DIY Brass Drapery Rods
9 Materials
6 months ago we moved to a new house that was a "fixer upper" and about 6 weeks ago, we finally turned our attention to our living room that was ignored while we tackled other projects.
Our living room has two large west-facing windows and a large sliding door along the same wall. Due to the intense rays from the sun, I wanted to dress up the windows for filtering of light and adding style to a boring room.
I have a few posts on my blog about DIY drapery and handrail hardware, so I wasn't starting from scratch for this project. However, this was the first time I used shower curtain rings as drapery rings. I bought 3 packs for $1.59 each at Target, which provided 9 rings for each panel.
To create an eyelet for the drapery hooks, I threaded washers through the shower rings. Find them at any hardware store.
I used drapery hooks to attach the drapes through the eyelet created by the washer. Cheap and available on amazon. The drapes pictured below have a built-in system for attaching them to a rod using a pole pocket, back tab or with rings/hooks (like I did!).
For drapery, I used the same "AINA" 100% linen panels that you can purchase at IKEA for $60 pair. Absolutely the best buy I have have found. And they come long so you can hem to length, if needed. Emily Henderson recommends these drapes in this post: https://stylebyemilyhenderson.com/blog/secrets-to-inexpensive-but-good-drapery
Here is an image of how they attach.
For brackets I used these polished brass posts. Source information on my blog. However, I would like to mention that these posts, the shower curtain rings + washer combination are all original ideas from Kristin at The Hunted Interior. Here is a link to her post: http://www.huntedinterior.com/2014/10/lucite-drapery-rods-brass-standoffs.html#.V2wOdWNH_zI
For the brass rods, I went to a local raw metal source. Details on my blog. I considered other rods, like the estate metal set from Restoration Hardware, but I don't believe those are solid brass. These tubes are hollow, but have a heavy duty wall thickness and the metal is 100% brass. I chose a 1.5" diameter, but they are available in any size. They have a beautiful, slightly worn patina. They are unpolished/unlacquered so they will be easy to brighten with metal polish or will age in time, if desired. Rod prices vary depending on diameter and length. I paid $207 for a 77" rod and 54" rod. My source has franchises all over the country, but if there isn't one near you, call my contact and she will ship the rods to your door!
Put it all together, and voila! GORGEOUS brass drapery for a good price (considering the quality). For additional light filtering, we added inexpensive bamboo roman shades from Home Depot.
Part of my reason for choosing brass was because of how beautifully brass pairs with a navy blue backdrop.
The AINA curtains in "white" are actually a beautiful Ivory.
I haven't decided whether or not to cap the ends, but they look great either way!
The layered texture does so much for this space.
And the clear rings just float across the brass.
Thanks for reading! Please stop by my blog for source information and more details or how our living room is coming together.
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Comments
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2 of 74 comments
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I am envisioning vintage crystal or China door knobs as end caps. Also, I will be looking for brass rods in the recycle/reuse hardware stores. Think I can save a couple hundred dollars. Thank you!
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I don't have a question. I'm going to look into this, but maybe do small grommets to clip the rings into.
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Lovely but would need something just as nice but for a lot less money. I'm afraid this is out of my budget. Why was it necessary to skimp on the plastic hanging rings with such pricey rods?
Brilliant. But you lost me with washers? What were those for???
I have wooden curtain rods, I’m having a hard time finding brackets in the correct size. Rod is 1 3/8 diameter. Need
brackets in any material, wood or metal. Saw some online but very expensive and sold as individual pieces not a pair. Any suggestions?