Budget Friendly Window Treatments For The Family Room
I’m happy to report that I’m at the point in decorating our family room, that I’m ready to start pulling it all together with some finishing touches. The addition of some budget friendly window treatments to the french doors on either side of our fireplace goes such a long way in giving the family room a completed look. They frame out the whole fireplace wall and help to cozy up the space and soften the hard edges of the door frames.
UPDATE: Click HERE to take the before and after tour of our finished family room!
I tried so many different drapery options on these windows. I thought that something in gray would surely be the way to go, but nothing ever looked quite right. These curtains with the wide blue and white stripes were bought on a whim. I just knew they wouldn’t work, but you never know unless you try – right? BTW – I found them at TJ Maxx for $30 for the pair.
As soon as I held them up to the windows, I knew they were perfect for this room. The soft blue with gray undertones was just right for pulling more of my accent color over to this side of the room.
If you have sharp eyes, you might also notice the cute trio of framed paper flowers, that I picked up from Target, and that I hung on the wall beside the entertainment center. They do a nice job of helping to fill an empty corner and come in a set of three for under $25. Each frame measures 11″ x 11″ and is stained to look like old wood.. You can order them HERE (affiliate link, see my full disclosure HERE).
My panels are hung from diy curtain rods that I put together using a 1″ wooden dowel that I painted to look like driftwood/aged wood. The brackets are made from plumbing parts and are painted with Rustoleum’s ORB spray paint. I really like the slight rustic/industrial vibe and think that they fit well in this room.
You’ve probably seen lots of people using plumbing parts to make budget friendly curtain rod brackets, but just in case you haven’t, these are all of the parts that I used to make four brackets. The one in the upper right corner has been put together so that you can see how everything needs to be assembled to form a bracket.
If you go this route, here are some tips for you: 1) remove the stickers and wash all of the parts in warm sudsy water prior to assembling – these things are oily and filthy!, 2) assemble the pieces prior to spray painting – if you don’t, some of the paint may chip off during assembly, 3) make sure that the plumbing parts have an opening large enough to slip your dowel rod through, 4) as you are assembling the parts, check to make sure that the ‘T’ part of the bracket is the same distance from the round flange on all of the brackets or else you’ll wind up with curtain rods that stick farther out from the wall on one side vs the other.
To complete the finished look on the windows, I also added some natural wood woven roman shades in a driftwood color. They came from Home Depot and you can find them HERE.
This room has come such a looong way from when we first purchased our home. For kicks, check out these before and afters.
Previous owners furnishings and decor.
During the remodel with my ever present sidekicks.
And today.
I’m in love with how this side of the room is coming together! Just a few more touches and I can call my family room complete!
Pin it for later!
Hi Suzy,
Your family room looks fabulous! Love the colors and all your accessories. Thanks for all the great DIY tips!
I have always loved those curtains and wish I had a place to use them. Also like the pipe holders.
I love look! My husband & I have a plumbing company, it is fun to see some of the things he brings home & what I can do with them. Who says they have to be use for plumbing? I have quite a collection of old things. You are an inspiration! Thanks!
Love your living room! What a tremendous remodel, especially the fireplace. The french doors must let in so much natural sunlight and you have so much space.
Thanks for the info. This project is on my to-do list this winter.
Anouther good idea for drapery hardware.
Love it ! I am STILL trying to find what will work in my kitchen with a sliding patio door and a 5′ kitchen window over my sink. they are pretty much right next to each other with no cabinets in between just about 39″ of wall to separate them… Anyone have any suggestions??
Hi Loyda. If you email me a photo of the entire wall, I might be able to give you some suggestions.
Love the curtains! I’ve also found some really nice curtains at TJ Maxx…love that store!
The curtains looks great! And I love the idea you shared about making the drapery hardware!
Love your living room. I have a question about the blinds on the french doors. I clicked the link for Home Depot. The ones that came up have the cord. I have these but would like to have some where you don’t have the cords showing. Do yours have the cords? If so, how did you hide them. Love the look and your blog.
Hi Dee. You have sharp eyes! “D Yes, mine have cords, but I hid them up under the shade. After each of the blinds was hung, I simply folded the cord up, pulled it to the back of the shade and looped it around the hardware at the top of the shade. I wouldn’t have done that if I lowered and raised my shades a lot though. Instead, I would have added one of those cleats that you wrap the cord around. A cleat like this: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Crown-Bolt-2-1-2-in-Chrome-Plated-Rope-Cleat-64704/203001542
What an awesome look. So innovative to use plumbing parts for a rod. I would never think about adding curtains like these on French doors. They do complete your great room. Window treatment shopping is such a daunting task. My bedroom windows were bare because it took so many tries and returns of drapes. I love your plaid throw over your chair. Where did you buy it?
Hi Bev. I found the plaid throw at Target.
Beautiful room, Suzy. I want those drapes for my dining room. They would be perfect!
That room is beautiful. Thanks for including the post on how to make rod brackets using pipe parts. I’ve seen those before on other websites but never seen a tutorial. I really like your new curtains paired with the wood roman shades.
Absolutely beautiful and an amazing transformation! Just wondering what you used to paint the fireplace surround in black? I’d like to do that to our current brass surround. Many thanks for all your wonderful tips and ideas!
Hi Fran. I used high temp spray paint. Here’s a link to it: http://fave.co/2iSYuy4
I love the fireplace and mantle. Thank you for showing what we need for the curtain rods.
Linda
Great idea using plumbing parts for brackets. I love the look.
Clicked on the link for the set of three framed paper flowers at Target and get nothing but your Disclosure policy.
Is there a missing link??? Thanks.
Love all your decorating.
Hi Linda. The link should be working correctly now. Thank you for letting me know there was a problem!
Beautiful window treatments!
What a lovely room! So bright and cheery! You have done a wonderful job updating and decorating for your family.
Very nice. The curtains look great.