Choice Is Key: Varieties Of Poles

Pole style curtain rods are the largest type and are often referred to as curtain poles. They are often designed for large windows and can hang fairly heavy curtains and drapes. These are classy and classic looking window accessories. They come in wide range of styles and forms, so selecting the right one for your window is key. You can alternate different varieties for different rooms and indeed variety is part of the fun with poles. The following are some varieties of curtain poles and tips on selecting the right one:

Metal Poles

There are a variety of curtain poles that are made from metals such as steel, brass, nickel, copper, and bronze. There poles have a lot of appeal. They are beautiful and shiny, giving rooms a truly classic look. They are also sturdy and are thus good for use with heavy curtains and drapes. Décor wise, these types of poles tend to go well with rooms that have other metallic and reflective items such as metal and glass tables, mirrors, and shiny sculptural elements. Often they work well in rooms like living rooms and dining rooms.

Wooden Poles

There are also a wide variety of wooden poles. These poles often have an earthier look than metal. They come, of course, in a huge variety of colours and styles, but they tend to work a bit better with earthier colours and décor than metal poles. They might be used, say, in kitchens, bedrooms, and dens with darker colours and pastels. This is by no means written in stone and there are many possibilities.

Decorative Poles

Almost all poles are decorative to some degree. The decorations are usually used at the ends of the poles, since the pole itself needs to be smooth to easily accommodate the curtains or drapes. These decorative ends can take many forms. The may be ornate orbs, spirals, elliptical, or simple globes. They may be fashioned into sculptural representations like buds, nuts, or animals. The decision to what type of decorative elements to incorporate into your pole choice is up to you, the purchaser. Try to some degree match decorative elements of the poles with styles in the room where the pole will be used. For instance, if you have things like mahogany tables with ornate feet in a room, you may want to select a wooden curtain pole with ornate ends of stained wood. In a modern room with a sharp and minimal coffee table, you might want to go with a decorative metal pole with simple spiral, elliptical, or orb ends.

Heavy vs. Light Duty

The weight of your curtains or drapes are another consideration when thinking of pole varieties. As noted above, metal poles tend to be the sturdiest, but wooden ones can also be quite strong. Much of the strength comes from the diameter of the pole. The length also plays a part. The longer the pole, in general the larger the diameter needs to be. The heavier drapes also need to have poles with larger diameters. For light curtains and shorter windows, light duty poles with smaller diameters are adequate. Often larger poles will overpower smaller windows, so you may want to go with thinner poles in order to get a sense of visual balance as well.