Buying and installing window textiles is the final stage of renovating an apartment or a private country house. But there is an action that precedes hanging beautiful, cozy curtains in the living room or bedroom. This is installing a curtain rod. Stores offer a huge selection of such wonderful products, indescribable beauty, unique design. Various materials of manufacture, additional fittings, decorative elements of decoration - all this can be found in almost every specialized store.
How to choose curtain rods that can harmoniously complement the unusual design of your home? Today our article will tell you in detail, in all details, what types of these products are available, for what curtains they are produced, and how to match the design and color to the existing interior design.
Content
Curtain rods – what are they?
A curtain rod is a device that allows you to attach curtains to a window opening. This product consists of four main parts. These are:
- brackets with fasteners;
- guides (crossbars);
- suspension system (hooks, rings);
- decorative elements.
The presence of a particular part depends on the type of device. A huge selection of different options provides customers with goods for all, even the most capricious requests.
Here are the best curtain rods to choose for your curtains:
- Round or square.
- Profile.
- Baguette.
- Strings.
- Special.
Important: Each type is used for different types of interior decoration of the apartment.
In addition to this characteristic, hangers are characterized by the method of fastening. To fix curtain textiles, the following varieties are sold:
- wall-mounted;
- ceiling;
- window;
- spacers.
Almost any type of hanger, with rare exceptions, can be hung in one of the 4 ways listed above. The exception is special cornices designed for certain types of curtains, which have their own features of fastening and installation.
What are they made of?
Modern production of such goods as cornices, the comfort of which is ensured by their use, has reached a completely new level. Technologies allow processing various materials, giving them an unusual shape, appearance, aesthetics and beauty.
Here are the types of cornices according to the type of material they are made from:
- Plastic.
- Metallic.
- Wooden.
- Combined.
The last, fourth type is a derivative of the first three. When producing such pendants, different combinations of materials are used. For example, metal products complemented by wooden elements look very beautiful.
Each type of window textile suspension combines some features with standard qualities. Thus, plastic curtains processed using a special technology look completely different. They are made with a texture of wood, marble, metal. High-quality, expensive products made of good, proven plastics cannot be distinguished by their appearance even by an experienced seller. The advantage of plastic is its comparative lightness, high performance indicators, ease of maintenance. The properties of plastic make it easy to make figured curtains that match different interior elegances.
Metal products have always been popular among buyers. Curtains are no exception. The development of the metallurgical industry, the development of new technologies for welding and processing metals, brought many different types of iron.
You can now purchase curtains from:
- aluminum;
- brass;
- steel;
- wrought iron.
Wrought iron is essentially the same steel. The only difference is in the method of processing, bending, and final processing of the interior item. In addition to the metallurgical industry, the paint and varnish sector has not stood still. This is especially true for curtains made of metal. Gilded, silver, chromed, patinated and many other colors are available for sale. Using the right paint, the manufacturer is able to create a unique product, suitable for each consumer in its properties and qualities.
Wooden types of cornices for expensive curtains are an ideal option for finishing the interior of an apartment or a private house. The beauty of natural wood has been valued by master carpenters since ancient times. Pendants made of wood will serve their owners faithfully for decades. Noble appearance, environmental friendliness, aesthetics, natural beauty of wood will create a cozy, warm atmosphere. The high cost of wood products is more than compensated by the harmony created by these products.
Combined curtain hangers are suitable for all types of interior design. Using combinations of different materials, harmonious combinations are created that easily fit into both the modern, technological "High-tech" style and are suitable for the old-fashioned "Classic" style, as well as the "Provence" style.
It is worth noting that metal and plastic products are made in all possible variants. These can be profile ones made of plastic, for example, Legrand cornices, as well as suspended ones, having a round pipe as the main element of fastening window curtains.
Variety of types of fastening
As described earlier in the article, the types of curtain fastenings differ. Standard options are wall and ceiling hangers. At the same time, wall hangers are attached to special brackets that come with the product. They are easy to install using dowel nails.
