Best of Three: Decorative Curtain Rods

We've been in our home for three years and sadly, still have the same generic white "L" shaped curtain rods that were on the windows when we moved in. What is the problem? We can't seem to make up our mind. We want a simple curtain rod that doesn't have an overly ornate end -- nothing bejeweled, bedazzled or that can double as a javelin.

We don't mind if it is silver or black and while we're open to any shape, although we're drawn to rounded ends. We've looked though the usual suspects, Ikea, Crate and Barrel, West Elm -- but we're still left either scratching our heads or feeling underwhelmed.

Here are three we thought might work:

Top Photo - Target's Simply Shabby Chic Key Drapery Rod, $19.99 - $24.99

Bottom Left Photo - JC Penney's Studio by JCPenney $19.99 - 27.99

Bottom Right Photo - Pottery Barn's Modern Drape Rod, $59.00.

Which is your favorite? Of course, we also know you'll have other suggestions. You guys know everything!

Comments (6)

I have the Pottery Barn Modern Rod and when extended it becomes very flimsy and kind of cheap. It looks nice but is not built very well.

posted by LA on August 27th 2008 at 10:58am
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I have brushed nickel Levolor rods with the ball finial as seen at the following link. They were the best of the bunch at Home Depot for a modern style, and I'm pretty happy with them, although they are rather plain.

http://www.levolor.com/products/drapery-hardware/retail/rod_finial.php

posted by launchpad on August 27th 2008 at 11:18am
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When I think of curtain rods (not all that often) I think of Umbra. They have a pretty wide selection on their site:

http://www.umbra.com/ustore/category/all-drapery/s0/see_all_Umbra_drapery.html

posted by KMK on August 27th 2008 at 11:47am
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Bed Bath and Beyond has a nice selection of rods made by Cambria that we have in our LR and DR and are very sturdy. The end finials are optional (and extra) and some are too colonial for my taste, but they have simple clean rounds that are nice too. And they come in different finishes too.
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/stylePage.asp?order_num=-1&RN=131

We put an Umbra set in a bedroom that were somewhat flimsy in comparison, but it may have just been the model that we chose.

posted by faq on August 27th 2008 at 11:55am
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We recently upgraded ours and went for ones in Home Depot. The problem with metal rods is that they are too flimsy when you expand them out. Also, if you're planning to use curtain rings (we did), the part where the outer & inner rods join is where the rings get stuck. After buying & returning 2 from Bed Bath & Beyond we went for a much longer one at Home Depot that e had to expand only a couple of inches, which makes it look nicer, sturdier & the rings live there happily. The drawback is that the finials are a bit ornate & need to be replaced.

posted by ferha on August 27th 2008 at 6:42pm
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All of the curtain rod merchants that are mentioned sell poor quality products from China. If you would like to purchase professional quality curtain rods and hardware, of tasteful post modern design visit Campbell Ironworks http://www.campbellironworks.com/ we manufacture all the curtain rods here in the US and offer personalized service as well as making the rods to your size, no jinky 2 part rods or pop on finials. We cost a little more but the hardware will last the life of your house.

posted by Campo on October 28th 2009 at 5:35pm
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