apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Have you considered Roman shades? They can be mounted inside your window frame and may work better for you.

IKEA's KVARTAL is a track system that can be mounted to the ceiling. I do think, however, that roman shades would work better for you.

Have you, or will you consider mounting the rod using brackets that hang from the ceiling?

shades or blinds would work best on those windows.

The problem is you purchased drapes before you solved the dilemma of what is the most appropriate and easiest window coverings for your windows.

Ceiling track would work best for drapes over those windows, but could be ugly, look too formal and usually used with pinch pleat or box pleat drapes.

If you want a rod (decorative rod does not look like it can fit) put the brackets on the outer metal frame. You need a metal drill bit to drill the hole. And the curtain rod will include a middle support bracket so it does not sag.

I have a big window like this too, and this past weekend we found a great looking, simple nickel finish rod at lowes in Brooklyn for $50. It came with three brackets, but I've only used two and it looks great. You could use two as well, and place them on the white area which frames the middle window, or from the ceiling.

I agree that trying to hang from ceiling works best. Another option is to get a section fo pipe from Home Depot, Lowes, etc. and mount it using piple flanges (the flat connectors) against either wall. It a bit industrial looking, so factor that into your overall look.

I had the same problem because I have the same windows. I just used the curtain rods we already own from our last apartment, and instead of mounting them onto the wall, we put them onto the ceiling. We had to remove the finials though, and just push the rods all the way to the two walls. The effect is like a tension rod but with the brackets on the ceiling.

Ikea.

Curtain rods: Ikea has a number of different curtain-rod-attach-thingies that makes it possible to mount curtain rods on both parallel and perpendicular walls as well as ceilings.

Curtain cables: We have the cable system from Ikea with medium weight curtains; it spans ca. 7 feet and the sag is 1 cm in the middle when the curtains are closed - meaning barely noticeable. I haven't tightened the cable since I put it up one year ago, though.

I think a room spanning cable set-up will look good in your room. It is very "light" and doesn't distract much.

By the way: Please cover up those splashes of white paint on the top black window frames. It looks very annoying.

Umbra also has some brackets that hang from the ceiling:
http://www.umbra.com/ustore/product/240483/c005/1___ceiling_mount_bracket.html

Very practical! Can also be mounted to wall.
Whatever you do, I personally would make sure the rod goes all the way across the room including the job.

We use pipe from the H Depot throughout our house to hang curtains and as towel racks and TP holders. It is fabulous, gives it that modern look and works really well for hanging curtains in odd spots. We have one window that buts straight up to a corner wall, the pipe allowed us a streamline look for hanging the curtains. You can get black pipe, galvanized, even copper!!

What about using these mounted on the ceiling? http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=1285&f=13299

I second the call for roman blinds. Target sells them for $24 in nice natural shades that would match the room well.

We had the same problem. I hung hooks from the ceiling to set the bar on. It worked really well and looks fantastic.

Since the window is right above your bed the window covering could also become art above your bed or an extension of your headboard.

1. I think panel curtains mounted on the ceiling (like those sold at IKEA) would work well. That way you keep them inside the window area.

2. A decorative window film as shown here and here would be interesting as well.

Not sure of your decorating style, but another option is to build a box cornice (customized to work with that little bump out on the left) -- mounted to the side walls and then the curtains attached to the inside of the cornice.

Those are amazing big windows and curtains might make them seem smaller. It also doesnt look like there will be anyone in a position to see you in those windows. To keep some privacy, I would opt for cafe-style windows (blinds or curtain on bottom half. You could have them at the level of the framing. If you are taller and tend to be naked a lot, maybe a little higher ;)

If you still want the full length, make sure that you gather between the windows rather than on the ends. This will make it look like one big window. A ceiling system seems to be the best option, especially with the uneven walls on either end.

My solution however for my impossible windows: Nice scarves/pashminas hooked onto a teeny hook placed on the edge of each window. I only put them up when I need privacy.

a nice ceiling track:

http://www.potterybarn.com/products/p12237/index.cfm?clg=99&bnrid=3382504&cm_ven=Shopzilla&cm_cat=Shopping&cm_pla=Feed&cm_ite=Shopzilla

I 3rd the suggestion for roman shades. I think they would look fab in that room.

Yep - those IKEA cable systems have saved my life in odd curtain-hanging situations many a time.

You don't say how wide the window is, but I had great luck with this product from Umbra:

http://www.umbra.com/ustore/product/238513/c040/coretto_tension_rod.html

I am using the 36"-54" rod at almost it's maximum capacity and it has held for over a year now. Granted, I have very light cotton panels on the rod, but it does do the job.

not sure why the ceiling is so overlooked as a mounting area. it makes for a very clean modern look. with the tight walls surrounding your windows, you'd be best removing the finials from the rod (decorative end pieces).

i used to work as a window treatments specialist at bed bath and beyond and almost every curtain rod system we sell can be mounted on the ceiling.

the way you can tell if ANY rod system can be mounted to the ceiling or not is dependent on the brackets. if the area on the brackets that "hold" the rod are U-shaped, then obviously you don't want this on the ceiling (since the rod would roll right out of the brackets). However, if the area on the brackets that "hold" the rod are O-shaped OR have a screw securing the gap between a U-shape & O-shape, then you can mount this to the ceiling.

for reference,
these are U-shaped brackets: http://www.continentalwindowfashions.com/images/hardware/ona/wrought-iron-brackets/ona-wrought-iron-brackets-main.jpg

these are O-shaped brackets:
http://shopping.canoe.ca/ss/media/36315000/36315089.jpg

and these are U-shaped brackets with screws to secure them to be mounted from the ceiling:
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/assets/product_images/230/72797112749C.JPG

I saw this great (and super cheap!) solution over at Shelterrific, where they installed an electrical conduit as a rod: http://www.shelterrific.com/2008/03/25/steal-this-idea-extra-long-conduit-curtain-rod/

I actually just tried this over the weekend in my own apartment. I didn't mount it to the ceiling, but used rod brackets and the electrical conduit worked like a charm.

