Curtain Rods

Curtain rods can be some of the most important purchases for the look and feel of your home décor.  There are a variety of shapes and sizes that can either highlight or detract from the design structure of the particular room.  Options range from single heavy duty rods to crazy unique designs found in popular department stores such as Sears and JC Penny.  My personal favorite curtain rods consist of an antique and classical design.  The double twist drapery gives off a sensual elegance that is rare in contemporary American household design. 

Price

You may be wondering what the right price point is for quality curtain rods.  Quality rods can be purchased for under $20 however you’ll have to get lucky and find them on clearance.  You should spend somewhere in the neighborhood of $50 per rod if you’re looking to not give off a tacky feel.  Whether you’re furnishing a double wide trailer or multi-million dollar mansion, you don’t have to spend a ton of money to get the right look.  You don’t want to go too cheap though.  If you buy dirt cheap materials you could end up making your multi-million dollar mansion look like that double-wide.  Now that would be unfortunate.

One of the best national retailers for curtain rods happens to be JC Penny.  Decorating your windows couldn’t get easier than shopping here.  The overall design of the store screams high end department store and the sales people are knowledgeable about their products.  I can’t tell you how many times I was on the verge of tears from not being able to find the right rod for my living room and bed rooms.  By hightailing it to JC Penny, I not only received great service from their crack team of seasoned sales professionals, I also saved a ton of money.

Materials

These days, most curtain rods are made of some type of metal alloy.  The metal alloys allow for the bar to be strong and durable.  Metal rods are also easily painted to whichever color your heart desires.  They can allow for extensions to be added for additional length when needed as well.  One thing I would caution is to make sure the edges of the rods are not sharp.  If you have small children in your home, they often pull on curtains which rips down the rod.  The last thing you want is a small child hurting themselves on a sharp object which is falling from the sky.

 Size

Be sure to measure your curtain rings to be sure that the girth of the rod is small enough.  I’ve had two specific instance when I purchased a brown rod that happened to be too thick for the white rings that I was trying to force my way into.  I tried everything from lubing them up with WD-40 to just trying to ease them on with a little extra special care.  If the rings are too small, then they’re too small.  The best thing to do is measure the bar ahead of time to be sure. 

Return policy

Make sure you purchase your curtain rods from a reputable retailer.  This is especially important if you buy online.  That’s why I typically like to make all my home decoration purchases in person.  If I have questions regarding the quality of the product there are usually plenty of sales people who’s many years in retail sales has yet to crush their spirit into leaving a customer dissatisfied.  When I leave a store having spend $80 or so dollars, I have the confidence that if these curtain rods don’t look right on my windows, they can be easily returned to the store for a full refund.  No questions asked.