A curtain rod, curtain rail, curtain pole, or traverse rod is a device used to suspend

curtain A curtain is a piece of cloth or other material intended to block or obscure light, air drafts, or (in the case of a shower curtain), water. A curtain is also the movable screen or theater curtain, drape in a theatre that separates the stage fro ...

s, usually above

window A window is an opening in a wall, door, roof, or vehicle that allows the exchange of light and may also allow the passage of sound and sometimes air. Modern windows are usually glazed or covered in some other transparent or translucent mate ...

s or along the edges of

shower A shower is a place in which a person bathes under a spray of typically warm or hot water. Indoors, there is a drain in the floor. Most showers have temperature, spray pressure and adjustable showerhead nozzle. The simplest showers have a ...

s or

bathtub A bathtub, also known simply as a bath or tub, is a container for holding water in which a person or animal may bathe. Most modern bathtubs are made of thermoformed acrylic, porcelain-enameled steel or cast iron, or fiberglass-reinforced p ...

s, though also wherever curtains might be used. When found in bathrooms, curtain rods tend to be

telescopic A telescope is an instrument designed for the observation of remote objects. Telescope(s) also may refer to: Music * The Telescopes, a British psychedelic band * ''Telescope'' (album), by Circle, 2007 * ''The Telescope'' (album), by Her Space H ...

and self-fixing, while curtain rods in other areas of the home are often affixed with decorative

brackets A bracket is either of two tall fore- or back-facing punctuation marks commonly used to isolate a segment of text or data from its surroundings. Typically deployed in symmetric pairs, an individual bracket may be identified as a 'left' or ' ...

finial A finial (from '' la, finis'', end) or hip-knob is an element marking the top or end of some object, often formed to be a decorative feature. In architecture, it is a small decorative device, employed to emphasize the apex of a dome, spire, t ...

. Special poles can be made for bay windows or made by joining a number of straight and corner bends to fit the shape of a bay window.

Bathtubs

Bathtubs can use L-shaped or oval-shaped curtain rods, mainly when only one wall can be used.

Construction

Curtain rods can be made of many materials including wood, metal and plastic. Curtain rods come in almost endless styles and designs. Not all curtain rods are simple straight poles; curved and hinged poles are available from numerous companies, allowing installation in bay windows and around curved walls and corners. Curtain rods can also be shaped like a crane or exhibit a swing arm design. Prices and quality of curtain rods are as varied as designs from inexpensive big-box store products to high-end specialty products made by companies catering to interior designers and architects.

History

18 years following the invention of the curtain rod by

Samuel R. Scottron Samuel Raymond Scottron (February 1841 – October 14, 1905) was a prominent African-American inventor from Brooklyn, N.Y. who began his career as a barber. He was born in Philadelphia in 1841. He received his engineering degree from Cooper Union ...

in 1892, the flat, telescoping curtain rod was invented by Charles W. Kirsch, of Sturgis,

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

, in 1907. However, they were not in use until the 1920s. Kirsch also invented the traverse curtain rod in 1928.

References

Furnishings {{furniture-stub

Bathtubs

Construction

History

See also

References