Design

A LOT OF HAIR

Hair professionals suggest that people with long hair should have it trimmed every eight to twelve weeks. For those with shorter hair, haircuts can be as frequent as every six weeks to keep it healthy. That’s a lot of haircuts! That means hair salons have to step up their game to keep current customers happy with their services and salon and do everything they can to gain new customers.

STAYING COMPETITIVE

We recently visited a salon in south Florida and really liked what we saw. This particular salon is located within an upscale spa and is elegantly decorated. High ceilings, beautiful chandeliers and artwork as well as tall windows allowing in plenty of natural light from the Florida sun. The salon is located at the front entrance and the design followed along the lines of the rest of the spa including upscale furniture and clean lines. But what caught our eye is how they covered their tall glass partitions with beautiful white sheers. They subtly concealed the hair stylists chairs, hair basins and dryers, but made the salon feel absolutely a part of the spa. Simple yet elegant.

LOOKING GOOD

This spa used the 85000 ceiling mount curtain track. This is a strong aluminum track that is frequently used in hotels but also in homes. The tracks were barely noticeable (again, with the clean lines) and the sheers created privacy and a finished upscale look. A simple solution that serves a purpose and is classy. Well done!

EASY-PEASY

If you have a teenager, then you may notice they typically crave privacy and will often spend hours upon hours in their bedrooms. You may also be familiar with ever changing moods. (If not, congratulations!) With the amount of time they spend in their rooms and as often as their moods change, so may their design preferences when it comes to their bedrooms. If you have a teenager that is constantly asking if they can paint their room, get new bedroom furniture, and rearrange everything in their space. There is a compromise - make a simple update.

We came across this article on 28 Design Ideas For Upgrading Your Teen’s Bedroom but if you don’t want to read through all of these tips, here are a few we think you might like.

• Rearranging furniture in a bedroom costs nothing but shows your teenager you are willing to be a bit flexible. Go ahead and move that dresser near the window or allow them to put their bed on an angle.
• Freshen up a room by purchasing new light fixtures or lamps, replacing a ceiling fan or changing out artwork. You can even add removable cling design elements to walls. Updating the general "theme" of a room can make it feel like an entirely new space.
• Add new window treatments! Replace those old curtains with new, fun ones to match the other updates. Window treatments can tie the entire room together.

Large home stores can help with the first two areas and Curtain-Tracks is pleased to help with the last. We have the largest online selection of curtain tracks so you can find the best track for the project. Whether you are looking for a wall mount track or a ceiling mount track, we have what you need, along with all the accessories such as end stops, carriers and even curtains.

LOOK AT THAT SMILE

Keeping your teenager happy can be tough but being a bit flexible in the bedroom redecorating department may just earn you some brownie points and maybe even an extra smile.

FAMILY ROOM VS. LIVING ROOM

Many older, traditional homes are built with a family room and a living room. Family rooms are often considered the “tv room” where the family gathers for entertainment and relaxation and includes comfy couches and recliners. Living rooms, on the other hand, are oftentimes located at the front of the house, are used less often, and typically are a bit more formal and ready for guests, aka “company” to visit. Because this room isn’t used as frequently as other rooms of the house, it is usually the last to be updated. If this sound like your living room, and especially if the room is at the front of the house where neighbors stroll by, perhaps this is the year you update that room and make it a bit more welcoming so it gets some use in the new year.

TIME FOR AN UPDATE

When updating a room where people gather, consider the furniture. Be completely honest: is the furniture comfortable or is it covered with a plastic slipcover to protect the upholstery? If your furniture is closer to the latter, perhaps it's time you consider donating that couch, or “davenport”, and purchase some new seating. That can be a sectional couch, armchairs, or even a comfy La-Z-Boy. Once you decide on the seating, add a table or two, some lamps that make a statement and some pieces of artwork.

YOU’RE NOT DONE YET

At this point you might think you are done, but that’s not quite the case. Look to your windows and the drapes you may or may not have hanging on them. If your living room is at the front of the house, all who pass by can get a glimpse of them. Is it time for an update? Simply by adding curtains with texture or a great print, you can create an entirely new look to your living room. Adding shears as well as curtains on double ceiling mount curtain tracks can create a new dimension to your room and give it that final touch.

DESIGN FUN

Simple updates like these can make that living room a room in your house where your family and friends will want to spend time. For design ideas, check out our image gallery or these helpful sites: Houzz.com, HGTV.com, Interior Design Homes.

Happy designing!

When it comes to choosing curtains for your windows, how do you know which style you should choose? A single panel for your window, or dramatic curtains, or perhaps contrast curtains, etc.? The possibilities are endless. Here we will tackle a few different options that hopefully will make the decision making process a bit easier.

SINGLE CURTAIN PANELS

A single curtain panel can create a simple look to a room but also be functional when closed. Keep it closed or simply pull it open by simply sweeping it to the side. To add a finished look to your window, you can have custom tie-backs made (we can help!). Curtain tie-backs add that polished look and can create a simple yet elegant touch to any room. They are especially effective with floor-to-ceiling curtains and curtains used on sliding glass doors.

