New curtain rod brackets

We have two new brackets that are have a larger back plate.  They are perfect if you want something that looks more substantial or if you have holes in your wall that you need to cover (yes, I've used them for this!)  The heavy duty bracket has a larger rectangular back plate.

The diamond back bracket has a diamond shaped back plate.

Both of these brackets have a 3.5" projection (measured from the wall to the middle of the rod), but you may custom order them with custom projections as well.

Curtain Feng Shui

Feng Shui literally translated into English is "wind-water."  It is concerned with the relationships between people and nature.  There are a few techniques that you can use when dealing with windows, curtains and other window treatments.

• At night, pull all curtains closed.  You do not want exposed windows when it is dark.
• Curtains should be long enough to cover the whole window and go all the way to the floor.
• Curtain rod rings (and blinds) should be of natural material.  Avoid plastic.
• Make sure curtains open and close easily.
• Keep your curtains clean.
• When closed, there should be enough fabric for there to be pleats and folds.
• As far as colors go, choose greens for spring, reds, oranges and pinks for summer, gray, whites and metallics for fall and blues for winter.

Use these suggestions to be at one with your environment.

Custom double curtain rods

Double curtain rods are popular for hanging two sets of curtains.  Often there is a sheer set in the back for privacy and a heavier, more decorative set in the front.  Therefore, there is usually a smaller rod in back with a simple finial or even end caps.  Then a larger rod and decorative finials are put in the front.

We have standard double brackets and custom ones. Our standard double brackets have projections of 3 1/2" and 7". (Remember: projection is measured from the wall to the center of the curtain rod.)  You can also order brackets with custom projections.  You will need the projections to be at least 1" apart. For example, if you order a 4" projection for the back rod, you will need at least a 5" projection for the front rod. You also choose what size rods go in the front and back, so that your brackets are made perfectly for your application. The brackets come in any of our 18 finishes to match your rods and other hardware.

Outdoor curtains

Since the introduction of our new outdoor finish, I’ve noticed many outdoor drapes being offered.They are usually weather-resistant to prevent mold and stains and come in many different styles and colors. They can be used on a porch or balcony for privacy or light control. They can also be used in a cabana or an outdoor kitchen.Plow & Hearth has these grommet drapes in many colors and stripes:

Ballard Designs has some outdoor sheers:

Target has these awesome orange ones:

Here is some inspiration.

New use for curtain rods, idea #4

This "headboard" is made from a curtain rod and pillows. Decorative pillows can spice up the space, and it's an affordable way to make a headboard. The pillows are attached to ribbons, which are tied to the curtain rod. Store-bought pillows could make this even easier. The curtain rod shown here is a small round rod (3/4" would work well) with small ball finials. A custom finish can complete your look to match your room.

Rate My Space

HGTV.com has a great site called Rate My Space. People posts photos from their homes and readers can rate their design. You can search by type of room and can search any keywords within those rooms. You can also sort them by ratings or new postings or views. 
There are some great photos out there. If you're like me, you love to copy beautiful rooms. You can post comments and ask questions of the posters and find out brands and paint colors and more. But it's really fun to browse all the designs and think about the future!

Here's a top rated bedroom:

Celebrity curtains

I love looking at photos of rooms to get ideas. And what better rooms to look at than celebrities'? They have lots of money to spend on their beautiful homes. I love the interior design of Tori Spelling's home. I like the way they used curtains in her kids' rooms:



Speaking of 90210 actors, here's a room in Jennie Garth's house. I really like the iridescent looking fabric. Simple ball finials are used here.



Check out Tommy Hilfiger's classic style. He goes with natural blinds over his French doors with curtains pulled back to let in the sunlight.



Nicky Hilton's black curtains contrast with her white walls. She used finials similar to our "basket" finials. A Flat black or satin black finish would work here. She also uses holdbacks to pull the curtains back.

Use a curtain rod to create a closet

If you don't have a closet, you can make one. Use a curtain rod to section off a portion of your room. It could go the whole length of the room and have end mount brackets for hanging. If your room is long, use ceiling brackets to support the curtain rod.

If you have an alcove, you could hang a standard curtain rod above the opening or use a cafe curtain rod to attach to the wall or molding.

Make a canopy bed with curtain rods

Want to have a canopy bed without buying a new bed? Use curtain rods. Measure the width behind your bed where you want the curtains to hang. Then measure the length along the bed where you want the curtains to hang. They can be short and just hang along where your pillows are or be longer and hang the whole distance of your bed.

You will need the curtain rods and the ceiling brackets. If you'd like to dress the rods up a bit, you could even have finials at the end of your rods. In the corners, the rods can either 1) butt up against each other, 2) be separate rods and not touch or 3) be mitered so that the ends match up perfectly.



As far as the curtains go, you could go casual and get sheers. You could go with a more romantic look and get a floral or toile fabric. If you want to go super-formal, you could get silk or velvet curtains.

New use for curtain rods, idea #3

Want to make a frugal and easy headboard? Or maybe you want to add color to your bedroom but can't paint because you are a renter? Use a curtain rod and center it behind your bed at the desired height. Hang your choice of curtains to add tons of color! You could also use a cafe rod and eliminate the need for finials and brackets.

You could also drape a quilt over the curtain rod like Martha Stewart did here.

New use for curtain rods, idea #2

Here's another fun use of a curtain rod. These tiles are from SDG Artistry.  You can hang this on any wall that needs a little art.



The best curtain rod for this would be our round rod, in a smaller size, such as 1/2" or 3/4". Any of our brackets would work for hanging and you could even finish it off with finials. Don't forget that you can order all of this in any of our 18 finishes.

