With a little imagination and a few simple DIY tricks, create one of a kind hardware and tiebacks for your curtains from everyday objects.
By : Brian Patrick Flynn
Braced With Bracelets
Many women's bracelets and men's cuffs are the right size for cinching single-width drapery panels. Put bracelets and cuffs to creative use as tiebacks by placing them around drapery panels and hanging freely, or create a more permanent look by attaching them to the wall with Velcro.
Branching Out
Sometimes the perfect object for a lightweight drapery rod may be sitting right outside your window. Branches can make for excellent, sculptural drapery rods with a few simple do-it-yourself updates. Search for a branch with the proper length and width to fit above a window and handle the weight of the chosen drapery panel. Next, cut it to size and spray-paint it in a color which contrasts well against the wall. Lastly, secure standoffs, ready-made drapery rod brackets or L brackets directly to the wall using plastic drywall anchors, then attach the branch with screws or bailing wire.
A Touch of Menswear
When draperies need to be pulled back from or tied back in the middle of a window, neckties are a stylish solution. While freestanding tiebacks simply require a proper Windsor knot slipped up along the bottom of a drapery panel, fixed tiebacks are created with Velcro placed along the back of the neck loop and attached directly to the wall.
A Nod to Nautical
Sisal rope has endless uses when it comes to decorating. To add a nautical touch to windows, consider adding small two-by-two-inch wooden blocks above a window. Then, after cutting a spool of rope to size, knotting each end and sliding drapery rings or panels directly onto it, attach rope securely to blocks with decorative screws and washers. Depending on how tight the rope is pulled before being secured to each block, a more tailored or relaxed look can be achieved.
Fashion Forward
Add a fashionable touch to your curtains by repurposing an old leather belt into a stylish and preppy tieback. Wrap the belt around the gathered drapery panel and add an additional hole to the belt using a nail and hammer. Secure the belt to the wall approximately 10 inches in from the front edge of the belt buckle. Wrap the belt around the drapery panel and buckle in place with the brand-new hole.
Stylishly Sporty
Bring an unexpected touch to a man cave with golf-club drapery rods placed above small windows. In order to use the golf club successfully, pick up C hooks from a home improvement store, secure them into the wall above and alongside the window, slide panels onto the clubs, then secure them to the C hooks.
Nifty Necklace
Get those seldom-worn accessories out of the jewelry box and in plain sight by using necklaces as curtain tiebacks. To ensure the proper effect, stick with necklaces large and thick enough to be seen from different vantage points in the room. If thin pieces are used, they may lose impact and look more like clutter than decorative tiebacks.
Design Home Run
Bring the ball game to a boys' room or grownup guys' space with baseball drapery rod finials. To turn the baseball into a finial, use a paddle bit slightly larger in diameter than the rod, drilling directly into one side of the baseball. Next, position the baseball directly along the end of the rod, securing a tight fit by hand.
Toy Story
Many finials made specifically for children's rooms are branded, themed or too trendy to withstand the test of time. Put a classic spin on a colorful, kid-friendly space by repurposing wooden blocks as finials with wood glue, a drill and paddle bit. Once the proper hole is drilled into the side, secure the blocks to the end of the drapery pole with properly sized screws or bolts.
