Hanging lights, sconces and lanterns

Use Made of Metal's support brackets to hang lights, sconces and lanterns inside or outside.

Utilize several brackets to hang lights in a work area.  Lanterns with candles inside could be hung on a patio or in an outside living area for light and ambiance.  They are a great decorative addition to any area.

Using crates and support brackets for storage

I saw this cute idea on Pinterest.

All you need is crates and support brackets.  These could hang in a bathroom for towels, toilet paper and toiletries or in a playroom for toys or in a living room for decor.  Any bracket design will work.  It just depends on your use and taste.

West Elm has these awesome apple crates.

Uline has blue milk crates for $10 each.

Neon curtains trend

Neon is a trend we are seeing not only in clothing and accessories, but also at home with window treatments.
Bright pink curtains and some art highlight this room.

NYC's Gansevoort Park (Photo Credit: Magda Biernat)

These neon green curtains add a huge pop of color.

from everythingsimple.com

Bright yellow curtains in a room with lots of yellow.

from Honey and Fitz

I love this bright turquoise couch and curtains.

from Houzz

How about some tangerine curtains?

from Hayneedle.com

Chevron pattern curtains

I have seen a lot of Chevron patterned items lately, including curtains.  Use our curtain rods to hang these beautiful curtains.
Here's a wide-striped black and white curtain.

from HGTV.com

These neutrally colored curtains are in a nursery.

from Midwest Magnolia

You can find some custom Chevron curtains on Etsy:

Learn how to make your own at Mixmatchfashion.com:

More from Etsy:

Pretty in pink from m-a-belle.blogspot.com:

Love the brown and white stripe against the brown wall from Elisabeth Michael:

Curtains inspiration

Whether you are looking for formal curtains for your dining room or girly curtains for your daughter's room, Pinterest is a great place to look for inspiration.  Take a look at my boards, including one of curtain rod inspirations and one of curtains.

Follow me on Pinterest!

Hang your curtains high

I love the look of hanging curtain rods at the ceiling so that the windows look even taller.  It makes the whole room look larger.

Matching curtains and walls?

This bedroom has dark, rich blue walls with the same color curtains with a subtle pattern.  They added white accents and the contrast is really nice.

This living room has white curtains on white walls with black accents.  This might be great in a home with no kids! 

Again, here is white curtains on white walls.  The effect is very light and airy.

This room has all white everything except for a black decorative band around the base of the curtains.  So cool!



Tan and blue is one of my favorite color combos for the home.  I love the tan curtains on the same color tan walls.

I love this monochrome look with a few colors thrown in with accent pillows.

How to make your windows look larger

Making your windows look larger can really help out a small room. We're covered some of these ideas before in this blog.

One way to accomplish this is to hang curtains farther outside the window. You can hang them several inches higher than the top of the window and let the curtains hang all the way to the floor. You can also buy a curtain rod that is longer than your window width so that your curtains hang several inches (or even feet) to the right and left of the window. It makes the window and the room look bigger.

When you have two or more windows close together, hanging curtains in between the windows to hide the wall between also makes the windows look bigger. It can look like the windows span the entire wall. Use one curtain rod all the way across and have curtain panels not only on the left and right of the windows but in between the windows to cover sheetrock or trim.

You can also have one curtain rod that goes all the way from wall to wall. End mount brackets can help you achieve this look. They replace finials so that your curtains can extend from wall to wall with no spaces at the ends. They also support some of the weight so that you can minimize the number of brackets you need.

When choosing material for your curtains, go with a lighter color and a lighter material. You don’t want black, super-heavy velvet drapes in a small room. Use a cotton or linen, for example, in a light shade of your room’s color.

How to turn a closet into an office

Sometimes we need some privacy to work. Whether its kids or other distractions, a dedicated spot for paying bills, surfing the internet or even doing some full-fledged work is always nice. If you don’t already have an office in your house, you can turn a closet into a high functioning work space. And you can even do it on a budget.

First, you’ll want to choose a closet that has enough room for a desk. You can find a small desk that’s 20" deep, so the closet needs to be at least that. To get the most out of your space, try to buy a desk that’s just a little bit smaller depth-wise than the depth of your closet. After you’ve chosen your closet, you’ll want to take the doors off of the closet. They will get in the way and limit your space. Next you can paint the inside of your closet. Don’t choose too dark of a color or you will feel too enclosed. Next, place your desk inside your "office."

