The significance of curtain rods when giving your windows new life with new window coverings is often overlooked, however can make or break the look of your homes entire décor if done wrong. If you know exactly what you can do with the curtain rod will help you in choosing the decorating dilemma that you're now facing with your home.

There are three distinctive parts to a curtain rod. First is the pole, that actually does the holding of the fabric. Next are the finials which will be used to cap off the ends of the pole, and lastly the brackets that actually mount the pole to the wall.

Most rods are adjustable and are made of two separate pieces that slide into one another in order to adjust the length of the pole from shorter to longer. You can actually change the entire appearance of the whole window just by sliding the poles, making the windows look longer.

Now the finials can be fabricated out of many different materials. They can go from being very elaborate all the way to being very simple in structure. They can be made of blown glass, or carved from wood. You'll want to be sure to match the rod part or the entire look can be thrown off entirely. You can change these without having to change everything as well.

Usually the brackets are hidden, however you can choose to get ones that are more decorative and visible if that's what you so wish to do.

You can easily manipulate the appearance of your windows by the placement of which you hang your curtain rods. You can elongate the look of the window by hanging the curtains higher if there is space between the ceiling and the top of the window. There's really no right or wrong way, however there is usually a way in which you can make the things look better.

As well, if you want wider looking windows, you can slide the pole out and hang the drapes wider. Do not let the edges of the window show, and therefore measure by pulling the drapes all the way open to the edge of the window and going wider from there.

If you like you can use the double and triple rod styles to layer curtains, which will let you layer two different styles or patterns of material. This also holds the function of not letting a draft through on older windows that tend to do this. It also leaves a darker rich look for rooms such as dining rooms, living rooms, or even bedrooms creating layers to shield the sun.

You can also use a curtain rod to hang and support wall coverings that are made of decorative fabric. This can help cover an ugly wall, add and accent and ambience to an otherwise plain room, or help control the noise of a room since noise does not easily deflect off of fabric.

There are many ways to aid you in your home building needs just by using curtain rods and being creative. I'm sure you'll find plenty ways to use them in your home.