Work in our kitchen and sun porch is continuing, and Alex has been toiling away on the assembly of our new cabinets. This seemingly simple "assemble and go" project has of course has spiraled into baseboard removal, wine fridge platform woodworking, and the like. Plus we're still waiting on two key pieces to be arrive (the estimated delivery date isn't until next Thursday!). We hope to have some after photos to share with you soon.

But while he's been dealing with the downright dirty, I've turned my attention to the "fun" stuff. You know, like painting the white hutch and tackling the window treatments.

While we were in IKEA last weekend purchasing the new cabinets and butcher block counters, I took us on a slight detour through the curtains department. I was on the hunt for inexpensive white panels that we can hang in the sun porch to soften the look of the bamboo blinds. The shopping gods must have been smiling that day because I found exactly what I was looking for. For a mere $10 per panel, the Lenda curtains were my answer.

These beauts are a soft white fabric, are slightly translucent (without looking cheap), and have a really nice vertical line pattern that makes them a little more special. They're sold in packs of two, so I picked up two packages for a total of four panels and home they came.

I'm not a huge fan of the tab tops, so I plan to cut these off while I'm hemming them to length. (Okay, so I use the term "hemming" loosely as I don't know how to sew, nor do I own a sewing machine. I'll be using the iron on tape that came with the curtains.)

So now I'm faced with a bit of a dilemma. I know the area on the left will need one long curtain rod, and I'll hang one panel on either side. But the question is, what I should do with the windows on the back wall of the sun porch?

Option A includes hanging one long rod, treating the three windows and door as one giant "window"? If I go this route, should I hang one panel on the far left next to the small window, and one on the far right in the corner? This would avoid the issue of the curtains getting dirty from outside grime/being shut in the door as we enter and exit and would give us the privacy of covering the full glass back door if needed.

Or, do I go with option B: hang a small rod over the small window, and a medium rod over the set of two windows, leaving the door curtainless? And if I go this route, I don't think I have the room to hang curtains on either side of the small window (nor do I have this many panels), and as I mentioned above, I don't want to fight with them getting caught in the door. 

In other news, I have the curtain rod all picked out (a simple bronze color rod with an understated finial), but sadly they were out of stock at our local Target and aren't available online. I'll head to another location this week to continue my search. Other window treatment plans include cutting down the bamboo blinds so they're recessed between the windows, and are no longer flush mounted. My hope is that this will break up their visual weight.

So in terms of the great rod debate, what do you think? Honestly I think I'm leaning toward bigger is better and vote for Option A for privacy and practicality reasons. Care to share your two cents on the matter?

Comments 26

Comments

Anne
8/23/2012 at 1:01 PM
Option A, you'd be surprised how often my ikea curtains almost get caught in my closing sliding door.
Wendy
8/23/2012
Thanks Anne! That was my suspicion, the same way our coats get caught in the basement door. :-)
8/23/2012 at 2:23 PM
I would most definitely go with option A! It will look more balanced, I think.
Wendy
8/23/2012
Thanks for your feedback, Ashley!
Sarah R
8/23/2012 at 2:59 PM
I'd probably go with Option A, but if you're really unsure, can you do a little photoshop to see if one looks better to you before you pull the trigger on a rod?
Wendy
8/23/2012
Definitely a good idea, thanks Sara. I was trying to do the lazy man's photoshop with Aviary for this post, and it was so amateur I was to embarassed to share it. I think the single rod will look pretty good, and now because of my lame attempt I'm even more excited about hanging curtains!
Karin K
8/23/2012 at 3:08 PM
OK...I've spent 20 minutes trying to remember where I recently saw a blog post on DIYing your own rods out of metal tubing...and I could swear she (whichever blogger it was!) spraypainted them ORB. And I know that black electrical tape was used to get the finials to fit snugly. Argh! Why can't I remember?? Anyway - it was a thought, in case you can't find the ones you've picked out. As for Option A vs. B, I would literally tape them up in a bunch, both on just the corners and then at each window, and step way back to see how they look.
Karin K
8/23/2012 at 3:37 PM
Finally! The curtain rod business is explained here: www.houseofhepworths.com/2011/10/11/how-to-make-a-cheap-awesome-professional-curtain-rod/
I REALLY need to use the "Pin" button more often.
Wendy
8/23/2012
Wow! Thanks for sharing the link. $8 for a 10' long curtain rod is ridiculous!
8/23/2012 at 4:53 PM
What about leaving the small window without a curtain and instead applying a diffusing light filter on it (I can't think of what they're really called)? Then you can just treat the windows on the right as their own separate space.
Wendy
8/23/2012
That's not something I had thought of. Thanks, Becky!
Rachel C
8/23/2012 at 5:55 PM
I've done the House of Hepworths electrical conduit curtain rod DIY and it works so well!!! I really like how it allows you to avoid that "seam" that you have with adjustable length rods. And I even made an extra long rod that was longer than the longest length of conduit by using a threaded metal rod inside to join two lengths of conduit (rod found in the dowel section of Lowe's). Definitely can't beat the price!!
Wendy
8/24/2012
I'm definitely going to look into this. Thanks Rachel!
Evelyn
1/20/2013 at 3:16 AM
Hi I was wondering if you had a photo of the piece you used to connect the two rods? I saw the one that goes on the outside of the rods and I don't really care for it. This option sounds much better!
8/24/2012 at 12:41 AM
Option A, definitely.

