |chest of drawers |floor lamp |chandelierConversely, we might hang them even wider than 8-11 inches beyond the outside edge of the window trim if we're trying to fill a large wall space. We might even hang the rod wider on one side than the other. Another if we try to make a window less off-center (more on that here – that can make all the difference!). So it's really flexible.
And if you have two windows placed in a corner like in this photo, two rods that meet just in the corner with curtains on either side can completely soften that corner and make it look nice and wrapped. My advice is to remove the finial from each of the rods where they meet in the corner and carefully hang them so they line up and look like they bend at a 90 degree angle in that corner. It's a really clean look :
Ok, but now for our time-saving curtain rod trick (on video)
The reason for all this gibberish is that knowing the width (your desired distance from the window trim) and the height (your desired distance from the ceiling) is what makes this easy trick possible. John demonstrates it all in this video below (also check out my super cool shoe cameo). There are more photos after the video for those who can't watch now, but I highly recommend coming back to see it when you can - things are so easier to "get" when you see them in action on video - and this skill is handy to have forever.
NOTE: If you're viewing this in a stream reader, you may need to click on it to see the video. You can also watch it here on YouTube.
Step 1: Determine your measurements
John and I determined that for the duplex we wanted to place our curtain rods 10.5" from the outside of the window trim (strangely specific, I know) and 3" from the ceiling. I should note that this are our measurements to the screws (the top screw, to be exact) as we find it easier to work with the measurements of where you will actually need to drill. Watch how John models exactly what I mean below:
Step 2: Create your model
We used a piece of cardboard to make our pattern - marking 10.5" from each side and 3" from the top. This was actually the cardboard that came in the curtain packaging, so you may already have something have it on hand! Once we marked our lines (you'll see them labeled below), we lined up the curtain rod hook and marked the two screw holes on the BOTH 10.5" marks .
3. Drill Pilot Holes
You can pre-drill holes along these two marks, or you can just do this when you mark your first window. Load your power drill with a small pilot hole bit (we used a 3/32" one) and hold your template above your window with the edge aligned with the outside edge of the window trim and the top kept flush with the ceiling. Then you can simply drill small pilot holes through your two template marks.
Now, a note to keep things straight: CEILINGS ARE NOT ALWAYS LEVEL (I'm looking at you, duplex) so using the ceiling as a guide might seem misguided. What if your ceiling slopes and your curtains end up sloped too? ?!
Well….we have actually found that when you hang the rod close to your ceiling, you actually want the rod to follow exactly any slope of the ceiling! This will be the closest reference point to your eyes for a straight line, so it will appear level even if it is not!! if you hang the curtain rod level but the ceiling is sloped, the rod will actually look fake! Or point out that the ceiling is false! So yes, using the ceiling as a guide works well for wobbly ceilings (again, the duplex has plenty of that – and so does the pink house!).
4. Drill larger holes and add anchors
you'll want to make your pilot holes on the other side of the window using the other half of your jig (that's why you marked 10.5" on BOTH sides of the cardboard) - so you can use this as template on both sides of each window. Assuming you don't hit any studs, you will need to add anchors after making these pilot holes, so replace your drill bit with the correct size that works with your anchors (the anchors supplied for our rods had (needs a 3/16" drill bit) and drill into each pre-made pilot hole to make larger holes that fit your anchors. Bonus - the template acts as a great way to catch drywall dust. John was very excited when he found out. Just look at the joy on his face.
Once all of your anchor ready holes have been drilled, gently tap in your anchors with a hammer or mallet. As I am intervening passionately in the video, your anchor holes should not be too loose or the entire curtain rod will be wobbly and won't hold. And you shouldn't be able to push your anchors into the wall by hand or the holes are too loose (which can cause your rod to sag or fall out of the wall). So it's important to use the correct size drill bit for your anchors. This should be listed in your curtain rod instructions or on the box your anchors came in.
5. Screw your hooks to the wall
The rest is pretty simple - hammer in your anchors and attach your curtain rod hooks to the wall using the supplied screws. I insisted on filming John as he demonstrated that part too, so if you want to see him action, you can see it in the video above. Really, I think watching these things happen in real time is worth a thousand pictures and blog words – so watch the video whenever you have a second.
Bonus tip: Correct any stem sag
I'm going to throw in another little hack here. Depending on your rod and its width, you might notice that it seems to sag a bit in the middle, especially where the smallest piece of the rod connects to the taller.Even though it's very well attached to the wall, it's just that the slimmer center rod looks like it's reaching down to your eyes - and I'm type A for noticing and hating it.Your package can come with a third hook to hang in the center of your window if you reach a certain span with the rod, but often ours aren't very wide so another bracket would be overkill - so we rely on this weird little hack at the location. Accent on WEIRD.
