Curtains? Pole Or Rack?

When I walk into a room, if it's decorated properly, my eyes are drawn to the curtains. You may not realize it, but fabric choices and color are not the only parts of your curtain that make a statement. Often, how they are hung can be just as much a part of the style. Your choices are very simple - pole or track?

Pole Curtains

Curtain poles, (sometimes referred to as rods) go beyond function and extend into part of the window design itself. Curtains that are made to hang from a pole are made to reveal the pole when the curtains are pulled open. If they are cut in a "tab top" fashion or something similar, then the pole becomes part of the window treatment even when the curtains are drawn closed.

Your pole options are nearly as various as your curtain choices. There is virtually a pole for every room design! There are metal poles, wooden poles, ornate poles or plain poles. Whatever color or style you are using in your room, you can find a pole that will blend well with it. Besides the actual pole itself, there are decorative sinnials that attach to the end of the pole to add a decorative touch.

If you have a room with windows that meet at a corner, you can always opt for bay poles. These are poles that curve with the corner so that you don't have to have a break between the curtains of each window. Bay Poles allow the curtain to slide fluidly from one window, through the curve of the corner, over to the adjacent window.

Track Curtains

Track Curtains offer a completely different style than Pole Curtains. The track is not generally part of the design and is usually made in such a way that it is completely covered by the curtain whether open or drawn shut. Track curtains are ideal for layered curtains and have the benefit of being controlled by a draw cord. People often use track curtains for a more formal look.

Track Curtains also have a Bay option to keep curtains flowing between adjacent windows. One thing to keep in mind about track curtains is that it takes a little bit more work to take them down and put them back up. So, if you plan on having them cleaned, you need to keep in mind that you'll want to research how to remove them from their hooks and where the hooks are located for reassembly.