If you choose to go with option A, the curtains become non-functional, or stationary, so you could forgo the rod. Have you thought of using knobs, or rings, to hang your curtains from the tabs? This is an inexpensive option, plus you can get some neat knobs that would compliment the age of your house. Look at these...

www.target.com/p/target-home-1-1-4-ring-round-knob-10-pack-oil-rubbed-bronze/-/A-13330705

Or...

www.target.com/p/sumner-street-4-pc-oil-rubbed-bronze-knob/-/A-12111863

(I love egg shaped knobs). A couple of tabs over one knob would gather nicely. Space the knobs a few inches apart on the wall above the windows.
Wendy
8/24/2012
Thanks for your two cents, Gretchen! I'm leaning toward option A still, and even though I really like the look of the knobs, I still want the flexibility to be able to close the curtains. This room feels the effects of extreme temps, and I think being able to pull the curtains in front of the door would be a nice option to have. (Even though Alex makes fun of me when I close every curtain in the house on hot summer days!) :-)
8/24/2012 at 12:41 AM
I must apologize- I get really excited about this topic! I would do one rod across the top- might look a little funny, but less "stuff" going on and I like it simple. I would push one curtain panel to the far left, over the smaller window and the three remaining panels to the right.

In our house, we have a big window (66" wide and 44" high) immediately adjacent to the front door. Rather than have a panel bunched up at the door, I push both panels to the far left. It sounds ridiculous but I LOVE it, and I admire it all the time!
#lovedrapes!
Wendy
8/24/2012
I'm so glad I'm not the only person who gets excited about window treatments! :-) Thanks for your two cents!
8/24/2012 at 9:40 AM
I definitely think option A since you don't want the curtains to keep getting caught by the door. I think it'll look great regardless. We've actually done a similar look for our <a href="www.nicolelitton.com/bedroom-window-update/">bedroom windows.</a> We also used the LENDA curtains, cut the tabs off, and use the clip rings to hang them. It looks great! I can't wait to see how it all comes together for you guys.
8/24/2012 at 9:41 AM
Whoops! Here's the link to that post: www.nicolelitton.com/bedroom-window-update/
Wendy
8/24/2012
Oooh, thanks for sharing, Nicole. Your windows look fantastic!
8/24/2012 at 12:00 PM
I vote for Option A! I did something similar to the House of Hepworths method another commenter mentioned above, but I used copper pipe so it was slightly more expensive (wish I had known about electrical conduit previously). Still ended up less than a 10' extendable curtain rod! Plus, you don't have to deal with the annoying transition piece that the extendable rods have :-) Both your kitchen and sun porch are looking great. Can't wait to see the BB countertops and wine "bar"!
Wendy
8/24/2012
Thanks, Meredith! So funny, I had actually suggested copper pipe to Alex last weekend before I learned about the electrical conduit. Knowing how much we spent on the copper "shower curtain rod" fix in our old master bath, EC seems like a much more cost effective way to go.

I'm so excited to get to the final touches stage of the room. We still have a long way to go, furniture to buy, counters to install, etc., but it seems like it's coming together. Can't wait to share the after pics! :-)
8/24/2012 at 1:22 PM
I'll have to look up your copper "shower curtain rod," hadn't seen that! Such a great tip about the EC, I'm very happy to know about that for the future. I know there's still a lot to do, but it seems to be coming along pretty quickly. I'm sure you're itching to get to the "after," but it's fun seeing the "middle" part too! Keeps it real :-)
Threadbndr (Karla)
8/28/2012 at 10:10 AM
Option A. That back wall is broken up enough as it is, so the one long rod with the matching panels in each corner will help unify it.

Thanks to the other posters for the conduit tip! I need to do new (high and wide) curtain rods in my master bedroom and being able to get the perfect custom length will be wonderful.
Wendy
8/28/2012
Thanks, Karla! I think we're definitely going with Option A. :-)
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