Alright, so today I wanted to share a bit about a project I finally got around to tackling: sorting out the curtains for my bay window. It’s one of those things I’d been putting off, you know? But it needed doing. Here’s how it all went down, from start to finish, my little adventure in home improvement.
The Bay Window Curtain Challenge – My Take
So, the sun. Yeah, the sun in my living room was getting to be a bit much. Like, try watching TV and it’s just a glare fest. Plus, the old blinds were just sad. Really sad. Decided it was time for actual curtains, something a bit more grown-up, you know? And since I’ve got this bay window, I knew it wasn’t going to be a simple slap-a-rod-up kind of deal. It never is with these older houses, is it?
First big headache: Finding the right stuff. You’d think getting things for a bay window would be straightforward these days. Nah. I traipsed around a few of those giant home stores. One fella just stared blankly when I mentioned “bay window rod.” Like, come on mate, it’s not rocket science. Eventually, I gave up and found a bendable track system online. Looked like it might actually work. Then the curtains themselves. Endless scrolling. Just wanted something to block the light and not look hideous. Landed on some blackout ones. Grey. Figured grey is safe. Less chance of me hating it in six months.
The box finally showed up. I ripped it open. Instructions. If you can call them that. Seemed like they were translated from another language using a cheap app, then translated back. Utterly useless for my specific window. Okay, take a breath, I told myself. I can figure this out. Spread all the bits and pieces out on the floor. It looked like a puzzle for an engineer.
- First up, the measuring. They say measure twice, cut once. I think I measured each angle of that bay about twenty times. Seriously. Didn’t want to mess this bit up.
- Then getting the marks on the wall for the brackets. This took forever. Trying to get them all level, all lined up. My trusty old spirit level got a real workout. Pretty sure it hates me now.
- Drilling holes. My favorite part. Not. Dust everywhere. My drill sounded like it was on its last legs too. Probably is. Note to self: new drill.
Bending that track to fit the angles of the bay window was, let’s just say, a character-building exercise. The website said “bends easily.” They lied. It took some serious grunting and a few choice words. My hands were aching. There was a point, no joke, where I just wanted to throw the whole damn thing out into the garden. Had to walk away, make a brew, and come back with a clearer head. You know how it is with these DIY jobs, they test you.
Finally, getting the actual curtains onto the track. All those little hooks and gliders. So fiddly. One by one. But, as they started to go up, it actually started to look like, well, curtains! That was the bit where I thought, “Okay, maybe this wasn’t a totally terrible idea.” The last hook went in. I stood back to have a proper look.
And you know what? They looked brilliant! Actually brilliant. The sun is GONE when they’re closed. The grey looks pretty smart, I reckon. The whole room just feels a bit more put-together, a bit more cozy. It was a right faff, definitely more annoying than I expected. But sorting it myself, battling through the rubbish instructions and the awkward angles, there’s a bit of pride in that. Now I just sit there and admire them. My wife’s impressed too, which is always a bonus. What’s next? Probably a long lie-down. That bay window nearly beat me!
