Curtain track / pole for inside recess - challenging installation

[EezyOozy]

Hi everyone,

This is the bedroom my two little girls share. They have blackout blinds only. We moved in in July this year and have had loads to do. It's now 13 degrees in their bedroom despite having the heating on a lot .... I need to hang some thermal curtains! The beds cannot really go in any other position.

Does anyone happen to know how I could install curtain poles inside the recess (angled at the edges) with a "top fix" into the wooden "ceiling" of the recess ? Is this a thing?

I could install a normal pole onto the architrave of each window but the curtains would literally end on their beds.

Looking to get it sorted ASAP so any help gratefully received.

Thanks

It should be easy as you're mounting into wood. Just screw the brackets into the ceiling part - you could even cut the ends of the pole at a slight angle with a hacksaw to butt up directly to the sides, you wouldn't need the finials then and the curtains would draw back a bit further.

Wow, their bedroom is beautiful 🤩 love those windows and surrounding panelling.

Yes, it shouldn't be a problem to do what you mean, although I'm not too sure of the specifics. Are you DIY'ing? If not I'm guessing a joiner could help.

You could put roman blinds with interlining and blackout lining in those windows, a tidy finish. You could then get rid of the roller blinds.

Thank you all. Yes budget dictates DIY although my dad is coming this weekend😀

Do you think I could use a standard pole and brackets and just screw the brackets vertically up into the panelling ... or do I need special ceiling/vertical fix ones ?

I am to get all the bits I need ready so that when my dad arrives I can ask him to do it! He's pretty handy

Have a look for SilentGliss Metropole - looks like a pole but has an inset curtain track. Can be attached via ceiling or wall and within a recess if no end finials are used.

John Lewis also do something similar: www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-partners-made-to-measure-hand-drawn-revolution-curtain-track-with-gliders-and-stud-finials-wall-ceiling-fix-dia-30mm/brushed-nickel/p3869242

Ah yeah that's not going to work turned on its side is it. I'll find "hanging" ceiling fix brackets

sorry @Jng1 I wasn't replying to you there . That link looks fab but too pricey sadly.

What about using a tension rod curtain pole?

Are they shutters? If they are I would use them rather than curtains.

They are such beautiful windows that it would be a shame to detract, so if they're not shutters, what about thermal blinds?

Couple of choices I can think of here (ex homewares / curtains retail worker). The easiest and cheapest would be traditional pencil pleat curtains hung on a curtain rail. The curtain rails are flexible enough to bend around corners, though they won’t be 90 degrees, more a swept curve into each corner, and normally come with brackets that can be fixed from the top or side of the window frame.

The second option is a bay window curtain pole with specific vertical hanging brackets and c shaped rings to hold pencil pleat curtains or no rings for eyelet style curtains.

For thermal type curtains I’d definitely recommend pencil pleat and a curtain rail rather than a pole, simply because the fustians will sit closer to the window and have less gaps for draughts to get through!

Curtains- no idea what fustians are

Definitely get the shutters working if you can. I don't miss my Georgian windows in winter but did love them otherwise.

I'm thinking tension rods in my current house but I think the length of curtains you need there might be too heavy.

Heat their beds, do hot water bottles, etc.

I thought they looked like shutters too.
Another idea is secondary glazing film, a sort of cling film idea that you then heat with a hairdryer to shrink it to fit. Seen it on mn before, think from eBay.

if those are real shutters, then close them at night - that makes a big difference to keeping the heat in. it is what shutters were made for.

A track bent into the recess and top fixed to the panels is a very dated window treatment popular in the 60s and 70s. I am old and spent my early years getting rid of these.
I would have normal interlined or thermal lined curtains in front of each window. (Can the beds be pulled out slightly?) Failing that, an interlined Roman blind in front of the roller blind. Check the width carefully. This can be top fixed.

I would go for a very neat low profile curtain track so the curtains pull clear of the windows to the sides. An antique brass or bronze finish will disappear into the natural wood and be hardly visible.
They can be thermal lined and long enough they cover the window seats when closed.
I disagree that it's dated, for a small room you don't want huge poles and floor length curtains taking over, you need a solution that's in scale and doesn't obstruct the furniture or the use of a room.

I do agree that curtain tracks are a bit old fashioned but done with the right curtains and in the circumstances outlined by the OP they’re likely to be the best solution.

The OP is looking for something to hang thermal curtains on as a DIY job without costing a significant amount - any poles to be recess fitted will cost a fair bit, and they don’t want to cut off the entire window recess by hanging across the top.

@Palosverdesblue

You could put roman blinds with interlining and blackout lining in those windows, a tidy finish. You could then get rid of the roller blinds.

This. We have roman blinds with thermal lining and they are fab. And use much less fabric than thermally lined curtains will so if you are cost conscious that will make a much bigger difference than DIY vs paying someone to hang curtains. But I'd also say in an old house with single glazing it would maybe be better to not have the beds next to the windows.

Are you sure there isn't an alternative furniture layout? Do you want to post a plan to see if anyone has good ideas? It seems a shame to block off those lovely window seats. It will also be warmer away from the windows and external wall.

I agree restoring the shutters to work is the best idea.

The best for insulation would be to hang the curtains outside the window recess down to the ground but you would have to move the beds away from the windows a bit. It would create a fun hidey hole to sit in the window seats with the curtains drawn though

It this was my situation this is what I would do. Pull the beds out away from the wall by 30cm or so, also the chest of drawers.

I would put a curtain pole/track that runs the whole wall or at least to above the end of the window on the right and get thermal black out curtains with pencil pleat at the top. When open the curtains would all stack into the middle where the chest of drawers is and sits behind that. That is because there is a difference in wall space to the left of the left window and right of the right window.

In the children's playroom I have 4 curtains at each window, they are not sewn together, I just pull both curtains from each side. It was cheaper to get off the shelf ones than have them made, you cannot tell they are separate curtains. They are however eyelet but the children have pencil pleat in their bedrooms.

Thank You are for your responses, I will read it in full later when the children are in bed! The shutters don't work, the ornamental only. Only downstairs shutters are real X

@NotMeNoNo I am liking this idea thank you. I'd prefer not to pull the beds away from the wall if I can help it because the children are only little and Id like them not being able to fall out that side, they have long cushion style bumper things on the other "open" side. I co-sleep a lot so I will not have the cushions on for things on both sides… Unfortunately they're really isn't another layout as what you can't see in the photo is a huge fire place (there is a chimney sheep in this) and lots of built-in cupboards in storage and on the other wall, and the doorway and a radiator . The windows are double glazed in fact but it is very old double glazing and needs replacing, so hopefully once we have the money to get the windows done things will improve then! Until then I have to go for thermal curtains (possibly the Roman blinds-I will look into the price) and I might also get the window film that you use the hairdryer on as well. Thanks so much for all the suggestions

Sorry-a few typos in there. It was meant to say "I could sleep a lot so I would rather not have a long bumper cushion on both sides"

I co-sleep a lot , arghhhhj!!

Apparently I don't sleep enough to write in coherent sentences.