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Original poster

Bay window curtain pole - what actually works?

38 replies

MsPrism · 21/01/2023 10:58

We have a three-sided bay window in our dining room, with the longest edge of the bay being our back door. I have ordered some full length curtains which are polyester, so quite light. The curtains are mostly for decoration, and for closing when we eat in there.

Question one: have you used a bay window curtain pole kit? and if so does it work? I have read lots of reviews of poles not being very stable, curtains catching in the bends, or being fiddly to put up.
Question two: did you fit your pole to the wall or ceiling? we have a very small gap between the UPVC door surround and the coving, (circled in the pic) so would either need a fixture with a small base, or would need to affix to the ceiling.
I would like a black curtain pole but am not too fussy about decorative knobs or flourishes, and I don't want to spend a fortune on it - hopefully under £100.
Can you recommend anything?
Thanks in advance.

I've attached a photo from when we first moved in - garden looks a bit better now

Bay window curtain pole - what actually works?
Bay window curtain pole - what actually works?
OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
AnOldCynic · 21/01/2023 11:07

A white track would be my personal preference- you wouldn't notice it when the curtains are open and the curtain sits closer to the frame, but if you really want a pole you could fix a timber batten into the recess to bring it flush with the UPVC frame before fixing the brackets.

Original poster
MsPrism · 21/01/2023 12:02

We have tracks in the other rooms, but for the long curtains here I fancy a pole. Also there is a window sill which juts out from the window about three inches, so I feel that the a pole would juts out from the wall would hide that a bit. A batten is a great idea though - thank you :)

OP posts:
PurBal · 21/01/2023 12:06

No the pole kit doesn’t really work, but we had 8ft ceilings. We ended up using curtains for decor and thermal roller blinds. Worked a treat.

PurBal · 21/01/2023 12:07

Sorry, I should clarify that because we had high ceilings and floor length curtains they were REALLY heavy. So trying to get them around the pole was near impossible.

TheHauntedPencilCase · 21/01/2023 12:10

I've tried a couple of the bay pole kits and they're awful even with light curtains. Thus time I've put blinds up for daily use and will get a big curtain for across the front of the bay mostly for show

not4profit · 21/01/2023 12:12

Have a look at Silent Gliss metropole on Google. That might fit the bill.

legalseagull · 21/01/2023 12:15

Pole works for us, but we have a big enough gap between the window frame and the ceiling

Bay window curtain pole - what actually works?
Original poster
MsPrism · 21/01/2023 12:15

Thanks - it's not looking good for the kits!
John Lewis very kindly suggested getting their specialists round to measure up and make one for me, but said it would cost around £600 😯

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CoffeeWithCheese · 21/01/2023 12:18

Pole kit worked best of the curtain related solutions we tried here. Track we found would have a tendency to come out of the bends and be a pain in the arse, but the pole kit was annoying in getting curtains to come around the bends, but at least stayed up.

We ended up resorting to blinds when we redecorated.

Original poster
MsPrism · 21/01/2023 12:18

legalseagull · 21/01/2023 12:15

Pole works for us, but we have a big enough gap between the window frame and the ceiling

That looks exactly what I'm looking for - but yes - you have a better gap. A batten and maybe some of the pole holders that have circular bases might help.
Where is yours from Legal Seagull ? Was it fiddly to fix?

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Isseywith3witchycats · 21/01/2023 12:37

We have one of those weird two sided bay windows long at the front and short at the side we bought poles that have a peg bracket underneath so we did straight at the front then did a short one at the side with the bracket in the corner and hooked the curtain at the short side so it can be closed and folded into the corner for open

Bay window curtain pole - what actually works?
sevenbyseven · 21/01/2023 12:41

We have a similar bay and have gone for a ceiling mounted track, which solved the problem but isn't the pole you'd like.

LiteralSycamore · 21/01/2023 12:51

This is what we have — mounted on the upper part of the window because there’s almost no gap between the upper edge of the window surround and the ceiling. Had to have someone come and fit them, as the bay is huge, the ceiling high and the floor level dips (old house).

Bay window curtain pole - what actually works?
Bay window curtain pole - what actually works?
Original poster
MsPrism · 21/01/2023 13:19

LiteralSycamore · 21/01/2023 12:51

This is what we have — mounted on the upper part of the window because there’s almost no gap between the upper edge of the window surround and the ceiling. Had to have someone come and fit them, as the bay is huge, the ceiling high and the floor level dips (old house).

That looks lovely - sadly we have upvc windows so you can't screw anything into them.