Now you can see what other space you have. To take advantage of the space way above your desk, you can hang a long shelf all the way across from wall to wall. Your closet might even already have a shelf like this. If you have some room to the right or left, hang shelves from ceiling to desk level (or even to the floor if you have room). You can place baskets or boxes to hold your office supplies or a printer. Above your desk and below that top shelf, you can hang a bulletin board or dry-erase board on the wall. You might want to add a lamp for light. If you don’t have an electrical outlet near, you can buy a battery powered light.

The last step is to hang curtains to hide your space when you’re not working. A great way to accomplish this is to hang a curtain rod above the door trim on the inside of your closet. You can use a center curtain bracket in the middle if you need one. Use one or two curtain holdbacks on the sides to hold the curtains back when you are working. When the curtains are closed, it will look neat and you won’t have any hardware showing.

How to use curtain rods to divide spaces

Using curtains is a creative, budget-conscious way to divide room or spaces in your house. You can choose anything from simple cotton curtains to luxurious velvet drapes. It can divide a home office from a living room. It could hide the kids’ messy play area from your living room. Or, in a loft, it could separate the bedroom from the kitchen from the living area.
Curtain rods are a great way to hang these room dividers. There are three basic ways to hang your curtains with rods.

1. If you are hanging the curtains above an open door frame, the curtain rod can be hung on the wall using standard brackets. The brackets are attached to the wall and the rod is placed in the brackets. This is the same way you hang curtains on a window.

2. Ceiling brackets can be used with your curtain rod to hang the rod from the ceiling. The curtain rod can be as long as you need as long as you have enough support from the ceiling brackets.

3. If you want the curtains to hang from wall to wall, you can use end mount brackets. One side of these brackets is closed and the other is a saddle. You place the curtain rod in the closed bracket and lower it down into the saddle end. You may need one or more brackets to support the curtain rod if it is longer.

You can use decorative finials with options 1 and 2 above. Option 3 uses end mount brackets instead. You can also use rings with any of these options. Holdbacks and/or wands might be helpful if you want to move the curtains to the sides at some point.

Use curtain rods to hang art

Curtain rods are a perfect way to hang art attractively. By using a curtain rod, curtain rings and pincer clips, you can hang art and change it out easily and quickly.

First, measure your space and decide how long your curtain rod should be. A small, simple curtain rod works best. You will also need brackets to support the curtain rod. Secondly, decide whether you want finials, end mount brackets or a cafe curtain rod. Finials will cap the rod in an attractive way. End mount brackets allow the rod to go from wall-to-wall. A cafe curtain rod has returns and allows the rod to be attached directly to the wall with no brackets at the ends of the rods. Thirdly, chose a curtain ring that is slightly larger than your rod. For example, chose 1 1/2" rings with a 1" curtain rod. Additionally, you'll need pincer clips to go on the rings to hold the art.

Place the pincer clips on the curtain rod rings and then place the rings on the curtain rod. You can then hang the art by using the pincer clips to grab the art. The rings can be moved along the curtain rod to be placed in the appropriate place depending on the size of the art. When you get tired of the art, simply take it off the clips and replace it. You'll have a new look anytime you want!

You can see all of these photos on my Pinterest page.

Serene bedroom ideaboard

After a day at work or with my kids, I need a relaxing place to go.  My master bedroom is my place.  Here is an idea board for a serene bedroom.

1" round curtain rod with k683 finial in matte stainless finish

West Elm headboard $349-599

Target sunburst mirror $77

Target faux-silk curtains $37
Pottery Barn chair
Target lamp with black shade $
silver frame
Lamps Plus black bedside table $380
C2 Dorian Gray paint sample

Grommet curtains

Grommet curtains have become extremely popular.  I love the way they look and the fact that they can go straight onto a curtain rod.

1 inch round curtain rod with k683 finials in matte stainless

You can find grommet curtains at almost every place that sells curtains.  Measure the diameter of your grommet before ordering your rod.  If you plan to move your curtains along the rod, we recommend you purchase a rod at least 1/2" smaller in diameter than your grommets. 

If you are making your own curtains, grommet tape can be purchased by the yard at your local fabric or craft store or online.  It sews into your fabric and the grommets snap onto the tape.  Grommets come in different finishes, so they can match your curtain rod and other hardware.

World Market

 

 Pottery Barn

   

 

Target