Jewelry for window treatments

Most designers agree that window treatments rank high in terms of their impact on the overall appearance of a well-designed room. In turn, drapery hardware plays an important role in the success of the window treatments. Rods and poles, finials and holdbacks, rings and ceiling brackets - these window dressing accoutrements are the home décor equivalent of the perfect necklace or earrings, finishing a look with aplomb.

Décor Accents

One visit to Décora Accents and you'll discover that there are myriad possibilities when it comes to installing and accenting beautiful window treatments. In 1998, owner Astor Zieper opened his doors with only 35 drapery hardware items to offer. Today, the businessman proudly showcases more than 600 items in a recently expanded 2,400 sq ft showroom - Canada's single largest collection of customized drapery hardware.

Decorative drapery enhancements

Whether you prefer old-world wrought-iron, modern glass, antique bronze, frosted resin, silver or gold-leaf, the selection today is immense. "We've never lost a client over not having the perfect colour," Zieper smiles. However, the downside of a vast selection is that it can be overwhelming for clients to narrow down choices.

According to Camal Pirbhai, whose company La Beauté Designs makes window coverings for the city's top designers, "The right drapery hardware can transform plain curtains and draperies into spectacular and stylish window treatments." But with so many options, just how do you choose?

Start by considering the overall look and impression you are trying to achieve. A serene and restful living space might benefit from simple draperies with nickel or copper accents while a dramatic window treatment would look great with more exuberant hardware, say colourful brackets or holdbacks. A dark wood rod is a more formal choice than a light wood pole. Glass and resin work well for modern styles while brass or antique copper are more suitable to traditional windows. Tab curtains suit casual window treatments while rings offer a more sophisticated finish. These decisions can be made by seeking advice from either a designer or drapery maker.

Finials, the decorative ends to rods, can be carved and intricate or sleek and modern. They can range in price from $49 to $259 per finial. Placing the rod and finials near the ceiling adds height to a room. Holdbacks, which pull drapery panels back in an elegant swoop, are available in every available material and style, with prices that vary accordingly. When tying drapery panels back consider where the swag will rest. Often, designers prefer to align the swag with a window mullion or the window sill. Brackets, made of either metal or wood, secure poles to the wall or ceiling and range in price between $17 and $23 each.

Selecting drapery hardware

Before selecting the appropriate drapery hardware for installation purposes consider the window treatment's functionality says drapery maker Camal Pirbhai. Questions such as, will my window treatments be stationary? Do they need to open and close? Is the overall look dramatic or restful? The answers to these questions will determine the hardware's suitability.

"The issues become more complicated when the windows are not standard," says Pirbhai. It seems that many of today's builders are intent on creating new and more complicated ways of making windows - from rounded expanses and corner windows to Palladian or arched windows, there are times when a standard pole will not suffice.

Hardware for problem windows

For curved windows Zieper suggests clients use small sections of rod to follow the contour of the window or rely on a more "invisible" traverse track system which is suspended from the ceiling. The traverse system is similar to a hospital curtain and looks quite smart in contemporary interiors. To accommodate a bay window whose three sections meet at angles, there are rods that have mitered corners, allowing the rod to gracefully follow the lines of each window. And, for corner windows, Zieper recommends the use of flexible corner joiners, which allow the rod to be bent at odd angles. Each of these options, though highly specialized, is readily available and affordable.

An exciting addition to the hardware line is the patented Rod-Runner system, which sells for $169 and $390 depending upon the finish and the length of the pole. The Rod-Runner accommodates two sets of draperies or a combination of blinds and draperies with one rod. A standard rod displays fixed drapery panels which sit in the foreground, while the easy glide ring system allows a secondary panel or accent blind to work simultaneously.