DRAMATIC CURTAINS

If you are looking to create a dramatic look with curtains hung on ceiling mount curtain tracks, especially in a more formal space such as a living room, Interior Decor Trends suggests, "The living room curtains can also be an aesthetic accent to take the viewer by surprise. If the living room is spacious and bright enough, you can opt for dramatic blackout curtains in dark color. The same goes for the living room in white or the one with light wood furniture. Velvet and other thick fabrics add even more dramatic effect to this design."

CONTRAST CURTAINS

Another current curtain trend (pun intended) Decor Aid shares are contrasting colors on eclipse curtains. They suggest, "Look for contrasting drapes that boast a strong color juxtaposed with a warm neutral for a stylishly layered look with ease. And as contrasting window treatments lend a modern spirit to any room, pair them with minimal fittings for a clean and polished look, and go for colors you know you won’t tire of quickly."

UP TO YOU

There are so many possibilities when it comes to decorating your windows and we just covered three. You can find more ideas and inspiration on our blog, on our Pinterest page, or please feel free to reach out to our friendly customer service team! 1-888-465-0274.

AND THE WINNER IS...

We love a great awards program and Hospitality Design (HD) magazine recognizes the best of the best. They recently announced the winners of the 14th annual HD Awards. There are 23 categories and there are a number of commercial installments that feature elegant utiltization of curtain track hardware in their design. We wanted to share some of the winners and their use of curtain tracks, drapery hardware and accessories. The photos are simply stunning.

Congratulations to all of the winners! If you are looking for design ideas and inspration for your next interior decorating project, check out the winning project photos here.

TO COVER OR NOT TO COVER... THAT IS THE QUESTION

There is the ongoing debate on whether or not you should cover your curtain tracks. Whether your curtain tracks are wall-mounted or ceiling mounted, our tracks look great uncovered. However, should you decide to cover your tracks, what are some options?

DIFFERENT STYLES

You will notice that most hotels use curtain tracks above their windows and oftentimes they are ceiling mounted. Most come with a wand so they can easily be opened and closed allowing the carriers to glide smoothly along the track. You will also notice that in most hotels, there is a valance of some sort concealing the curtain track like this hotel in Houston, Texas. We believe the reason they do this is to enhance the décor of the room. We have seen valances made of the same fabric as the curtains, wood valances made with intricate trim, and valances that have a fabric mounted over a frame (cornice box) so it gives a clean sleek look. In fact, we even wrote a post on how to build a cornice box so it fits over the track to hide the hardware even when the curtains are open. Every hotel has a different style.

WHAT'S YOUR STYLE?

When you decide to use a curtain track, you should consider what the look is you are going for in the room? If you love a simple style and want the focus to be on your curtains alone, then there is no need to add a valance unless you feel it is an important design element for your room. On the other hand, if you prefer clean lines, perhaps you may want to build a wood valance with crisp trim.

If you decide to add a valance, what style will you choose? Fabric? Wood? Fabric mounted on a frame? We would love to hear your thoughts. Let us know what style you prefer in the comments. If you are still searching for ideas, visit our Photo Gallery for dozens of design ideas.

TRENDY AND COOL

HGTV has always been one of our favorite go-to's when it comes to the latest style and trends. When we saw their post with this photo of floor to ceiling curtains and curved walls, we just had to share. There are so many great things about every single thing in this picture, we just can’t hide our excitement! Let’s break down everything we love about these curtains.

BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

Somehow, the curtains in this room design are both a focal point and a back drop. This is the beauty of floor to ceiling curtains. They can blend into the wall if you use similarly colored paint and fabric; they can serve as an attention grabber if you choose opposite colors; and, obviously, they can actually cover windows. For this type of project with the unique curved walls, we love our best selling flexible curtain track.

CURVY

The beauty of our flexible track is that it can be custom bent (by hand!) to follow even the most unusual curve. This attention to detail helps to create the custom look that prevails through the entire room. Something as simple as this detail can be the finishing touch that pulls everything together.

LOTS OF CURTAINS

One of the outstanding features of this room is the amount of texture from the curtains. In addition to being pristine white (beautiful!), there is a lot of fabric which creates a great deal of texture. With a large amount of fabric, even when the curtains are drawn closed, there is plenty of texture to go around. Our 6100 track is the perfect fit here because it comes in a heavy duty gauge to handle the weight of the curtains.

SIDE NOTE

When choosing your track, you should consider the style as well as the total weight of the curtains. Weight comes not only from the type of fabric, but from the quantity of fabric as well. Many people forget to factor in the height of the curtains, which can add a fair amount of weight that will need to be hung on the track. Our selection of heavy duty tracks can stand up to the challenge.

BEST SELLING FOR A REASON

The 6100 track has so many great qualities, it’s no wonder it is one of our best sellers! It can be used in so many different applications and it can create such a custom look. Visit Curtain-Tracks.com to order yours today. Don’t forget to check out the compatible products at the bottom of the page to finish your project. You’ll need mounting cartridges for every ten inches of length.

Contact us today to turn your room into an HGTV photo!