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"Center support." To cover any lengthy window span, you need a functional support to hold the bar up against gravity and prevent the drapery rod from bowing. In this picture, you can see the center support located directly in the middle of the window.

Tip: Most rods require center supports every 30 to 36 inches.
by Lisa K. Tharp - K. Tharp Design
"Drapery arms." Very short segments of drapery rods that flank a window (rather than span it) are called drapery arms. They're often used when the draperies are stationary and purely for decoration.

Tip: If you're looking for a fresh way to add texture to a room, using drapery arms can be a cost-effective solution, and they require less fabric too.
by Two Story Cottage
"Elbow brackets." When a wall angles and your drapery rod needs to follow, you must place an elbow bracket in the corner to realign the rod to the angle of the wall.

Tip: Purchase elbow brackets in the exact angles needed — the best brackets can be adjusted onsite.
by Siemasko + Verbridge
"Finial." This is a decorative ornament on each end of the drapery rod.

Tip: Some rods come with finials, and some don't. Purchase finials separately to add individual style to your curtain rod.
by Mary Best Designs
"Decorative rod." Any rod that will be seen and comes in a finish serves as a decorative rod. Many decorative rods come with matching rings to coordinate, as shown here.

Tip: Match your decorative rod with the other finishes in the room for complete design cohesion.
by Decor by Denise
"Traversing rod." When you have a full wall of window draperies, opening and closing them can be difficult because of the fabric's weight. Placing your draperies on a traversing rod can allow you to open and close them just by manipulating a string at the end.

Tip: When you have a traversing rod that's not decorative, you can camouflage it with an architectural valance, like in this photograph.
by Lauren Ostrow Interior Design, Inc
"Track." When windows go from floor to ceiling and you have little or wall space, use a ceiling-mounted drapery track like in this shot. These draperies glide along the ceiling in perfect unison when opening and closing.

Tip: The drapery track is considered a touch more contemporary in design, so if you are more of a traditionalist, you might want to consider blinds.
by Alterstudio  
"End cap." When your drapery rod runs into a wall, you will not be able to place a finial on it. In this photograph, you can see how one end has a decorative finial and the other end just has a cap that finishes off the drapery rod.

Tip: In a situation like this, you can either use two end caps for symmetry or go for asymmetry with one finial and one end cap.
by Heather Williamson
"Café rod." When using a café curtain, you will need an unobtrusive rod, since it will be at eye level. A very delicate rod that holds a very lightweight curtain is referred to as a café rod.

Tip: Often you can mount a café rod inside a window casing by using tension, or mount it outside the window casing using hardware.
by Studio William Hefner  

Comments

olldbobbi Shane, super great ideabook! I knew about all of this hardware but I never knew the names of most of it. This is great, thanks!
7 months ago · ·
atmurph Thanks. Helpful. Do you have more ideas on window coverings to be used with drapery panels to provide privacy? I see the use of shutters. Any other ideas?
7 months ago · ·
mrsben Very informative Shane.

Though window rods have come a long way, what I have been looking for is a decorative rod that includes a projection. All appear to be straight. Perhaps it is just me, but I haven't been able to find one thus am wondering if those in the first photo were custom made? IMHO not having an option of blocking out the light at the ends of a rod ; defeats the purpose of their room darkening task. With that said, I do notice in your fourth example the support bracket has been used but I doubt it would be functional for a grommet heading.

P.S: Attention inventors, if it hasn't been done already (and I'm unaware of it) here is your chance to develop some type of an adaptable clip. ºÜº
7 months ago ·
Valorie Hart Great tips. My favorite rod is the return rod. xo xo
7 months ago · ·
Leslie Russell I need help. I am using a normal curtain in my bedroom on one rod, and a blackout curtain behind it on a regular open channel (the cheapy ones). I just have the "L" part of that rod hung over the wall bracket for the main curtain rod. The blackout curtains are very heavy and don't slide well at all but are GREAT for blocking all the light. They are so bulky they don't open enough to hide behind the front curtain and it takes herculean strength to push them back as far as they will go. I have tried to problem solve this, and I am at a loss. I had the blackouts hung off shower curtain hangers and it worked alot better but the loops were horrible and kept sliding off. Do I need a different, more "slippery" rod? should I give up on being able to use the curtains alone to filter the light when I want? That's really pretty, and attaching the blackouts to the curtain will make them dense and dark. Not the look I want. The last and final problem is that the windows are 130" long, and I have to use rods connected together, and the blackout curtain catches on them. If anyone can help with my dilemma, I would be most appreciative!!!
7 months ago · ·
mrsben @Leslie: Assuming that your liners may be designed to attach to the curtain itself, you might consider converting the heading to 'tab' ones so they will slide over the rod without obstruction. It would be just a simple matter of spacing and straight sewing a durable tape to them ensuring that the finished product is not longer than your curtains. Trusting that this suggestion may assist you ......

