Hello AT,
If I cant find it, I figure someone on AT can, so here I go:
Im looking for curtain rods (like the really awfully drawn picture that look nice (preferably stainless steel). Everywhere Ive looked they are ugly and have extenders on them as if the curtain is not meant to go all the way around the rod which is what I want...
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The curtain I will be using is actually a fabric shower curtain that just has metal holes in them so you will see the rod. Searching for curved curtain rods is proving to be useless.
Thanks guys and big hugs, Elizabeth in AL
Dear Elizabeth in AL,
First of all big hugs to you! and welcome into the question zone from the AT Cure.
The rod you're looking for is one of our favorites and sometimes called a "return rod" because the ends return into the wall. You can certainly find these through any window treatment shop, but the quick-and-easy is to go to Pottery Barn and look for their Metal Drop In Rod or something like that. It's exactly what you want, BUT you won't find it online. For some reason they have never had it on their website, so we always have to go to the store to buy it.
Anyone else have other good sources?
yay!!!! my question got posted!!!!
view elizabeth in AL's profile
I LOVE your rod rendition! At first, it was terribly confusing for me (pre-coffee) but now I get it.
I don't have any advice on where you should start looking so good luck in your quest.
view jessica's profile
now that i know what they're called, i found one at smith and noble and one on amazon....man i tried soooo hard to find them and my mother just said "oh...that's what you were talking about."
thanks to maxwell for his patience!!
view elizabeth in AL's profile
OK, if you order from this company, you will start getting a catalog with the butt-ugliest curtains you have ever seen, but I think this is the rod you want. It is called a "return rod" and I have them in black at home, but they do come in a steel finish as well.
http://www.countrycurtains.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=1366&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=106&iSubCat=195&iProductID=1366
view robyn's profile
robyn - those are the ones!! they're also the ones I saw on amazon and the review of them said that they open someway (which, silly me, forgot to even think about that - imagine having off white curtains stuck on your walls forever!!). could you maybe explain how it is they open?
thanks a lot!
view elizabeth in AL's profile
Crate and Barrel has some too, here:
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/curtain-accessories/rugs-curtains/1
Thanks so much for posting this question! I'm trying to do the exact same thing, but hadn't been able to find them in antiqued brass.
view wowkate's profile
As does Pottery Barn:
http://www.potterybarn.com/products/p7402/index.cfm?pkey=cprwwhwall
view guiniveve's profile
Restoration Hardware calls them "single hotel rods": http://www.restorationhardware.com/rh/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod3560022&navCount=6
They also have a double rod version.
view sam1's profile
i own and use the ones you're talking about from amazon (in fact, the customer review is mine from months ago). i really dig 'em -- the middle part slides into either end, so the curtain is able to hang and be opened/moved all the way around. you put up one end first, slide in the extender, then slide on the other end, which you then put up. all set.
however, they're not perfect. it's hard to explain what my issue was with them. they have a kind of complicated connecting-to-wall system that serves a purpose (you can just turn some knobs to take off the curtain rods, but maintain the connection to the wall [using a separate small plate], to change the curtains, wash them, whatever), but i couldn't get it to work. so i just screwed in the rods, disregarding the connecting plates. if i ever want to change out the curtains i'll have to unscrew the rods completely from the wall, rather from the connecting system (which stays put) which if i did a lot, would mess up and enlarge the hole in my window frame.
but i haven't yet had a reason to take down the curtains or the rod, and the system might work for you -- i'm just not handy at all and got fed up and improvised.
they look nice, do the job, so no complaints on that end. overall, they work for me. i wish i could provide an illustration to explain my issue, since i know it is probably totally incomprehensible.... if i have time later today (which is doubtful) i will try to do a little drawing in "paint" to clarify.
view biskinikill's profile
heh. you can email me at pjpixie1104@aol.com if you like. i wish i had thought of being able to take the curtains off to wash them - black cat, old apartment. but i'm sure there is a way.
view elizabeth in AL's profile
elizabeth in AL ... to change the curtains, you have to unscrew the decorative screw covers that are on the mounting plate part of the rod (2 per side) then the whole rod comes off. There are back plates (that you don't see in any of the pictures) that are screwed into the wall or window frame with threaded ends sticking out of them, then the rod with the coverplates goes over that and the little covers cover up the threaded ends. Does that make sense? Anyway, it is not difficult, except I would say that if you have a very long window, you may need a helper to hold one end for you.
view robyn's profile
no that makes perfect sense!! they're for single windows - large but not too long. this is all so much help and i will have my work set out for me this weekend - payday is tomorrow and now i can get the stuff i've been needing!!
thanks all for the wonderful help!!!
view elizabeth in AL's profile
Sounds like you're all set. But I could also just see a certain kind of shower curtain rod -- the U-shaped kind -- being cut off at each end to do this. But there really probably isn't much variety of sizes, or flexibility about width.
view Curtis's profile