After teasing you all with a sneak peak on Instagram, I’ve finally put together a post to share the details on the new acrylic drapery rods and brass hardware in our home office. Lucite, brass, and black – is there any more glamorous combination?!
I wish I could have you all over to see these acrylic beauties in person because the pics don’t do them justice – between the dark walls, the light coming in the window, and the clear rods, it’s a super challenging space to photograph. But I couldn’t love the touch of glam they add to this space any more than I do!
Before I share the sources of the rod and hardware, I have to thank Grace from A Storied Style for the inspiration. The DIY tutorial for her acrylic drapery rods {here} was the jumping-off point for my own version. Grace found that Nationwide Plastics sells acrylic rods for much less than what you can find them for elsewhere. She details the different options for rod types, lengths, and sizes in this post. If you want a custom quote from Nationwide Plastics, just fill out {this form} on their website.
Here’s the scoop on what I did (affiliate links included – full disclosure statement available {here}): I went with a 1 1/2″ cellcast acrylic rod – it cost just under $100 for one 8′ rod including tax and shipping. As an FYI, the rod that I received was actually 8’3″ so if you need a rod that’s exactly 8′, I would let them know that when ordering. Nationwide Plastics will cut the rod for you at whatever length you specify for no additional charge.
The brass supports are 1.5″ OD polished brass railing brackets ordered from Buy Railings {here} – they were sourced by Kristin of The Hunted Interior when she installed her gorgeous lucite rods that you can check out {here}. My window is quite wide so I have three brackets – one a few inches in from each end:
and one in the middle. Since I needed a rod greater than 8′, I actually have two separate acrylic rods that join in the middle but you’d never know it wasn’t one continuous rod since the center bracket hides the joint.
I used polished brass curtain rings which I found at Van Dyke’s Restorer’s {here} – they are the perfect size for a 1 1/2″ rod. For the ends of the rods, I could have paid a small fee to have Nationwide Plastics polish them so that the rods could be left as-is with no finials but I wanted a small touch of brass at each end. I ended up finding 2″ brass flush end caps from Van Dyke’s Restorer’s {here} and they are exactly what I was looking for. The inside of the end caps are just a little larger than the rod itself so I used some double-sided duct tape to stick them onto the ends of the rod.
If you’re ordering from Van Dyke’s definitely search for a promo code – I found a great one that brought the price down quite a bit. And for all of you matchy matchy peeps out there – be aware that the brass finish of the rod supports is slightly off from the brass finish of the end caps and rings. It’s not enough of a difference to bother me (I only notice it when I’m super close up) but there is a small difference.
So what if this is all sounding like a little too much work for you to put together? You can do one stop shopping and get your rods and hardware all ready to go {here} – you will pay a little more but it’s quick and easy and high quality stuff!
And in case you’re wondering about the drapes – they were made (by someone with way more sewing talent than me) with Robert Allen’s Lighten Up fabric in the Lemongrass colorway. I had the drapes made a few inches longer than I normally would so that they can be pulled away from the baseboard heating in the winter.
So what do you all think? Are you into the acrylic and gold combo or not so much?
I’m loving that my new drapes put me one step closer to finally finishing off the office – I’ve got my eye on a new desk chair and maybe even a new desk (I’ve been stalking Craigslist for what I have in mind) and then this room will be officially D. O. N. E.
Want to see more pics of the office? You can check out more of our office {here}
Want to see more pics of the gallery wall? You’ll find my gallery wall post {here}
Absolutely love this office~ I don’t know if I would ever get anything done; I’d be too busy sitting there just loving the room!
Ha! The good news (or maybe the bad depending upon how you look at it) is that our office chair faces the one hallway, which is currently the one boring wall in the room 🙂
these are glorious!!!!!!!
Thanks Cassie!
I’ve come back to this part of your blog a few times. Love the acrylic rod and brass together. Just beautiful! I just ordered my rod cell cast 1.5″. I noticed that your support brackets are also 1.5 OD. Did they go on easily. Thinking if the outer diameter is the same as the rod they would have trouble. How did it go on for you? Thanks so much for sharing!
LUV the rods and your office! I’ve been so out of touch Kris……i hate that you were here for Round Top week and i didn’t get out there and see you….so close to me in Austin! But I’ve been swamped with wedding stuff and work….my daughter is getting married at our home in June. And they told us this in January :)….so i’ve been doing a mad dash to get not only the interior up to speed but the exterior has been like moving mountains.