Footnote:
By 'tab ones' refer to picture three and note the heading of the curtains. Because it is a liner, yours do not have to be as detailed.
Most fabric stores carry a selection of tapes that could be used for your purpose. Ask a Sales Associate to assist you when choosing. Also, if you don't have a sewing machine you could consider gluing them to the fabric OR better still if you have a Tailor or a Shoemaker in your area they would most likely do them.
7 months ago ·
Shane D. Inman Leslie Russell - Well, you may be in a little bit of a pickle. Why don't you contact me via my personal email (shane@theinmancompany.com) and I would be more than happy to assist.

Have a great day!
Shane
7 months ago ·
jsmith2 Hi! This is a great article! I have a question about hanging curtains in my living room and dining room and if anyone can help I would really appreciate it. This is an open concept room and the windows for the living room and dining room are on the same wall, but the ceiling is about 14 inches higher above the dining room window than the living room windows. I've attached a photo (please excuse the sewing mess on the table!). My question is how high do I hang the curtains above all of these windows? Should all of the curtains be the exact same height above the tops of the windows? Or should they be hung exactly halfway between the tops of the windows and the ceiling so that the dining room curtains are slightly higher than the living room curtains? Thanks for the help in advance.
7 months ago · ·
Interior Details, Ltd. Leslie Russell - try some paste wax applied to the top of the rod. You will need to reapply it about once or twice a year, but it is worth a try.
7 months ago ·
Lady Dianne's Custom Window & Bed Treatments @jsmith2: You want to mount your rod at the same height for both windows. I'm not sure how much room you have above the windows, but choose a measurement like 8" (for example) above the window, and use it for both rooms. It will draw your attention more if you put your rods at different heights.
7 months ago · ·
mrsben @jsmith2: By no stretch of the imagination do I consider myself an Interior Designer, but I totally agree with Lady Dianne's comment re hanging the rods at the same height to achieve continuity/flow.

IMHO, it it is really no different than if you had a separate room but had an adjacent space that is visible from a certain vantage point within said room that visually becomes a part of the room's space. In other words, whether the spaces have different heights or even are separate as I described, some times it is best to treat them as one when furnishing or adding accessories.
7 months ago ·
jsmith2 Thank you for all of the help and great suggestions! That's exactly what I will do!
7 months ago ·
Valorie Hart Same height above windows when there are different window heights. And there is a silicone spray for rods - http://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S-522/Aerosols/3M-Spray-Silicone-Lubricant?pricode=WU353&gadtype=pla&gclid=CO6yl62SwrMCFQUFnQodK04AHQ
7 months ago ·
Leslie Russell Thank you to Valerie - I may even have this spray already! I'll try it when I get home. And to mrsben for your idea. Thank you Shane, for your offer of help!
The rods for the actual curtains are cruddy; the curtains are the large grommet type, and the rods have gotten all scraped up from sliding the grommets back and forth. Such foolishness for bedroom curtains!!
7 months ago ·
Gayle Beck Great ideas but I'd like to see a rod or hanging-hardware solution for a bow window. Much has been said about bays but there just isn't much help for my beautiful bow.
6 months ago ·
Jody Scarbrough I would like to use a ripplefold ceiling track where most of the track will be hidden by the drapes. I have seen some photos where an inch or more of track is visible above the drapes and some photos where the drapes seem to skim the ceiling and the track is almost invisible. The later is the kind I am looking for. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance for your help!
3 months ago ·
Lady Dianne's Custom Window & Bed Treatments @Jody I haven't used ripplefold tracks much, but I believe they are usually visible. Most of the time they are used when there is a recessed area in the ceiling that they track fits into. That would give you the look of the drapes skimming the ceiling. Someone else that has used them more, may know better.

If you are willing to use a different type of header for your panels (not ripplefold, but some type of pleat), there are types of hardware that can be hidden. Although all of that depends on what you are trying to achieve - privacy, decoration, etc.
3 months ago ·
Lady Dianne's Custom Window & Bed Treatments @Gayle You are right, you see a lot more Bay treatments than Bow treatments. Any type of hardware for a Bow window has to be custom bent to fit your exact window. A lot of people opt not to go to that expense. But it all depends on how you want to treat it. Here's one I did recently where we went outside the window. It was in an older home (1930's), and we wanted to make it look like a much bigger (& more grand) area.
3 months ago ·
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