Modern Bedrooms: $10 Drop Cloth Curtains

One of the greatest parts of our home is our amazing front porch. I always dreamt of having a large opening porch space to relax and unwind and I'm so blessed to have created that space in our current home. Yet, each day between around 4 o'clock in the afternoon the sun becomes so intense that it makes it difficult to sit out there. I didn't have the budget for large custom roll shades and it didn't want the maintenance or installation costs.
Then last week while visiting a dear friend of mine (whose countryside home sits on 10 acres with wide open views) I noticed something. She hung beautiful drapes around her porch, or so I thought. Turns out that they were just drop cloths. Traditionally used for painting, my friend used them as Pottery Barn style outdoor curtains. So of course, what did I do the very next morning ---- go and buy drop cloths of course!

I bought four 6'x9' drop cloths and all the necessary mounting hardware. While I was at the store, I couldn't resist buying two outdoor fans which I'd been wanting for sometime. We had the porch pre-wired for future fans but just never got around to it. I found these lovely little fans for $35/each at Home Depot.
So - let's take a look at what I used to get this project completed...(laborer husband not included :-)

10 drop cloth curtains, curb appeal, diy, how to, outdoor living, reupholster, window treatments

WHAT YOU'LL NEED...
#1 - You need to purchase one drop cloth per end of your curtain rod. I needed four in total and the 6'x9' length was perfect for me. Each cloth was about $10

#2 - Next I purchased support brackets to hold up the copper piping that I used to create a custom and unique looking rod.

#3 - To make hanging these outdoor curtains a cinch I bought clip rings in an aged bronze finish. I'm thinking these will also come in handy if I ever need to wash the drop cloths. But heck, for the price, I would probably just go buy a new drop cloth.

#4 - I purchased two 10' sections of 3/4" copper pipe. This became my custom curtain rod and ended up being the exact size I needed for my space. You could always find longer pieces if need be and a lot of stores will even trim up the pipe for you if needed.