First, I take some of the protective plastic end caps that are on the curtain rods (they're just wrappers) and use a utility knife or scissors to cut a few small slices.
Then we slide a piece inside the curtain rod at any connection point that sags.It's important that you put it on the TOP side of the rod and if you can't make it slide out all the way, just rotate your rod slightly so it's hidden because no one is looking down on your rod. I know this is REALLY weird, but this was an easy way for us to fix the sag a bit of the stem, which makes my heart very happy. Believe me, there is a noticeable difference and it doesn't look sad and droopy anymore. Plus, it's free and I'm scrappy. So there you have it. Five stars, I recommend it.
That should pretty much do it for hanging the rod itself. And again, you can check out last fall's post with our tips for getting those cheap white curtains ready and hanging themselves. Between this article and this one you should be able to add very affordable (and washable!) curtains and you'll definitely be faster with our little pattern trick too ;)
sofa |coffee table |carpet |lamp |bookcaseOh, and the curtain rods we typically use are either the oil rubbed bronze ones with those ring clips (ordering them online means you don't have to run from store to store to find enough that all match ) and sometimes we grab those Allen + Roth rods from Lowe's in person if they've had enough (their stock is often spotty).
When not to use curtains
“Wait, what if I have baseboard heaters or a built-in bench or something under my window?
I get this question often, so I couldn't end this post without touching it. Some places just aren't perfect for a curtain panel. If it can't be hung all the way to the floor, sometimes it can be difficult. to hang a not-quite-long curtain panel in a room. There are definitely exceptions where cafe curtains can look really cute, but we'll usually go just plain (full curtains from floor to almost ceiling) or let's skip the curtains entirely there. Take our dining room, for example, which has two heat registers where the curtains would hang, as well as a window very close to the corner - so the panel would cover a large part of the window instead of having a wall to hang in front of. of:
capiz light |stair runner |entrance board |glass jugWe just skipped the curtains in there and went with woven shades. The room still flows well with other rooms nearby because we kept the woven shades consistent throughout the first floor of our home.
For example, these are the same shades in the kitchen (you can read more about our reno curtain here):
Obviously we couldn't have long curtains hanging from the kitchen windows since they had touched the counter – so we opted for the lovely warm texture that the shades added.
And here's the living room, which had room for lovely long curtains (and we love the softness they add), so we've done BOTH here. The woven shades tie into the other spaces which have them with or without curtains…
sofa |chairs |side tables |marble table |floor lamp…like our home office, which also has both.
office chairs | priest's office | rugs | bookcasesOur home office is actually a nice room to use as an example that you don't have to treat all the windows in the same room exactly the same. See how the windows along this straight wall wouldn't have a room for the curtain panels and the corkboard (they would basically cover the area where the corkboard is, if we hung them wide so they didn't entirely block the window?) so we skipped them on this wall. It still seems to have them around the bay window and not around those front windows, which also have heat registers that the curtains would have blocked on both sides. So it worked just fine. kind of like the bay window is the star, and the front windows just support the actors.
Woven shades are not intended for privacy or light blocking (our house is quite a distance from other houses so we only wanted to block light and privacy in upstairs rooms (bathrooms and bedrooms) but you can get lined woven shades or roman shades for privacy and light blocking Or you can do what we do upstairs which is layer white shades faux wood that we hang indoors (in the window frame) We've done this all over the beach house and the duplex too - they're great for privacy and look very clean and nice when layered with curtains…
…or when they're just hanging alone in a bathroom or something.
My closing lesson would be this: some general guidelines on curtains and a tip on how to hang them easier and faster might be helpful, but as far as the whole "what would look good here" question, each person might have a different challenge, layout, etc. – so it's very smart to have someone hold things up, stand back and trust your eye. Try different heights. Look at a picture of a certain window blind on your phone in you standing in that room and looking out the window. Really try to imagine things before you commit. Heck, you can even try different photoshop solutions or print a picture of your room and draw on it (sketch blinds or curtains directly on the photo with a marker - it's the original photoshop - ha!).
And don't forget to consider woven blinds or even a nice patterned roman shade (like this one) for some places where curtains wouldn't quite work – and remember it's okay to take your time. and figuring things out as we go. So many of our rooms have had curtain/blind changes while we find out - so don't worry if it takes a second try.
PS Want to know where we got something in our house (or what color the walls are)? Click here. And we've done the same beach house paint sources and colors for you too. And we're putting together a list of sources for the duplex – it's not quite comprehensive yet, but a lot of the stuff we have is on this page for you – and there's more to come.
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