Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Original poster

Curtain poles for bay windows

46 replies

FuzzyPuffling · 02/01/2023 20:13

I have recently moved into an Edwardian terraced house which has big square bay windows in the sitting room and main bedroom. They really are large!
Currently there are plasticky horizontal blinds at the windows but I defintely need curtains - for warmth, for cosiness, for visual reasons.

I'd like poles rather than more white plasticky tracks.

Has anyone got any recommendations for poles that go round two 90 degree corners? Or could I do three poles - two short ones at the sides and a long one across the front?

I've Googled, I've Amazoned. Now I'm just befuddled.

OP posts:
GlassBunion · 02/01/2023 20:18

I'm a bit old fashioned but I've got a huge square bay window and my curtain pole goes across the bay, not into it.

I once had a curtain/blinds person in to do some of our windows but was told that the only way to curtain , inside the window, was to put a plastic track as nothing was available for a bay with 90 degree angles.

ChristmasCakeAndStilton · 02/01/2023 20:18

Is this long enough?

GlassBunion · 02/01/2023 20:18

Sorry, not helpful.

Original poster
FuzzyPuffling · 02/01/2023 20:23

Thank you.
Christmascake that's the only one I've found. My Son in law has that one for his (similar) house and said it was an absolute swine to put up. It's a possible last resort.

Glassbunion my sofa is in the bay window. I'd be sitting behind the curtain (and occasionally popping out for snacks) in the style of a really poor theatre performance!

OP posts:
latelydaydreams · 02/01/2023 20:30

www.polesandblinds.com/bay-windows/curtain-poles-for-bay-windows/3-sided-bay-poles

They do 5 sided ones too…

StormObelisk · 02/01/2023 20:31

Oh that made me laugh 😂 @FuzzyPuffling. I've got three bays with 90 degree bends with a pole.

My builder put them up, I am really handy but it isn't a one man job and I'm single. They look great - just these. 5m long.

However, there is a big but - getting the curtain round the bend is a pain. I've got curtains plus an interlined roman blind in the two windows at the front of the bay so I just use the blinds at the front.

I spoke to someone with a curtain shop after the event and she said that a track is really the only way for an easy close round a 90 degree bend bay.

Watto1 · 02/01/2023 20:35

I’m going back a few years, but I got one from Next. No idea if they still do them but might be worth a look.

Original poster
FuzzyPuffling · 02/01/2023 20:36

Oohh - great suggestions thank you. Much better than plastic.

Would having four curtains look daft? Two in the 90 degree corners and one each on the outside? Then I wouldn't have to draw them round any corners?

OP posts:
Matilda1981 · 02/01/2023 20:38

I’m pretty sure Dunelm do poles for bay windows.

walkinthewoodstoday · 02/01/2023 20:39

FuzzyPuffling · 02/01/2023 20:23

Thank you.
Christmascake that's the only one I've found. My Son in law has that one for his (similar) house and said it was an absolute swine to put up. It's a possible last resort.

Glassbunion my sofa is in the bay window. I'd be sitting behind the curtain (and occasionally popping out for snacks) in the style of a really poor theatre performance!

I'm suffering from PND and you've just made me laugh. Thank you

StormObelisk · 02/01/2023 20:40

I'm not sure about how that would look, have you looked on Pinterest? That's where I go if I can't picture something.

LeanIntoChaos · 02/01/2023 20:40

I had this in my last house and had 4 curtains....I thought it looked good and was easy to pull as no curtain went round the bend.

Lorrymum · 02/01/2023 20:40

I have four curtains in my bay window. Looks totally fine.
Have had it that way for over 40 years.

Original poster
FuzzyPuffling · 02/01/2023 20:42

walkinthewoodstoday · 02/01/2023 20:39

I'm suffering from PND and you've just made me laugh. Thank you

Show quote history

You're very welcome.
Worth taking to Edinburgh Fringe??? (That came out is Edinburgh Fridge, which is probably better.)
Hope the PND gets better soon. It's horrible.

OP posts:
Original poster
FuzzyPuffling · 02/01/2023 20:42

Lorrymum · 02/01/2023 20:40

I have four curtains in my bay window. Looks totally fine.
Have had it that way for over 40 years.

