Curtains: from palaces towards homes. We describe how to install them.

Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things depend on electricity curtains no. 

1. History of curtains in the West: a plurality of functions and meanings 

Curtains have always: protect our intimacy, delimited a given space and regulated the degree of light penetration in it. However, other uses have changed over time. 

- Egypt, Greece and Rome: curtains and political power

 The use of curtains, something exotic and expensive, was determined by the symbolic aspect. This means that we are talking about and object with the mission to convey a message. At that time the meaning was clear: whoever hid behind them had all the power.

The curtains that form a curtain can be opaque and not let the light through at all or translucent and filter the light without letting you see clearly who is behind.

The properties of the second type of curtain are a perfect metaphor for absolute power: it is ruthlessly exercised, however, needs to be insinuated. Who can oppose someone who is literally never seen and controls everything?.In fact, to have eye contact makes us equal as human beings. Curtains in that society were also used in religious enclosures. 

- Middle Age: curtains as a delimitating object 

The studied object loses its political message in favor of something simple and useful: delimiting a specific space.

- XVII and XVIII centuries: curtains: the power of sharing code 

Curtains experienced a new period of brilliancy. Namely, it is the era of courtship. In it the male lover, from the refinement, intends to attract the woman. It is she who decides the position of the curtains, thus indicating whether it corresponds or not to male.

We recommend Gilles Lipovetsky's essay. This literary suggestion makes perfect sense given that in our sections "DIY" and "Confort Feliu" we deal with how to have a home that seduces our guests.     

- From the 19th century to nowadays: the  curtains popularization

Two centuries ago the function of curtains lost any symbolic connotation to become almost exclusively decorative and they began to be available to the public. However, a curtain still has three practical functions: to help ventilate, once the window is open, to regulate the light that enters a house and to regulate the temperature.

2. How to install the curtain I just bought?

a) Measure: first of all, you have to know the space of the window. To know how to install curtains, the first thing to do is to see what size the rod must have -there are also extensible-. "Measure the width of the window and add about 20 cm on each side," explains Núria López, product manager of decoration at Leroy Merlin. 

b) Get the correct height of the curtain rod: "It is best to leave at least 10 cm above the window frame," says Lopez. In the event that the drawer of the blind is in sight, the bar will have to be placed on top of it.

c) Where should the curtain rod be hung: on the window wall, on the ceiling or between two walls. If it is placed above the window, you will have to make sure that the window can be opened comfortably.

d) What do I need to hang the curtains: a tape measure, a spirit level, a marking pencil, a drill, a hammer and a screwdriver. Plus: the rod elements, the terminals, the brackets, screws and dowels.

e) It's time to start the task: use a long ruler and, with the spirit level, make sure you place the curtain properly aligned. Then, with the pencil, mark on the wall the lower part of the bracket plate. Place the brackets and, at the drilling points, mark again with the pencil.  

f) Shore up the bar supports: to do this, drill on the marked points and place the dowels. Use a hammer to hammer them in until they are flush with the wall and then screw the bracket into the dowels.

g) Adjust the bar: if it is not extendable, cut it to the size you want. 

h) Place the bar and the rings: "Reserve one ring at each end and insert the rest into the bar. Place the bar in the brackets and attach the end fittings." Then hang the curtain!

i) The procedure is the same: take measurements, mark, drill holes and screw. But instead of on the wall, you'll have to do it on the ceiling. 

I have two more doubts:

And in the case of double curtains... How can I manage?

You have two alternatives: you can place the curtain and the net curtain on a single rod or on two rods. In the second case, be sure to take extendable brackets. The ones that will look "outside" will hang from a rod screwed a little higher than the other. The important thing is to make sure that the rod that is on the "inside" allows you to open and close the curtain without any problems.

How to hang curtains without making holes: 

This kind of solution is only valid for light weight curtains or sheers. Although it is very functional, it is the least decorative. For the curtains there are the easy hangers. You can put them in the window frame, so that the curtain covers the glass.

The link on which we have relied for the second part is from the magazine El Mueble.

It has been a pleasure to write about a topic as functional as beautiful.