A Curving Resolution. Part III
The human brain is fascinating.
It works even when we are asleep.
As such, on occasion, when we first wake we might have a brilliant solution to a vexing problem, a warning, a new approach, and so on.
I call these an EMA, or Early Morning Awareness.
They tend to only work upon first reaching consciousness. They fade by the time one is getting coffee and making breakfast.
Saturday morning I had an EMA. One involving…of all things…a piece of hardware.
In the box containing the hospital tracks were a bunch of these. But no explanation or directions. I even showed one to Godsend Eric. He also just shrugged. But on Saturday morning I knew just what they were.
This hardware would allow the curtain track to be wall-mounted. Oooooh! I have never seen a hospital track wall-mounted. But, in an instant, as I laid in bed, New Kitty nestled in my hand, I realized what mounting the track to the wall could offer.
I could get rid of all the chains! Note: I cannot express my joy in coming to house and being able to effortlessly expose the glorious curved windows in the Receiving Room. And to just as effortlessly conceal them at the end of the day. For a decade this has been a pain.
Yes, all is not perfect. The tracks visually bisect the sconces. Oh dear, what a dreadful first-world problem! Visually bisected sconces!
Possible solutions:
I could lower the sconces.
I could cut off the top of the sconces. Kidding!
I could also remove like 12-inches of track in front of the sconces. The track does not need to be continuous. But, I will let my brain ponder ponder ponder and await my next EMA.
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Why can’t you just bend brass tubing to radius and add finials on the ends? Sheez, you solved the problem but it does not look authentic or great. IF you meant it only as a stopgap measure, it works. Ask a plumbing supply store for the bending tool and bend brass or bronze tubing. Get it right, dadgummit!
Michael, that is just what I did in the parlor.
And it was a ton of work. And it’s a pain to open/close the drapes on the curved windows. I’ve written about this many times.
Have you ever bent copper tubing? And it’s also really hard to get the radius right.
They actually sell curved rods just like that.
Yes, Mary, they do.
But not with the very specific radius I need.
No, I have never done it. However, I love learning new skills like that and I would relish figuring it out. I tiled my mother’s kitchen countertops and backsplash when they had new cabinets installed. I borrowed a book from the Library and knew I could do it. I also made invisible plaster repairs in numerous locations. I didn’t know it was supposed to be difficult to do well. Good Luck bending your tubing.
Michael,
You know I have 17,748 things on my To Do Plate, right?
So, my objective is not to ADD to the list. Or to make things harder than they need be, like simple act of opening/closing a curtain.
Would it make you feel better to know that if I lived close by and if I wasn’t recovering from joint replacement surgery- on my left arm and it is in a sling- I would lend a helping hand and even bend some recalcitrant metal tubing for you? I could even cook you some darned good food. My Oma Betty taught me how to make Austro-Hungarian foods like Paprikas and Rindergulasch. And Spätzle. I could definitely fatten you and your guests up! I hope what could be puts a smile on your face.
Cut the track. It doesn’t have to be continuous. Squeeze the drapes on the side to see exactly how much track you absolutely have to have and then cut the excess. I don’t like the chains and I don’t like the sconces being bisected. Cutting the track is the solution.
As to the Austrian valences/curtains. You can use Velcro and put a strip on the wood behind the track and the other side on the curtains and they can be fixed in place. If you must have them raise and lower, then you’re looking at cords and a rod. If they are sheer, do you really need to raise them up and down?
I agree with mlaiuppa. Cut the tracks, and the Austrian valance/curtains. will be lovely!
Grizz, as I’ve mentioned, I would love love love installing Austrian curtains in all the curved windows of the tower.
But that will cost $2500. So, that is SOOOOOOOOOO not gonna happen.
Some people think I should just make my own Austrian curtains. As I have never touched a sewing machine and, at my age and diminished capacity, adding a whole new skill is not realistic, in addition to sooooooo not wanting to add to the 17,748 things already on my To Do Plate.
It looks so much better now 🙂 I’d cut the track like Mialuppa suggested. And if you find a little pocket of time some day, you could paint them brown/golden, so that they blend in with the windowframes/match the curtains.
Actually, Ross suggested cutting the track.
