apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Yup, no rings looks "homemade" (in the bad sense of the word, I do like homemade things, done right). With rings looks "custom". As my graphic design prof used to say...

Life is in the details.

I agree 100% and yours look lovely! I have the same setup on my sliding glass door in my family room with the double rods and I have the sheers and the curtains on rings and they slide and hang beautifully.

Elsewhere in the house I don't have the sheers on the rings, but having the outer draped on rings makes a big difference.

Yes, I use almost exclusively rings - although I'm loathe to admit that it's becuase I use scrap fabric for curtains and am too lazy to sew "rod pockets" ;-)

wow------ fantastic.

I have to remember that.

i only see one picture...not a before and after. Is it just me?

I'm having a dumb day. Ignore my post.

Maybe I am having a dumb day, too. I only see one pic.

Thanks for posting this. I have the same setup as the "before" and have been disappointed with how it turned out. I am glad I don't have to scrap the whole thing and start from scratch.

What type of rings did you use? Are they clips or did you sew them on?

This is AT at its best - great info!

Yup, I just learned this myself last week - and now my velvet drapes (Ikea, $60/pair) look awesome.

This is totally correct: I have very plain curtains over sheers in my living room, hanging from Umbra hardware and rings. It is the FIRST thing people comment on when they come over.

I'm convinced. I think I just figured out my weekend snowed-in project.

i'm with you kittyj, or a sew a rod pocket that is actually too small for my curtain rod

Another great advantage of the rings is how much easier it makes it to pull the drapes closed - so much better!

I totally agree that it's all in how they hang, but there's more to it than just using rings. Appropriate length, the distance between the top of the window and the rod, other small issues that make the whole look balanced and confident.

As another example, many people don't buy enough curtains to properly fill the rod - we have a wall of velvet curtains without rings, but they look good, because we used twice as many panels as we could strictly have gotten away with, and they are very very full and lush looking.

I think the 'hardware makes the look' issue is a large part of why those plain Ikea grommet top panels are so popular (didn't we see them in Sarah Jessica Parker's place recently..?). They hang so beautifully that despite the cheap cotton, you can't tell they aren't from a fancy line.

The before and after are both in one photo. The before--without rings--is the curtain on the right, and the after--with rings--is on the left.

Caliloud,

I used Pottery Barn hardware. I live in Salt Lake City now (I'm born and raised in SF though) and it's hard to find tastefully simple anything here unless I shop at major retailers. The trick in this case was to attach the rings to the middle row of loops on the back of the panels, not the top. The stylist at the store demonstrated that the hook clips virtually disappear with that trick. She was right!

I know that I didn't need to spend so much on hardware, but in the end I really pleased with the brackets -- they have a very simple curve detail that is pleasing, and no oversized, fussy finials. So many look rough hewn and/or cartoonish.

To those of you who aren't seeing the difference -- rings are on the left, polepocket style is on the right.

I suspect this is an idiotic question but, how do you use rings on drapes without the hole for them (grommets for instance)?

Otherkate - you can buy rings that have clips attached to them that grab the fabric.

And vertigo, that's too funny - I've definitely sewen "too small" pockets on more than one occasion!

Aha, thank you!

Thanks Kim-
That is great advice for the clip location, it really does make them hang nicely.

Otherkate,

On some higher end draperies, there are loops to which you may secure the clips so that the clips are hidden. Otherwise, the hooks clip to the drape itself.

I love using the rings. I get mind at Big Lots, and I swear you can't tell the difference between their rings and pricier ones. Granted, I like the very plain, brushed nickel ones. They're hard to make look cheap.

I too would love to see more posts with this combination of practical advice, and personal tone. The things I really remember about AT are the times when I've learned a really neat tip or rule that makes a big difference.

Good look!

If you really don't want to use rings and are buying or making curtains, I like the way ones with back tabs hang... I have these in my living and dining room and the result is really good.

Hear hear Arc.

Window coverings were quite the expense when I purchase my place. I wanted just the right thing.... but for anyone that has not ever had to cover a window.... it can be pricey! So much so when I walk into other peoples homes and look at beautiful window I just see $$ signs.

I have two bay windows. Which in the end translated to hunting for custom window coverings on the cheap- But I insisted on getting the effect I wanted. I wanted curtains for one bay window. And it was looking like 3 sets of hardware per window; 6 brackets, three rods, 6 finials, and most likely 4 panels, and 4 sheers. $$ signs.

After much thought I custom bent 2 steal rods, cut and painted antique black to fit the window perfectly. Bought Pottery Barn duponis off E-bay. I actually bought one huge curtain, cut it in half and then hemmed the panels to size. Then I was able to go with only three brackets (instead of six), 2 finials instead of 6 and 2 sheers and 2 panels for the curtains. OH and the o-rings for the curtains. http://www.flickr.com/photos/16804989@N00/2284678239/

It's been a while, but I think the total cost was under $200, not bad for three windows.

I needed to cover a large space in an open-air pavilion with curtains. We bought canvas drop cloths for 40.00 and hung them from a pipe with the rings--they hung beautifully and looked like expensive drapes. I plan to do the same with the picture window in our living room.

You can also use drapery hooks with rings instead of clip on rings.

At the very, very least these curtains need pressing.

That was slightly weird, as that looks *just* like my living room. I have cast iron hardware from Restoration Hardware with olive drapes and eggshell sheers. Plus we share a name, so I thought maybe I sent that email in my sleep ;)

The other benefit of rings is that the curtains are easier to open and close.