The third bedroom has been at the top of our to-do list lately, and this past weekend was no different. Once the bedroom was painted I turned my focus to this monstrosity:
This unit was existing in our third bedroom when James purchased the house and it serves as great storage, which is why we haven't torn it down. While it does provide a good place to put things, I have been wanting to cover it up so that I wouldn't have to keep it neat and organized all the time. The other annoying thing about the shelving unit is that as soon as you walk through the door, the left side of the unit is directly in front of you--not the greatest first impression or the most welcoming entry. When brainstorming about curtains, I knew I wanted a curtain that could cover the front of the unit and continue around the side with no gaps in between. Since I knew I was going to be making the curtains myself, I just needed to find some hardware that would accomplish this look.
Ikea sells some curtain hardware that has an attachable bendable piece that can literally bend however you need it to. Which was exactly what we needed in order to continue the rod around the corner of the unit. Figuring out the pieces you need can be a little overwhelming since they are all sold separately. I would highly recommend drawing out your measurements on a diagram to bring with you. Thankfully James, the handy analytical one, was with me and was able to figure it all out. The hardware we purchased is shown below.
Meet my new friend Bendy
Because I was planning on making no-sew curtains, we also bought 3 packs of clip on curtain rings. I had James mount the hardware while I put together the rods.
As you can see, with the connector piece, the rod will continue around as one continuous piece to hide the side of the unit.
Once we got all of the hardware up it was time to tackle the making of the no-sew curtains. I went down to
Forsyth Fabrics and came home with 7.5 yards of this brown and white cane print fabric.
When measuring out how much fabric was needed to cover the unit I first measured the height (88") and then added 2 inches to the measurement. Each panel was standard fabric width of 54". In order to create a straight edge or seam, you have to fold each side in by one inch and adhere the stitch witchery, or hem tape. Before ironing on the hem tape, I folded the fabric over and ironed it to make a crease. Once I had a straight edge, I ironed over the hem tape to fuse the fabric together creating finished edges on all four edges. Keep in mind, I was planning on hanging these curtains with the clip on curtain rings, so I did not have to leave room for a rod at the top.
All in all, the project took the better part of the afternoon, but I was really pleased with the way they turned out.
View from the hallway looking into the room
Curtains opened
Curtains closed to hide all of the clutter