Anyways, my niece and I might venture over to Round Top Sunday but only if i get caught up this week.
Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on RTop…..if you come back next season, please let me know in advance and I’ll meet you there!
xo,
Jeanette
I didn’t know that you lived so close to Round Top!! I have no concept of Texas geography and flew into Houston with no idea that Austin was so close. Dang because I would have absolutely loved to have met up with you. We had so much fun and I’d love to come back again some time. Now I will know to look you up! Good luck with work on the wedding – sounds exciting and exhausting at the same time. I want to see pictures!!!
LOVE this curtain rod! I’m trying to get away from brass in my own home but adore how the brass hardware looks with the acrylic rod in your office. Any ideas on where to find hardware in a matte silver finish?
Thanks Angelle! I know that Restoration Hardware has some pretty antique silver drapery hardware which is a matte finish if I remember right. I don’t know about the rod end caps though – those would be harder to track down!
Holy smokes! The curtain rod looks amazing! So chic and elegant–fabulous choice!
Thank you so much Jessica!
I love this a 1,000%! Thank you for all the sources. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and I intend to flatter the heck out of this! 🙂
Ha! Go for it – you will love them!!!
Oh my gosh Kris I love the rod and gold!! Sooooooo good against the black wall, I couldn’t adore that combination more!!!!
Thanks Lisa – it all started with that fabulous wall color that you clued me in on!
Thank you for adding all your sources Kris, makes the work so much easier for us!!!!! I really want one for my Dining room, so I will definitely follow thru with your guide! Yours look fabulous!
It would look awesome in your dining room – go for it!!
SPECTACULAR!
Thank you Denise!
I’m kind of on the fence if that glam combo is for me! hahahaha!! But it looks lovely in your office!
Thanks girl – you still get the award for my favorite IG comment ever when I first posted about these suckers….
you are a dream!
sitting here right now working on window treatments and rods for a client……love this kris! what a handsome office and an industrious YOU, all the work is done for us
cheers
debra
Absolutely delicious!! I have so wanted to do this with a window treatment in my own home for awhile. Your curtains are beautiful against the dark wall, as well. Great taste, Kris.
Your office is already beautiful, and it’s not even done?! I love the rod, especially against the dark wall! Wonderful space. 🙂
Oh yes, it’s beautiful Kris. Good choice. I’m introducing a bit of gold/brass in my lounge of late.
I love this so much, Kris. I really thought about doing a lucite rod in my bedroom, but don’t think it would have the same impact on lighter walls as it does on dark. Such a stunning contrast!
Those look so gorgeous against that charcoal wall! You are the bomb!
Oh my, those rods are amazing! Now I can’t think of anything else for our living space! Just managed to track down a supplier of acrylic tubes in Germany, I think I’ll order some tubes 🙂
Have a wonderful day!
Tiina / Stockholm Sweden
So glad you were able to find some of the acrylic rods – you will love them!!!
Aside from my children, that is absolutely the most beautiful thing I have ever seen!! BTW, I am totally stealing this idea!!!! Beautiful!!!!
You crack me up! I’m pretty smitten with the gold, lucite, and black combo myself. Will love seeing how they look in your home!
This room is a stunner! That drapery hardware against the black wall is gorgeous. And I love your subtle use of color in the space!
Thanks so so much Julie!
Kris, I adore your office! Love the space, bright and dark, bold and chic-all at the same time. Thanks for the DIY sources for the rods- Yours are the least expensive ones I have found. Great help!!! xo Nancy
Thank you Nancy! Acrylic is surprisingly expensive stuff!
I have been searching for acrylic rods and brackets to use as a handrail for the stairs leading to our basement. I really liked your curtain rod with the brass brackets in the office. Question – Is the rod fixed (non-moveable) when attached to the bracket? Or does the bracket screw directly into the acrylic rod? Enjoyed your website.
An acrylic and brass handrail would be beautiful!! For my drapes, the acrylic rod is not in any way attached or fixed to the brass brackets. The brackets are actually meant to be used as part of a railing system though. I would think that you’d just need to use an end bracket (that has a cap to keep the rod in place) at the bottom of your rail and it would work.
