Curtain rods come in such beautiful styles and designs today that it is a shame that they are covered up with curtains! But beautiful curtain rods can really add a touch to the curtain that completely make the look. Using curtain rods to advantage is one of the most important decorating secrets. What is a curtain rod? There are three main parts to a curtain rod.

The "pole" is the primary section that holds the curtain. Finials cap off the end of the rod and give it a finished and polished look. And finally, there are the brackets that hold the rod to the wall. Each of these parts can be plain or decorative. Most curtain poles, the main part, are adjustable and can be shortened or lengthened, depending on the width of the window. You can even make a window appear wider by extending the rod past the frame of the window. The finials are the end caps, and can be plain or made of very ornate materials, such as crystal, carved wood, etc. They should match the rod; don't have a fancy finial with a plain rod, but the nice thing is that you can easily change finials to get a new look for your rod. Next are the brakets, which can also be a part of the overall design. Many brackets are elaborate in design and stick out from the wall and add a complete design feature of their own, such as circles or fleur de lis patterns.

Hanging rods can create a totally new look for your room, but it is important to know how to place rods. Hanging them too high or too low can ruin the look of the window treatment. If your ceilings are very high, placing the rods too low and close to the windows will create a big space between the window and ceiling.

Better to place the rod a little higher and make the window look more in tune with the height of the room. If you need to make a window look wider, perhaps because it is a different width from the other windows in the room, you can extend the width by bringing the rods out further on each side of the window. Since the curtains are on the outside of the window, this will create the illusion that the window goes all the way to the edge of the curtains. You should also think about double and triple rods to create a layered look for the window. You can hang sheer curtains on one rod, and then heavier drapes on the next rod to have a mix of textures and colors. Layering such as this, in addition to adding an insulating quality to the window, is very rich looking.

If you use your imagination, you can find other uses for curtain rods as well. Beautiful tapestries can be hung from a carved looking rod, giving a medieval look; an ugly wall that cannot be repaired can be covered in this way and add beauty, warmth and noise abatement. With imagination, the sky's the limit.