OP posts:
Original poster
MsPrism · 21/01/2023 13:22

I've started googling 'blacksmiths near me' to see if I could get one made - no idea how much it would cost though.
I have a bit of an Arts and Crafts/William Morris thing happening in my dining room, so want the rustic black curtain rod to complement it...

OP posts:
Original poster
MsPrism · 21/01/2023 13:25

sevenbyseven · 21/01/2023 12:41

We have a similar bay and have gone for a ceiling mounted track, which solved the problem but isn't the pole you'd like.

Did you have to use special fixings to go into the ceiling? I assume is ours is plasterboard, but it's an old house, so can't be 100% sure...

I'm going to get a 'task rabbit' person to put it up for me hopefully.

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UpToonGirl · 21/01/2023 13:43

We had a metal (but white) track fixed into the ceiling a few years ago. It was so much better than any of the other tracks we've had. We had curtains from a made to measure store and they fitted the track...it was ££ though. I know you want a pole but maybe speak to a few places first - ours was on a big industrial estate, looked like a warehouse but so many lovely fabrics and options.

Currently looking at bay window options again as we've since had a renovation and bays are so hard. I love big heavy curtains and much prefer the looks of poles but ours is a five window bay so a bit more awkward.

MaggieFS · 21/01/2023 13:48

Having exhausted all other options, the best thing I ever did was have a white metal track professionally fitted.
Unobtrusive during the day, strong enough to hold fully lined blackout curtains if I wanted them and a snug fit to the window.
Yes it cost about £700 but I saw it as a long term investment in the same way you would other fixtures and fitting and it won't need replacing for a very long time.
It's brilliant. Sorry I know it's want you've said you don't want and you've mentioned the cost, but food for thought.

legalseagull · 21/01/2023 14:01

Ours is from Dunelm. I managed to fix it easily. No DIY skills whatsoever

wonkylegs · 21/01/2023 14:07

We have a bay pole kit and it hasn't been easy but we have managed to get it to work.
We have very heavy curtains & a 3.3m drop which is part of the problem.
Ours is wall mounted and would wobble and the pass through brackets would pop off but then I got us some curtain draw rods and once the curves were tightened up we had no problems. www.jim-lawrence.co.uk/curtain-draw-rods
The problem was pulling down and accross pulled on the joint. Now we slide the curtains from the top it's fine.

17to35 · 21/01/2023 19:24

Late reply! Silentgliss metropole would be perfect but well outside your budget.
Poles with bypass rings can work but tend not to work with very long or heavy curtains.
As mentioned above, a draw rod can help with this.
The pole has to be installed so that it is perfectly level.

Original poster
MsPrism · 22/01/2023 10:43

17to35 · 21/01/2023 19:24

Late reply! Silentgliss metropole would be perfect but well outside your budget.
Poles with bypass rings can work but tend not to work with very long or heavy curtains.
As mentioned above, a draw rod can help with this.
The pole has to be installed so that it is perfectly level.

I saw these in John Lewis - they're not quite the look I'm after really - but they do seem very clever.

Thanks for all of your replies everyone - I'm going to see what our local blacksmith says, and if not, I'll buy the dunelm pole and some ceiling mounted fixings and hope our handyman can make it work.

I will definately get the drawing rods though - seems to really help.

OP posts:
Original poster
MsPrism · 22/01/2023 10:53

UpToonGirl · 21/01/2023 13:43

We had a metal (but white) track fixed into the ceiling a few years ago. It was so much better than any of the other tracks we've had. We had curtains from a made to measure store and they fitted the track...it was ££ though. I know you want a pole but maybe speak to a few places first - ours was on a big industrial estate, looked like a warehouse but so many lovely fabrics and options.

Currently looking at bay window options again as we've since had a renovation and bays are so hard. I love big heavy curtains and much prefer the looks of poles but ours is a five window bay so a bit more awkward.

Our front window bays are five sided, so we have a flexible track which we slightly angled at the bends, but its almost semi-circular. It works really well and wasn't expensive. I did WD40 the back of the track so the little plastic runners work smoothly. If I had more of a budget I would have got semicircular pole made.

Bay window curtain pole - what actually works?
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CrotchetyQuaver · 22/01/2023 10:59

I paid for a professional to come and for a track, I also got them to make a smooth pelmet for me. I supplied the fabric but used trimming supplied by them. I made the curtains myself (linen fabric, interlined so not the lightest) the end result was everything I hoped it would be and the curtains could all be pulled to the sides.

If you have a central pole for the door bit, you're always going to lose light as the window will be partially blocked by fabric.
It was some of the best money I ever spent on the house.

CrotchetyQuaver · 22/01/2023 11:02
  • fit a track, I think from memory he fixed it to the pelmet board he made above the window...