I have a question about the brass brackets – looks like they stick out from the wall (pardon my expert language) only about 2 inches. Other brackets (meant for curtains) are generally 4″ or so… Do you find that really close to the wall like that is a problem?
Hi Christiane! The measurement from the wall to the center of the hole that the rod goes through is 2 3/8″. It definitely hasn’t been any problem in our space. The only issue that I could see would be if you have window molding or sills that project quite a bit from the wall – our window molding is only about 3/4″ deep all the way around so there’s still plenty of room for the drapes to be pulled back and forth on the rod.
This is stunning! I will be doing this when the good Lord blesses us with a house to settle into. I am just floored by how sophisticated, sleek, stylish, classy, sassy and a host of other words this looks. Job well done!
Thanks so much! They are definitely the most glam drapery rods in our house!
Love this Rod so much and thanks for the info on how you put all of this together!! Looks amazing in your soace against those dark walls????
These are beautiful! I’m going to try to do this in my office. Quick question for you – did you consider buying the end cap from buyrailings? Also, is there a reason you got the 2 inch end cap and had to use tape instead of getting the 1.5 inch? Thanks so much for your help!!! Annslee
https://www.buyrailings.com/p-543-flush-end-cap.aspx
Thanks Annslee! I actually tried the 1.5″ end caps first and they were too small – they are the exact same size as the rod so they won’t fit over it. Since I ordered my curtain rings from Van Dykes, I just ordered the end caps from them too and didn’t look at other places like buyrailings but they look like the same thing!
I appreciate your response. Thanks so much!
I feel a room redo in the works. Love, love, love the rods!!!
Thanks Jean – they really make a difference in a space!
Do u make lucite shower curtain rods for a standard 60″ bathtub?
Do u have lucite shower curtain rings?
Eileen, I don’t cell the acrylic rods directly but if you contact Nationwide Plastics I’m sure they can help you out – they will cut acrylic rods to the exact size you need.
Hi,
Thanks so much for sharing this tutorial. I have two questions for you:
1) was the acrylic a tight fit through the brackets, to where you had to be careful how you moved it through the bracket to avoid scratching the acrylic and
2) do you think end caps that were the exact size of the rod would be easily removeable to where you could take them off when you wanted to switch out which curtains you had up? I may purchase tube curtains without the hooks…
Hi Joy – the acrylic isn’t too tight of a fit in the bracket – I’ve never had any concerns about scratching it. As far as the end caps, the 1 1/2″ end caps (in the same style that I used) actually don’t fit the rod – they are too small. The size that I used is the smallest that will work with the 1 1/2″ rod. Hope that helps!
Hi Kris,
Your drapery and rods are gorgeous!
I have a question for you. Did you actually glue the rods together in the middle where they are covered by the bracket to get your long length?
Thank you for your response.
Hi Debbie – I actually just used double sided duck tape to stick the two ends together. I figured that was enough for them to not jiggle apart and it’s worked just fine. I didn’t want to glue mine together because then I’d never be able to take them down if I wanted to without removing all of the drapery hardware along with the rods. Hope that helps!
I love this idea! How did you attach the curtain rings? Are they sewn on? Just wondering how I could take the curtains down to wash them. Thanks 🙂
Hello! My curtains have hooks sewn into them at the top that hook onto a little loop at the base of my rings. I wouldn’t be able to throw them in the wash because of the hooks but my drapery fabric isn’t machine washable anyway – they are easy to take down for dry cleaning though!
Thank you for this post!!!! I “ordered” a set of these rods from well known company on line and after I ordered them I realized the ship date was February! I came across your post and I am going to try to DYI! I bet your version will come out far better quality than the ones I will be stopping my order on! Stay tuned!…..
Good luck! I’ve been really happy with mine!
Hoping you still have this active even though its been a couple years. I bought my pole, the hardware and end caps for my curtains. Received and I am so excited to put up. My only issue is I bought the 1 1/2″ thick pole and it seems that its hard to find an end cap that fits this size. Did you buy the 1 1/2 or 2″ size from Van Dykes because they now offer both. I wonder if these were ( like every where else) originally to fit inside a tube for banisters and maybe you bought the 2″. I had to return one set already that I bought from another site that were 2″ and way too big and could not be used at all. Thanks for the help and for taking this diy a whole other notch. I am looking through fabrics on the same site you got yours. I’m in love so many options!!
