Traverse or pull draperies?

18 years ago

I bought a new house. The bedroom has a large 101" window and standard French doors. I would like to put drapes over both that will block out most of the light for sleeping. The drapes would probably be around 86" high and made out of a linen or natural fiber with a more casual look.

I have no experience with drapes. I like the look of the ring drapes that you pull open and closed but I'm worried that I'll get tired of pulling drapes and that, with time, the rings will stick and be difficult to pull. The traverse rods seem more practical but I was told that I must use pinched pleats or similar pleats and I don't like the traditional look of those.

Can anyone give me any advice on pull drapes versus traverse rod? Thanks!

Featured Answer

Valerie Noronha

18 years ago

I had similar issues with some wide windows in my home. I ended up doing pinch pleats but putting the pleats on rings for a more updated look. In my master I put fling rods (which I bought at a drapery store) on the innermost rings and open and close my drapes using the rods. You could easily do this using the clip rings on a rod pocket style drape for a more contemporary look. I opted nnot to do that as I didn't know how well they'd look with them being daily opened and closed or if I'd need to arrange the tops so the folds looked nice. I also am not a fan of clips so I removed the clips from the rings and instead put a drapery hook through the little hole.

My inner sheer drapes are on a traverse rod, though are kept closed most of the time due to privacy--which works OK for me as I mostly don't like the look of the traverse rod when the drapes are open.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fling rod

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Comments (6)

neesie
18 years ago
I am probably the last person who should give advice on drapes, it is just not my "thing". However, I can tell you that I have traverse rods that I absolutely hate! The reason is that they didn't age well and became very hard to pull open the older that they got. I'm not a fan of the pleats, either. I always wished I had something similar to what they have in hotel rooms; the draperies on a smooth tract with a pull rod. They open and close so smoothly. That's what I'd like to replace my traverse rods with but I have no idea how to find this item without being in the hotel supply business.

I like the ring style also and never thought about the rings sticking over time (like my traverse rod) but worried about the fabric discoloring where they get handled all the time. What a dilema!
graywings123
18 years ago
You might want to look beyond drapes for light control - cellular blinds, plantation blinds, roller shades, roman shades. Order a Smith and Noble catalog to see what else is out there.

Many hotels have pull drapes in the rooms that get lots of use. Using a pull rod to close the blinds seems to help.
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callaloo
18 years ago
For the best of both worlds, I found a traverse rod that had rings.

I wanted the look of rings, but my drapes are heavy silk (which I close at night because light pollution interrupts my sleep); I didn't want to be handling the drapes all the time because they would stain. The rod gives me the look of rings, with the ability to open and close without touching the drapes.

Here is a link that might be useful: Traverse Rod with Rings
deltabreeze
18 years ago
If you are going to open and close the drapes regularly, be sure to get a smooth rod and consider spraying it with silicone BEFORE you put the rings on. Also, you may want to get a baton. It makes opening the drapes MUCH easier. While many batons are boring looking, we got nice looking ones from this company. They were expensive, but make opening and closing heavy black out drapes in our tv/movie/excercise room a breeze.
http://www.ironhardware.com/
jeannettec
Original Author
18 years ago
Thank you all for your good advice. Valinsv: Thank you for your photos. I saw your album on photobucket and your rooms are gorgeous! I envy your decorating ability!

Jeannette