It was Ross’ idea. Number three on his brainstorm solution list. I just agreed that as the best of the lot in my opinion.
Ross has an eye for this sort of thing and whatever his ultimate solution will be, it will work.
I’m with Mary about cutting the tracks as much as you can, not just to avoid the sconces. I love the drapes, they are luxurious and beautiful.
Ross I’ve followed from the beginning and never commented because it seems like your regulars always have it covered! Today I’m just writing cause it feels like you were thrilled about this solution and the reception isn’t what you were hoping for. But like…sometimes you just want something that works. And this works. It might not be beautiful or charming but it WORKS. I think there are many ways to eventually make this solution fade into the background: paint the track brown or metallic, cut the parts that bisect the sconces, even mount some finials to the wall at the ends to mimic actual drapery rods. This doesn’t need to be a focal point. Once the room is decorated the rails won’t seem so ‘in-your-face’ since there will be so many other interesting things to feast your eyes on. I trust the process. This already looks way better than the chains. Enjoy your smoothly-operating drapes.
Bless you, Renee. Bless you.
I agree that cutting the track, painting it (spray paint works so well for this! I have done it myself) and adding finials would make the whole thing look so much more like it’s meant to be there and help it fade into the background.
But that could easily be a project to undertake in winter, when there’s less to do outside. In the meantime, this is functional and Ross being happy is the important bit!
Paint da tracks! ( as we say at the race track)…for now anyway.
Only Ross would ever end up with visually bisected sconces. Only Ross would come up with a phrase like “visually bisected sconces.” But, yes, definitely cut the track. Then you’ll only have 17,747 things on your to-do list!
A great improvement over the chains! Well done Ross. Like the other rooms in the house, the receiving room will evolve one bit at a time.
My two cents:
I LOVE the visual of the track encircling the whole perimeter of the room, mounted at this height. I think it adds…something. Though in white it is a distraction, when it comes time to actually decorate the room it could be repainted in brown, bronze, brass, etc, as others have mentioned, and it will become background texture, as did the unpopular stained stripes in the floor.
I don’t think you should cut the track – though what we of the internet peanut gallery and what Ross actually does are usually two different things entirely. I feel that if you were to cut it into three separate pieces it will end up looking pretty choppy, like the dormers on the carriage house, and how they cut up the horizontal line at the eaves.
Now, the sconces.
I have always, always, ALWAYS disliked them, and felt that they were sorta not really appropriate for the house anyway. So, my controversial take is that you should do away with them in this space and find another home for them, as this room never sconces there to begin with, and return a ceiling fixture to the space. The right light, with some effort, can and will eventually be found.
Though I’m sure you’ll probably try moving them down a bit, out of the way of the track, I’m betting you’ll find, as I’m picturing in my minds eye, they they will be too low, and will look awkward. I’m not thrilled about the shadows they cast onto the track either, and how they distort it.
Ross, I strongly prefer the lack of chains. So, this change is progress.
I also have kept up with how the herculean task of making both the Cross house and the Carriage house habitable has taken far longer than anticipated. I hope that getting yourself and your kitties situated into either one is foremost and you can wander the place while in EMA, sipping your choice of beverage and having a tail rub your leg while envisioning how to further refine the space.
That said, drape or curtain tubing is a real bother to bend smoothly. solid rod is not. Look for the wrought iron people, the metal fab places and even consider making up a plywood form to get the shape right and heating the rod and doing it yourself. It could even include tighter curves at each end to handle the drapes fully open without covering the walls. Examples
http://kanfabinc.com/samples.html
https://kceind.com/
https://www.bendersteel.com/
As for the desired curtains, this might be off your comfort zone, but the house IS on a main street and gets lots of traffic. Could you put up a sign in the window asking for help in creating the fabulous front you want to project? I’d imagine that there are any number of people that would think ” I could do that” and would love to be able to say “I did that!” for less than a professional seamstress (is that PC?) would need to charge.
Loving this solution Ross!! Bravo! The chains were great from a practical standpoint but I love that this is every bit as user friendly while being far less obtrusive. You rock!!!
Can you gild or somehow otherwise finish the rods so they look more like a picture rail?