Hi Yvette! Yes the 1 1/2″ end caps are too small to fit a 1 1/2″ rod – I used 2″ end caps and they are a little too big so that’s why I used the double stick duct tape. The good news is that they don’t look too big and they’ve never fall off in the two years that I’ve had them.
I did find an etsy shop who sells exact 1.5 inch caps but they are a bit pricey ($30 each , highly robbery!) if anyone wants to try that option if not slightly bigger is okay as long as it isn’t huge like my last ones were. Do you mind explaining how you got your curtains made? I want to get a fabric and take to a shop but don’t even know where to begin. How do you know what to hooks to buy and from where? How do you know what to ask for? How many circles do you need to hang? Thanks for all the wisdom this might be a ton of info maybe a future post idea.
Hi Yvette! I had mine made by someone local and they helped make all of those decisions! The main things you have to figure out for yourself are how full you want your drapes and how you’d like the top of the drapes done (like a simple pinch pleat or something else). The person making the drapes will typically add the hooks themselves and tell you how many rings you’ll need!
Hi!
Love the look and plan to replicate it in my reading room. My question for you is what color/brand is the paint on the walls?
Really beautiful!
Thanks!
Thank you! It’s Benjamin Moore Nightfall!
Hi. Your rods look gorgeous, and I’m inspired to try this for the new apartment I just moved to. One quick question before I attempt this: I noticed you got the 1.5″ rods and the 1.5″ brackets. Is that a typo? I’m wondering because if the diameter is exactly the same, I’m concerned that the rod might be too tight to fit through the bracket (or if it fits, that it might scuff up the rods). Thoughts? Thanks much!
Hi! Love your curtain rod. I hopped on the bandwagon and ordered the same as you posted. However, I’m having a difficult time getting the brackets onto the rod. They only will go on about 3″ max. This will make for a hard installation as I won’t be able to add a center support? Have any problems with insulation? Or with the brackets fitting the rod?
Hi Thais,
I didn’t have any similar installation problems but also never attempted to get them to go more than about 4-5 inches along the rod because that’s where I put my end brackets. My rod was too long for a single pole so for my middle support, it’s holding two rods (one from the left side and another from the right side) together so there was no need to slide it several feet down the rod. If you’re having a problem with that center support, you could consider cutting the rod right at that juncture and doing the same thing.
Hi Jennifer! It’s not a type-o – I used the 1.5″ rods and brackets and had no problem. However, see the comment below yours – maybe there are issues if you need to slide the bracket farther in than a few inches (for my installation, I didn’t so I didn’t run into any problems).
Thanks, Kris! I just contacted Nationwide Plastics and they now have an option for connecting the rods together, but that is $125 per connector and I’d need two of those in addition to three 8’ft rods. (I only need to cover a 17.5″ space, but that requires a third rod just for that extra 1.5ft.)
My question is: do you think I need to spend the extra $250 for the connecting ends, or will the bracket in the middle be enough to make it look like they’re connected? What did you do with your rods — were the ends of your rods connected, or did you just make it look as sleek as it does above just with the center bracket?
I’d love to try to replicate your look. It’s so beautiful! But, I’d also like to save the extra $250 if possible.
Thanks!
I don’t have any true “connector” putting mine together where they meet at that center bracket – I actually just used double sided Duck Tape to stick them together! I’ve never had any problems but I also rarely close those drapes so there’s not a lot of movement. If it’s a room where you’re opening and closing your drapes daily, you could have issues with those two rods working their way out of that center connector.
Hi Kris,
Thanks for all your help so far! One last question (since we hit pause on the project a few months ago and are just now ready to order the rods):
We’ve decided we want to order one of these for our office, too. The walls are weird in there, so we have to mount it right inside the wood window frame. I’m having a hard time picturing what kind of hardware to mount it with since it has to be mounted directly into the wood at each side, so the rod won’t really be able to stick out. Do you think I should use a brass flange? Or something else? I’ve never done any home related projects like this, so I’m basically taking a shot in the dark.
If you have any ideas, I’d love to hear them because you’re always so creative! But *no pressure* — I know that this is different than what you did and you’re under no obligation to find a solution for my weird window set-up.
Thanks!
Jenn
Love! Going to attempt this! Do you think any polished gold rings will work or are these worth it. They are still a little pricey at 34$ for 6. I need 84 rings so that’s almost 500$ in rings.