Thank you. I knew someone would!

OP posts:
Margrethe · 02/01/2023 20:42

We plan to go for curtains plus shutters. For our bay.

www.jim-lawrence.co.uk/38mm-classic-pole/38mm-classic-pole-in-beeswax-651bw?returnurl=%2f38mm-classic-pole%2f

Expensive!

www.blinds-2go.co.uk/shutter-blinds/15816/san-jose-warm-white.html

Cheap, DIY option.

bellac11 · 02/01/2023 20:44

FuzzyPuffling · 02/01/2023 20:23

Thank you.
Christmascake that's the only one I've found. My Son in law has that one for his (similar) house and said it was an absolute swine to put up. It's a possible last resort.

Glassbunion my sofa is in the bay window. I'd be sitting behind the curtain (and occasionally popping out for snacks) in the style of a really poor theatre performance!

Is that the sofa you sit on?

We have similar (although not as big by the sounds of it), I absolutely HATE with a passion any white track type things, particularly the cassette for blinds etc etc. I like window coverings holders/rails to be as unobtrusive as possible

So in the end I went for some roman blinds that are held up by tab top/slot top and got very light weight ones that are just diffusing the light and they are held up by one of those really thin, almost invisible white poles, you can barely see it against the window frame. The blinds are always down, you can just about see out of them from the inisde but you cant see inside the room from outside.

Then, across the front of the bay (on the outside, not into the bay), I have a curtain pole with big thick curtains and its a double pole from Ikea and so on the inside pole I have cotton voiles from Ikea (dont like polyester). So I can pull the voiles across or have them draped in a swag with the curtains hanging to the side straight

This is all very badly explained I fear

But the point is, I dont really sit on that sofa and we dont have the curtains drawn very often. Im sitting opposite it now

IwishIwasSupermum · 02/01/2023 20:45

We have got a large deep curved bay window, about 3.5 meters, we had an iron works company come in and made an iron pole to fit, I can’t remember how much it cost but felt at the time it was worth paying so we didn’t have to have a plastic track. We just have curtains either side to draw round.

Original poster
FuzzyPuffling · 02/01/2023 20:46

I do sit on that sofa. So does girlcat.
DH and boycat sit on the other sofa.

OP posts:
StormObelisk · 02/01/2023 20:46

I had Jim Lawrence poles in a previous house, they are lovely.

Cheaper made to measure poles here if you want to push the boat out.

Original poster
FuzzyPuffling · 02/01/2023 20:48

Oh you lot are clever!
Lots of suggestions here I hadn't come across.

OP posts:
oceanbleu · 02/01/2023 20:49

We've had this issue with our new house. 3 sided bays and it also needed to be ceiling mounted, not wall. I looked for weeks and finally found it on eBay! It's perfect. Can be cut to size which was easily done. Think it looks better when the curtain goes into the bay as opposed to across, personally.

bellac11 · 02/01/2023 20:51

IwishIwasSupermum · 02/01/2023 20:45

We have got a large deep curved bay window, about 3.5 meters, we had an iron works company come in and made an iron pole to fit, I can’t remember how much it cost but felt at the time it was worth paying so we didn’t have to have a plastic track. We just have curtains either side to draw round.

Where is the fitting for it though, just at each end and in the middle?

The problem with bay window poles is that usually the fittings prevent the curtains getting round easily. Thats what put me off

I would love shutters but we have a lot of things on the window sill so I dont think I could do

oceanbleu · 02/01/2023 20:54

Oh and just to add, we have eyelet curtains and the two curtains go across the bends really easily, to meet in the middle. I imagine it would be harder for a 4 side bay though.

RewildingAmbridge · 02/01/2023 20:58

We have these in two bay windows, it takes time and patience but definitely worth it, we have the brass finish which is more of an aged/brushed brass and they look really nice up. Just take your time with the bending! www.dunelm.com/product/ashton-4m-eyelet-metal-bay-pole-dia-28mm-1000155336?colour=Antique+Brass&defaultSkuId=30764084