New use for curtain rods

This is an awesome use of a curtain rod. Our cafe rods would work perfectly.  Just buy a rod that is a little shorter than the width of your desk or table.

IKEA sells a paper roll for $4.99. It is 18.5" wide so it'll fit on most desks. IKEA also has cute bins in any size and material. I'm partial to these galvanized ones for $14.99 called SKRIN (2 sizes).

Fall Love Giveaway!

Made of Metal is so excited to be a part of the Fall Love Giveaway from Oh Fiddlesticks.  You can enter lots of times to win gifts and gift cards from many great vendors, including Bella Sorella Couture, Bellina Originals and Lovely Lace Leggings.

New Halloween products

Check out the new Halloween products now available!  They are perfect for your Halloween table.

Jewelry

Come visit our new site: Made of Metal at Home.  We are now offering some metal jewelry pieces.  We currently have some fun pendants and they're very reasonably priced.

Also check out our new custom metal letters and numbers and custom metal words for your home.  There will be more photos coming soon.  There are also some choices for your kiddos.  We will be expanding that line as well!  Stay tuned...

Problem windows

We get a lot of questions about windows that are not typical...arched, bay, abutting a brick wall, smashed between two walls.  It is hard to figure out how to hang curtains around windows like these.  This photo shows a window with a brick wall on one side and a limited anount of space above the window to hang a curtain rod.

They came up with a great solution here.  They used ceiling brackets to hang the curtain rod.  This gives you more space between the window and the curtains so the curtains can move freely on the rings.  The rod simply butts into the brick wall so you don't have to anchor it into the brick.  Please call us if you have any questions about your unusual windows.

How to make a simple canopy bed

I had saved this photo from Domino Magazine (now extinct).  It shows a great idea on how to make a canopy bed using curtain rods and accessories.  You will need:

1. a two-angle mitered curtain rod set - Follow the directions on our web site to measure for these.  Measure from the wall behind your bed to a little past the foot of your bed so the drapes hang past the bed.  Choose your favorite finish!  If you like the look in this photo, choose our matte stainless finish.

2. two end mount brackets

3. six ceiling curtain rods brackets

4.  curtain rod rings - Use 1.5" rings for a 1" curtain rod.  If you have panels similar to this photo (about 48" wide), you'll need 32 rings.  Use 8 rings per panel and you'll need 4 panels, one for each corner of the bed.

Let us know if you have any questions or need help!

Extra long curtains

Extra long curtains are often hard to find if you are not going the custom route.  Our custom curtain rods can be as long as customers need to span those large spaces.

Pottery Barn has some curtains that are 108" and even 124" long.  These dupioni silk pole pocket drapes are really nice.

JC Penney also has some long panels in various colors and patterns.  These are blackout energy savers.

Depending on their inventory, Overstock often has extra long panels.  IKEA carries some very reasonably priced longer curtains.

Crate & Barrel has these super cute curtains in a 108" length.

How many rings do I need for my curtain rod?

We are often asked how many curtain rod rings should go on a curtain rod.  And, of course, the answer is...it depends.  But a good average number is 4 rings per foot of your curtains.  So, if you have curtains that are 48" wide, you would need 12 rings.

It does depend on the style of curtain you have and what look you're going for.  But if you order a ring for every 4", you should be safe.

Organizing your craft room

I have an office that is really an office, craft room, sewing room and child/husband hangout.  It's a pretty small room, so I have to be organized.  I have the Expedit desk and bookshelves from IKEA.  They are very reasonable and come in different colors.  I also have the Kassett boxes that fit perfectly in the bookcases.

This is a great idea to organize your ribbon.

You can use a curtain rod of your choice with standard brackets and even add finials for interest.  Or you could use end mount brackets if installing your rod in a nook, window or closet.  Top it off with rings and you're done.  You could even put the ribbon directly through the rings and skip the clips.

Another way to organize your ribbon.

Here is a cafe curtain rod with hooks for hanging everything from scissors to marker cups.

I love these galvanized buckets hung on the wall.

Wire baskets can be hung on a curtain rod to hold almost anything.

Books on organizing your craft room:

Organizing Your Craft Space

                      

Good Things for Organizing

Candice Olson living room

I love this room.  It's from Candice Olson's Divine Design television show.  She uses curtain rods on the windows and also to divide the living room from the office space.  When you are dividing a room with curtains and you have a fur down (like in this photo), you can use standard brackets to hold your curtain rod.  If you don't have a fur down, you'll need to use ceiling brackets.   You can also use end mount brackets if you are placing a curtain rod between two walls.

How to make a headboard with a curtain rod

Want to make a frugal and easy headboard? Or maybe you want to add color to your bedroom but can't paint because you are a renter? Use a curtain rod and center it behind your bed at the desired height. Hang your choice of curtains to add tons of color! You could also use a cafe curtain rod and eliminate the need for finials and brackets.

You could also drape a quilt over the curtain rod like Martha Stewart did here.

Use holdbacks for curtains on multiple French doors

Trying to figure out how to hang curtains around several French doors in a row is challenging.  You can't hang curtains over the middle doors because there's nowhere to push the curtains.  If you don't want to leave the wall void of curtains all together, you can hang stationary, decorative curtains in between the sets of French doors.  You add tons of interest and color but nothing is in the way of opening and closing any of the French doors.

A great way to hang stationary curtains is to use stem holdbacks.  They came in a variety of styles and you can even build-your-own using different finials.  You could also buy very short curtain rods with finials.  A large rod, such as the 2" round rod, with 9516 finials would look great since the rods are so short.  All of this can be purchased online in any of our 15 finishes.