Measuring Drapery Pole

[ditycon]

Please give me advice on how to measure a drapery pole for my dining room window. I plan to mount the pole close to the ceiling (which has crown molding) and I have a 3-sectioned window totaling 106". I plan to make traditional panel drapes w/ french pleats and would like to know how far the pole should extend on either side of the window frame.

[Annette]

there's probably a hard-and-fast rule about that, but i don't know it or care about it. i think it depends on how much of the window glass you want exposed when the panels are drawn (or just hanging) to the sides. you can create the illusion of a much bigger window by letting the fabric hang almost entirely in front of the wall instead of over the window. or you can do the reverse and have the drapery hanging over the glass. the choice is yours.

is this just a drapery pole or a traverse rod?

[Kobuchi]

When it's down to non-too-crucial inches, I establish the *exact* dimension by pulling some proportion out of the room. You can be very systematic about this, working from the existing proportioning system of the room (e.g. pole extension is to window height as window height is to window width) or just pick an arbitrary proportion like 1/3 distance to wall. One architect famously used his own body for all proportions.

[ditycon]

Thanks for the responses - Annette, I'm just looking at doing a wooden drapery pole

[Annette]

actually, the easiest way to do it, and this is what i do, is get the drapery in hand and hold it up somehow (if you already have the rod & rings, attach it all together, or if you don't have the rod yet, use anything - a broom handle, your shower curtain rod, anything you can get the curtain to hang from while you & someone else hold it up) & take a look at how wide it will be (or how wide you'll want it to be) when hanging straight down. then figure out how much (if any) of the window and/or moulding you want covered by the fabric when they're hanging to the side. then install the rod accordingly.

i think the longest wooden pole you're going to find is 96", so plan on using 2 shorter poles together. where they meet will be hidden behind your center support bracket.