Ceiling products are attached to the same brackets, or simply to the ceiling. Profile hangers made of plastic or aluminum are intended for rooms with low ceilings. To improve the decorative component, special baguettes (ceiling plinths) are sold. They are produced specifically for profile products. Inlay under wood, metal, marble allows to use baguettes universally for any design of the interior decoration of the room.
Depending on the requirements for curtains, hangers for them are produced with a different number of guides or profile grooves. So, there are:
- single row;
- double row;
- three-row.
The choice depends on the owner's needs. If you want to hang full-fledged window textiles, with curtains, tulle and lambrequin, you need to select three-row hangers. And, for example, for Italian curtains, it will be enough to use two-row ones.
Profile types and crossbars can have from one to three rows of guides. They are attached to both the wall and the ceiling. We figured that out. But what are window and telescopic hangers?
Let's start with the latter. Telescopic curtain rods are similar to regular tubular ones. The main difference is the presence of a system of tubes of different diameters, inside which there is a spring. One tube is inserted into another. The entire system is fixed in the window opening. To fix it, you need to spread the telescope. Usually, such a suspension is used in bathrooms for curtains.
More interesting are window curtains. For example, only specialized fastening fittings are used for Roman blinds. They are divided into two types:
- open;
- closed action.
In general, such curtain rods have from two to four lifting rings suspended on special ropes or cables. The lifting system is controlled by a chain or tape (depending on the type of design). The principle of operation is simple: the reels in the design, equipped with a spring lifting mechanism, wind the cables. But the cables penetrate the curtain fabric, at the end of which a plug (fixation ring) is installed. This system allows Roman blinds to gather into a characteristic accordion, exposing only part of the window.
Such lifting structures are installed on plastic and wooden windows. They have standard sizes, so when buying Roman blinds, you do not risk making a mistake with the size range. Due to the simplicity of attaching the curtain to the structure (there is a Velcro), this method of arranging the window opening has become very popular.
Roman blinds are the only possible option for arranging inclined dormer windows. Therefore, curtain rod manufacturers have come up with fixed guides that allow textiles to be installed at an angle, while ensuring that the curtain fits the window, preventing sunlight from entering the room.
Roman curtain rods for kitchen curtains are used for both Austrian and French curtains.
Comparing French and Austrian curtains, at first glance it is difficult to find the differences. Both options have a similar structure of arched, wavy folds. But there is still a difference: French textiles have folds all the time, regardless of whether the curtains are lowered or raised. Austrian curtains form folds only when raised. When fully straightened, they are straight.
But there is still a difference between the Roman type and the French and Austrian. The curtains for the last two curtains have a larger format (size), so they are installed directly on the wall or ceiling using brackets or regular dowel nails. The curtains themselves are also attached with Velcro.
Choosing a curtain to match the existing room design
Most often, the arrangement of the window space is the final stage of the renovation. Therefore, the choice of curtain design is made to the existing design style. Below are some recommendations for choosing cornices.
- Classic style – iron and wood. If your living room, bedroom, office or kitchen are decorated in the classic style of old England, then it will be ideal to use both wooden cornices made of expensive wood and forged luxury items. But for the French "Provence" white wooden facades will look better.
Forged curtain rods on the windows of the living room in a classic style - Plastic hangers can be ideal substitutes for wood and metal. That is why they are often used to decorate rooms of almost all styles. Due to the availability of crossbars of different textures, repeating natural materials (wood, metal, ceramics, granite, marble), they have gained great popularity.
Flat plastic hangers are often used for ceiling mounting of curtains in modern interiors. - String systems are worth mentioning separately. For the styles "High-tech", "Loft", "Scandinavian style", such suspensions have become an indispensable attribute, harmoniously complementing and laconically expressing the essence of these trends.
A string curtain rod is also suitable for a minimalist interior.
Important: Each specific style of space design requires special curtains, and curtains for them.
Over the past 5 years, Roman, French, Austrian, Italian and English curtains have gained great popularity. Special flexible profile guides complement bay windows beautifully. The choice is great. There are options for every connoisseur.