Hi Tisa,
They are definitely pricey! If you can find other gold rings that size I think they’d be fine – at the time that I did this project the ones I used were the cheapest I could find but that was a few years ago. 🙂
Love this and how it ties everything together in your office.
I have a question; since the brass supports you are using are actually for railing and they have no tightening screw, how do you keep the rod from moving when you draw the curtains?
Thanks Patience! Honestly I’ve thought about that – I don’t know why the rod doesn’t move around but it doesn’t! Maybe because it’s a fairly snug fit in the supports!
Love this post! Great pictures highlighting your project. Do you have to install the brackets into a stud or can they go into the drywall directly using anchors? I have 120″ rod and planned on 3 brackets (2side, 1 center). Some sources say that the brackets should be every 4 feet to prevent bowing of the rod- so in my case it would mean 4 brackets which would look less visually pleasing PLUS i’d have to use C-rings, which I am trying to avoid. Nationwide plastics said 3 brackets would be fine- so wondering your opinion.
Thanks Kristin! All of mine are simply anchored into drywall because I didn’t want the studs to dictate where I placed the brackets. I think that 120″ is right on the borderline for three brackets vs. four. Mine is a little shorter than 120″ and with the three brackets there is just the mildest bit of bowing – it’s not enough that anyone would ever notice it unless they were looking for it so I’m happy with the three. I’m not sure if having yours be a little longer would cause enough more bowing that it would be visible or not. Tough call!
Hi Kris! I adore this look and actually am doing a similar look in my formal dining room. We’re having troubles installing the brackets though. Were you able to use a drill to get them in the wall or did you use a screwdriver? The access to the mounting seems to be a bit challenging and wondered f you had any suggestions. Thanks!
Quick question when you ordered your rod did you have them do 2 and make the connector? It’s $120 for the connector part and I was thinking won’t tbey juat connect in the middle of the brass ring? It’s soooo much more money to do the connector thoughts?
Lori when I got mine they didn’t have an option of a connector so I don’t have one. I used double stick duct tape to join them in the middle and they’ve never come apart. That being said, I don’t open and close those drapes frequently – if you do, they’d be more likely to wiggle apart.
Hi Kris!
I love all of your spaces, but wanted to ask about the hardware choices you made to go with your acrylic rods. Why did you select the 2″ end cap as opposed to the 1.5″ end cap since the rod is 1.5″? Also, why did you choose to use the curtain rings instead of having your panels made with grommets? I’m worried if I use rings, they will pull out over time with opening and closing my panels. Thoughts?
Thanks!
Carrie
Hi Carrie! The 1.5″ cap doesn’t fit (too small). And I just used rings out of personal preference – I’ve just never been much of a fan of the grommet look but either would work equally well!!
Hi there. Where did you get your brackets? I want to make sure they’ll fit the rod. Some places tell me acrylic can run big. Did you get 1.5 inch brackets?
Thanks for the information. It looks very nice!
I have a question, I ordered the 1 1/2 inch rod from National, your article stated that you ordered the 1.5 OD brackets from Buy Railings. Other articles have said to order rings/brackets a larger size than the rod. Do I order the 1.5 size? I can just order them from Buy Railings to be on the safe size. I love the snugness of your fit.
The brackets I used are made for a 1.5″ tube/rod so mine were a perfect fit!
So I love the curtain rods. I want to do them over are accordion fold glass doors. However the opening is 144 inches and I was told that nationwide plastics acrylic rods don’t come in any great length than 8 ft.
Should I do only one support bracket in the middle? If so I could join equal lengths of the acrylic together. But if you think I need to support brackets I don’t know what lengths to have the rods cut.
What are your thoughts?
I’d probably do two equal sized rods. I’m guessing that for that distance you might end up needing three support brackets (one in the middle plus two more) but you could try it with just a single center bracket first and just add the other two if they have too much sag!
I looked on Van Dykes website and saw that they also offer 1.5″ end caps. Why didn’t you purchase those instead of the 2″. One comment shown did inidcate that a buyer had issues using the endcaps on his brass tubing… i’m assuming either the interior diameter was too small for the tube or the tube was a bit larger. Was this the issue for you?
Yes, the 1.5″ cap is meant to fit IN a hollow pipe, not over a pipe/rod so it would be too small.