Curtain bracket - John Lewis 'Revolution'

[VanillaFlat]

I am considering putting in a curtain pole or track but I have a very wide, floor to ceiling window, with only a narrow space above it (filled with a wooden batten). I'm looking at heavy curtains (to block sound/light) so I don't want to use a ceiling mount.

I saw the universal revolution system at John Lewis which might fit on the batten in the orientation usually used for tracks (kind of like a 'claw' holding the pole in). I'd either use it that way with the gliders, or maybe put the pole the other way up for rings, but still keep the 'claw' orientation of the bracket, as that's the only way there would be room to get the pole into the bracket.

But it just doesn't look very strong to me! The poles say they hold 4.75kg each in the length I would get (and I'd have two, joined with a connector and a central bracket), and it doesn't specify which orientation, so I presume it would be ok. And yet it looks like it would come crashing down with much weight from the curtains!

Has anyone got this system and used it this way up? Is it quite strong? Is there something specific about the fitting that holds the pole in more tightly than it looks?

the system: www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-partners-revolution-multi-functional-pole-system-universal-bracket-30mm/p3575061

I haven't used this system but it looks like the silentgliss metropole.
i think the design means that you can have multiple brackets along the length of the pole to support the weight.
What is the overall width of the track and curtain length? Are you having blackout lining or fully interlinked?
John Lewis themselves should be able to answer specific questions about load applied to the poles.

Yes I will probably go speak to them, as I didn't get much help by emailing. It says the weight on the pole packaging and they just go by that - but I can't quite believe that it would hold the same weight whether held from above, or from below, which much surely be a lot stronger! I guess I'm just doubtful, looking at the pictures.

I think JL have the silent gliss system as well but it's a separate brand, so I hadn't really looked at it, as I was still debating what style of curtains I want, so this looked more flexible in case I decided on rings. I suspect tracks might be better as the curtain would come up higher and block more light, though. I always thought tracks felt/sounded a bit plasticky, but maybe not.

The curtain I was looking at is blackout lined, but also with an extra couple of layers that might help reduce sound a bit (not a lot, according to the reviews, so I'm undecided yet!) and it's the extra layers that make it heavy. Overall I'd be looking at 3.5m of length. I would certainly use a central bracket (or maybe two?!) if needed - obviously two would work best if it was in the track orientation, unless I had passing rings or something.

I was also considering whether it would be possible to use the bracket in the ceiling formation like in the third picture, but turned so that it was on the wall, and the pole-holder bit was kind of in a C position. If it's strong enough to hold a pole upside down, I can't see why it wouldn't hold it in a C shape. That would mean the pole hung lower than the window, and there might be room above for eyelet curtains. Those would be a lot cheaper from this company! They might not block the light quite as well though, especially as they wouldn't close as tightly over the centre because of the bracket. But if it would save a significant amount, it might be worth considering.

I have a total of 7 brackets holding up my metropole. Similar length of curtains but yours will be super heavy.
I don't think bypass rings work for such big, heavy curtains. I replaced mine with a metropole, which cost a fortune, but it was worth every penny. These are curtains opened and closed every day. I don't miss rings, the plastic fittings are not seen at all when the curtains are hung.
Before this, I had developed a technique of lifting the curtains and swishing them, otherwise the bypass rings tangled!

Oh wow, 7 brackets! But if that's what's needed, better to do it properly than risk it coming down. And the curtains will be super, super expensive if I end up getting the multi layered ones, so an extra hundred or two getting a better pole/track is probably worth it.

I wonder what the difference between the metropole and the JL version is, and whether then can advise me on it. I saw the metropole could have roller gliders, which they said were better for heavy curtains, and I don't think the JL version has any options like that.

The eyelet curtains are a lot less, but it doesn't sound like they are actually that great for heavy curtains, if they end up tangling and don't quite close in the middle because of the bracket etc.

The curtain calculator shows the curtains to be about 4kg each, which actually doesn't sound as heavy as I thought, so I need to double check that really. I am not convinced that they will be worth it for the money, but even the smallest reduction in sound would be something.

I am hoping John Lewis might actually install whichever pole I choose, but not sure how much they might charge for that...

How did you calculate that it was 7 brackets you needed?

John Lewis measured and calculated

Thanks. I'll ask them about that system too. From googling, it looks like the brackets might be too big for my batten (only 4.5cm tall) but they appear to have some horizontal ones as well that might work, once I can find the dimension of them and check that they'd still hold the weight OK. The John Lewis bracket could be turned horizontal and was small enough to fit on the batten, which is why it had originally caught my eye.