Curtains or Curtain Track/poles – which should I spend the majority of my budget on?

If we were to turn the clock back thirty years we would see a totally different style of furnishings to today.

The style of window furnishings that we would see would probably be handmade and would have been made by an experienced British curtain manufacturer.  They would have been hung on a fairly cheap Harrisson Drape, Swish or Kirsch track which more than likely would have been plastic.

In the thirty years since, as well as my hair changing colour and becoming a little lighter, widow furnishing fashions have changed, and we have seen a switch from people spending the larger part of their budget on the curtains and window dressings to the curtain track or pole that they are hanging them on.  When you think of it this makes perfect sense.  What is the point of spending £100’s or even £1000’s of pounds on curtains if you are going to be grabbing your curtains by hand and struggling to drag them along a curtain track that cost £20.  It makes even more sense when you think that the look of curtain tracks has changed little, yet the style and look of curtains and fabrics has changed several times in this period.  corded curtain tracks have become more technical with internal cording channels and improved glider technology, but the look remains reasonably constant. All the improvements are designed to make them work more efficiently and last longer.

A quick question for you, which of the tracks below was around in 1980?

It is an unfair question because the truth is they both were available in 1980 and they are both available now.  That is how little the look of these products has changed.

So why spend the majority of your budget on curtains when the fashion could change in a year or two?  Well like everything in life you do get what you pay for.  A well manufactured handmade curtain using a good quality fabric will dress nicer and look much better than a readymade or express curtain.

So back to square one.  How do I decide how to spend my budget?  If you want to change your curtains and look of the room along with the fashion trends then spend the large portion of your budget on the track or pole.  If you want to design a room that you are happy to stay with for many years, then it is a good idea to buy made to measure handmade curtains but make sure you do not scrimp on the track or pole.  Ensure that the product bought to hang the curtains on will last as long as the curtains.  If cost is an issue you may think of buying a good quality made to measure curtain track rather than a pole.

Since I manage two companies one that makes handmade curtains and the other that makes made to measure bespoke poles and tracks we are ideally situated to see that the majority of people are now beginning to choose to spend their money on the curtain hanging system rather than the curtains themselves. Looking at the way we live our lives and the continual changing of fashions, I can see the balance tipping further in favour of the quality and design of the hanging system and less on what is to be hung on them.

Until next week please feel free to Contact Me for advice on any window furnishing issues.