For your purposes, the ceiling mount would be really nice.

Home depot on 23rd Street will cut the conduit to size, and if you need to put two together, you can buy conduit joiners. I have a window that's 125" wide, so 2 pieces of conduit and a joiner ran me $12.

Good luck!

Carly, www.mochihome.com

Use a tension rod just in front of the windows - wall to wall. It's an inexpensive solution. It will hold light to mid-weight fabric.
georgia

The answer is not curtains - It's Roman shades.

Tortoise bamboo rollups, beautiful, economical, and green.

I have not read all of the posts, so I apologize if this has been said already.
I would probably go with a hospital curtain track- something like this http://www.interiordecorating.com/nsample.asp?ID=75034

Cables always seem to sag at some point and then end up making the space feel like a dorm room. And with any kind of rod you will have to have support bracket in the middle. A track would allow you to completely open the curtains, and could be mounted inside the window or out.

PLEASE promise me that before you do anything, buy some paint that matches the window frames, and paint those in-between white things. It will be great, because it will that entire window thing look like one, nice unit. Trust me.

If you absolutely refuse to this out of some kind of fear that the resulting brown/bronze will be too thick, then you must at LEAST paint that the lighte brown of the walls to each side.

Meanwhile, I DO like the idea of a cornice box, which could either be made of MDF, if you want it to have a built-in architectual feel, or perhaps some kind of upholstered fabric kind. Then of course the rod hardware that you use to hang it will be covered, so it really won't matter how you made that part happen.

If your curtains are the grommet-topped curtains, that the beauty of the grommet will be lost.

Meanwhile, I LOVE the idea the RPCHI had of using plumbing pipe and the connecting hardware for that -- it would be so very, very strong, and in my opinion, handsome, if showing, and if you're using that whole cornice idea, it wouldn't show anyway.

The first thing I thought of was for you to get a tension rod. I think it makes the most sense for this space.

Woops, I meant to write more.. haha. There are sturdy tension rods out there. I have one in my bathroom which I have no idea where it came from because I didn't put it in there. I'm guessing the Container Store. But I think it will work better in your space then hanging a curtain rod. I would do all white sheers but I am a sucker for those :)

Ooh. I second the roman shades comment. Hanging any kind of curtains in this space will end up blocking part of the window, limiting your light and making your windows seem smaller. A nice roman shade across the whole space would look just as pretty and soft, and would give you even better light protection when you put them down, vs trying to draw they curtains at night.

why not a metal umbra tension rod? they aren't flimsy and can easily cover that distance. i've got one. $25 on amazon or bb&b.

Gracious Home will custom-cut a curtain rod for you, and show you what kind of ceiling mount you need. They have a reputation for being fusty Upper East Side-y, but their customer service (in my experience) has always been great.

If you would not need to slide the drapes open, another option would be velcro on the ceiling (stapled at an angle, maybe) with matching velcro on the panels.

I think the Ikea cable system is probably the best though I would hang the cable from the walls adjacent to the windows. You would get a nice tight line across and not have to worry about anchors in the ceiling.

how about an easy DIY answer?! i made my own tension rod ... i had the same issue, and went to home depot and bought a 2" wood dowel and had them cut it about 1/2 in shorter than the width of my window. then i bought a package of rubber leg tip replacements that look like http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatalogSearchResultView?D=948070&Ntt=948070&catalogId=10051&langId=-15&storeId=10051&Dx=mode matchallpartial&Ntx=mode matchall&recN=113261&N=0&Ntk=P_PartNumber> this. pound the leg tips onto the rod, slide your curtains on, then gently pound your rod into place with a rubber mallet. works like a charm, no hardware to install, and was less than $20.

cafe curtains

The shower curtain rod in our bathroom is like a giant tension rod, and I think you can get them at Target for around $10- it's been a few years, so I can't remember for sure but I know it was very reasonable. It could be a presentable option if your curtains were tab-top or had really big openings. Not sure if that will work for you, but I thought I'd throw it out there.

I also love the suggestion to paint the white area between the windows, and agree that it would make it look like one HUGE window and look awesome!

I work at a home decor fabric store and we sell a rod called an I-Beam which has gliders on a beam (it kind of looks like this: http://www.curtainfair.com/archtrac/archtmgif/index-ibeam-reg.jpg). These can be mounted on the ceiling, either flush to the ceiling of extended down from the ceiling. I'm in Vancouver Canada so I don't know how much help that would be to you but if you contact your local fabric store of look up drapery installers in your yellow pages and ask them about I-beams (they should know what it is and where to get it)

My company manufactures many curtain rods and brackets for these type of installations.
You may want to look at these options.
http://www.campbellironworks.com/curtain_rods_ceiling.html
http://www.campbellironworks.com/b_aluminum_curtain_rod_mira.html
http://www.campbellironworks.com/curtain_rod_cafe_door_cup_bracket.html