Inexpensive Bay Window Treatments
You Can Do Yourself !
Bay window treatments can sometimes be really difficult when it comes to designing the right curtain. Many times the wall space between bay windows will not allow for certain kinds of drapery hardware.If hiring an interior designer is out of the question, NO WORRIES! You can choose your own design, your fabric for drapes, and install them yourself! Not only will you save hundreds of dollars, but your will have a professional custom look! So, let's get started teaching you how!
When trying to design for bay windows, one problem that you don't want your curtains covering too much of the windows. You don't want to lose too much light, or too much of your view. Well, the custom curtain example below solves this problem. And what I love about this design is that it definitely falls under the category of "cheap window treatments". Below is a simple design and a unique idea for drapery hardware that you can do yourself. To save money, consider ready-made drapery panels. There are several places where you can purchase them. Target and Lowe's both carry a wide variety of drapery panels. My favorite company where I purchase ready-made panels is
Half Priced Drapes.com
They sell the most extensive line, at fabulous prices. Their quality is outstanding.
Before
For this dining room decorating idea, I decided given the size of the windows, to only add panels on the two outside windows. In order to not have the middle window looking totally bland and left out, I added two metal scrolls above the window. These I found at a local craft store for under $15.00. They help bring the whole window together!So, your first step is to measure for your drapery panels. You want to hang your finials about 3"-6" above your window depending on how much wall space you have. Mark that spot with a pencil, and then measure from that point to the floor. If you want your drapery panel to puddle, then you will want to purchase panels that are at least 10" longer than your measurements. For example, if you measured 82" total, then you will want your panels to be at least 92" long. Don't worry if they are more than 10".
Next, to save money, I purchased black finials, black rings, two black tie backs, and pinch pleat drapery hooks. Your local hardware store carries all of these items. Each finial cost $5, which is a great price for drapery hardware. I used the black finials to hang the panels.
When using finials that will be mounted into the wall, always put a wall anchor in to secure your finials.Below is a drawing of a plastic wall anchor. You use a large screwdriver and screw it into your wall. Then all you have to do is screw your finial directly into the wall anchor. (Your finial already has a screw attached to the back)
You can use three or four finials, but in this instance I thought four looked just right. Measure out your window, and divide your window up by four to space each finial evenly.Next, measure your drapery panel the same way; spacing out evenly. Mark each spot with a pencil and place your pinch pleat drapery hooks into the fabric. Your rings will have a small eye hook. This is what you will use to hook your drapes onto the rings. Place your ring onto the finial and screw into the wall. Don't forget to use your wall anchor. After you have attached your four finials, hook your drapery panel into the eye hooks on each ring. Next all you need to do is hang your two curtain tieback finials. Come about half way down the window, and about 4"-5" from the window frame. Again using a wall anchor, attach your tieback finial. There you have it! Wasn't that easy?
Another great bay window treatment idea is to hang long panels on the outside of your bay window, and then hang roman shades, cloth pull-down shades, or bamboo blinds on the three inset windows. For your long drapery panels use decorative hooks and rings to hang your panels. You will want to insert drapery hooks into the back of your panels, then hook onto the rings. These make great cheap window treatments, especially if your purchase ready-made panels. Good luck with your DIY project!
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