DIY West Elm Inspired Curtain Rod

Tuesday, July 28, 2015



So excited to share my latest DIY project! Today I am going to be sharing my very own take on West Elm's metal curtain rods!

(This post may contain affiliate links- for details read my full disclosure here)
Oversized Metal Rod- Antique Brass $109

I'm a sucker for all things 'West Elm'. Unfortunately, my home decorating budget just doesn't allow me to really shop there (however, they do have some nice sales from time to time!). Since starting my {R} Favorites Friday posts I have done a lot of on-line scouring and came across these curtain rods from West Elm and fell in love (yes, we're talking about curtain rods)!

Aren't they pretty? I just love them! But for upwards of $89 per rod this purchase is not justifiable...
Enter inner DIY goddess.

Once I decided that these would be the perfect rods to pair with my new Pom-Pom Trim Curtains I started the online search for something similar. I was really looking for a rod that had a cylinder shaped end that wasn't decorative but simple. I thought I had seen something similar at Target (confirmed: $28 per rod in silver) but I wanted to paint mine gold and I knew that Target might be pricier than I was hoping for this DIY project. I found these rods at Ikea and while they are not exactly the same they are relatively similar with the cylinder end. They also aren't gold but white is the perfect color for painting :)
RACKA Curtain Rod $8.96
$8.96. Now that is a number with an 8 in it that I can handle! I purchased two and then hit up my local Ace Hardware to pick up some Gold Spray paint (side note: I seriously love the smell of Hardware stores... it reminds me of trips to Ace with my Dad growing up). So, I get to the aisle with all the Spray Paint (side note #2: The spray paint selection now-a-days is amazing... they have every color of the rainbow to choose from, including dreamy pastels!) and start looking for gold spray paint. Most stores carry two types of Gold paint; a matte or a metallic finish. I wasn't really going for a true metallic look (aka you can see yourself in it), I really wanted it to have more of a matte or satin finish so my decision was made and I picked up a can of Kyrlon Dual Paint + Primer in Gold Metallic for $6.49 (don't let the name fool you... the nice man at Ace advised that the lid is a representation of how the paint will dry and this one was more matte/satin). So, at this point these rods are costing me about $16 to make... that is a HUGE savings!

Krylon Dual Paint + Primer in Gold Metallic

Now, it was time to transform my curtain rods! Let's get started :)

Step 1: Prep your rods/Spray Zone
Luckily, I purchased my rods in white and I picked up spray paint that was both paint and primer so no priming was needed! I simply made sure that all pieces were dust free (and they were brand new so really I did absolutely nothing).


I did, however, prep my spray zone. I started by getting all my products laid out on some cardboard. I also just happened to have the perfect sized cardboard box to spray the rods completely extended (keep reading to discover my biggest blonde moment yet)!


Step 2: Paint your products
I started by spraying down all the accessories. I did light coats until I was satisfied (I had to wait about 15 minutes between coats... and am literally writing this as the 2nd coat dries).

Notice the teal leftover from my DIY Lamps last week!
Sometimes you get things right the first time. Then there are times it's simply trial and error. Let's just say that this project definitely had it's blonde moments (and I'm blonde so I can say that). Mistake #1. Not completely taking the rods apart. For some odd reason I thought that I should leave them together to paint. NO. Not a good idea. Mistake #2 was trying to spray these laying down. This was not a good method. And one that had me ready to throw in the towel on this project. So, I decided to prop the box against a tree in our yard (thanks, nature!) and spray them that way. Now, I wouldn't have to wait 15 minutes to rotate the rods. You're welcome.

#Blondemoment
I wised up (literally)!
Step 3. You're done (almost)!
After a good three coats of paint you are ready to install and pat your DIY goddesses on the back :)






Very simply but I love the end result! I may decide to spray a nice gloss coat over these because they turned out a little more matte than I was hoping but for now they will do :)

How have you re-vamped your curtain rods? Do you have any West Elm hacks to share? Let me know in the comments below :)

Thanks for stopping by to visit {R&R} at home!



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29 comments

  1. Looks great! I love West Elm, they have such beautiful stuff.

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  2. Hi Lisa! Thank you for visiting! I also LOVE West Elm just not their prices! 😉😉

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  3. These look great, they add a sleek touch to the decor, I love it! Great job, spray painting these would be a blond moment for me too, and I haven't been blond since I was 5! LOL.

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    1. Hi Nikki! Thank you! I'm glad i'm not alone with blonde moments, haha :)

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  4. These are gorgeous, and the price can't be beat!

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    1. Hi Michelle! Thank you for stopping by! :) :)

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  5. Love your West Elm knock off, looks great (and I love your pom poms on your drapes too :) )

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    1. Hi Mary Beth! Thank you! I will be posting my pom-pom trim curtain tutorial soon :) Both of these projects were so fun!

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  6. You definitely got the look. They look great.

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    1. Thank you Trish! And thank you for stopping by!

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  7. This looks awesome! Your post has been Pinned,Tweeted and shared on Facebook! It will be featured this week on the Friday Favorites Link Party at Mustlovehome.com. Come by and see your feature and share what you have been working on this week! The doors open Thursday at 7PM. Hugs - Christine at Must Love Home

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    1. Hi Christine!! Thank you so much for sharing my project!! :) :) :) I will be there at 7pm tonight to link up and share what I've been working on this week! Can't wait to see what everyone has been up to!

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  8. Beautiful! This looks so amazing. Pinned and tweeted. Thank you for bringing such amazing creations to our party. We hope to see you tonight at 7 pm because we LOVE to party with you! Lou Lou Girls

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  9. Hi! I'm an editor for BuzzFeed and would love to feature this tutorial in a post! Let me know if that would be okay -- natalie [dot] brown [at] buzzfeed [dot] com. Thanks!

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    1. Hi Natalie- Thank you for visiting! And, of course! My blog is meant to inspire and share ideas with everyone! I always ask that you give attribution by linking to my blog :)

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    2. Thank you so much! Will always give attribution and link back. The post is live here! http://www.buzzfeed.com/nataliebrown/you-can-do-it-yes-you-can#.vjw1YRXBa

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  10. This is brilliant! Also, where did you get the curtains?

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    1. Hi Christina! Thank you visiting :) The curtains are from Ikea! You can see the full tutorial for the curtains here (http://www.randrathome.com/2015/08/diy-pom-pom-trim-curtains.html)!

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  11. I LOVE gold on navy! Could you please tell me whether there is any wear from sliding the curtains across the spray painted metal? Thank you!!

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    1. Hi! Thank you for stopping by! I don't often close the curtains, as these are more decorative than used for privacy, but have not noticed any wear on them as of yet! I recommend spraying a protective gloss if you plan to open and close the curtains often!

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    2. Thank you so much!

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