August 2022 – Page 8 – LA Loft Blog

The Best DIY Tips for Tricky Loft Curtains….and How to Get It Right

I recently met Kris Quinn who owns OzCustomCurtains.com. When the conversation turned to loft living, she mentioned her numerous clients who are excited to move into a loft and then are stumped when it comes to window treatments. Lofts, in particular, need curtains for privacy and to block the sun, but the large windows and industrial walls can seem daunting. Installing hardware into masonry can require a handyman with a concrete punch and most people don’t think they can tackle it themselves. Kris assured me she can teach us a few things and sent me a brief tutorial. Follow her tips:

“Hello Lofters!
You can have great curtains that you DIY.
Here’s a quick lesson and some suggestions to help you along. Here I’m focusing on shallow, square casement windows when metal and masonry are what you’re working with. Google any terms you don’t understand.

Curtains have three parts that need to be planned ahead of time. They also might affect your fabric choice, which I’ll address later.
-WHERE you’ll hang them (inside or outside mount).
-WHAT kind of hardware (rod, track, traverse).
-HOW fabric joins hardware, called the header treatment (rings, pinch pleats, rod pocket, tab back).

For this lesson, I’m addressing inside mount installation for shallow, square windows, using a rod or ceiling track. It’s the easiest and most attractive for a DIY.

Keep in mind, the higher you hang your curtains, the harder they are to open and close. Anything taller than about 10 feet puts torque on the system, making it difficult when you pull the fabric too and fro. A reach extender can help you move the curtains at the top edge, or simply open the curtains with tie-backs in the middle, leaving the top part of the window slightly curtained. Rods with rings OR ceiling tracks with sliders will help curtains move more easily, but might not be fool proof at taller installs.

So how do you install rods or ceiling tracks when your walls are brick or concrete? Add wood.

FOR RODS:
Use a good construction epoxy that joins wood to stone. Attach 2″ x 2″ x 3″ wood blocks to the upper inside corners of the windows, making secure contact with one side and the top. The 3″ side is vertical and the blocks should tuck fully inside the window frame. Find 2″ x 2″ x 12″ wood blocks online from hobby shops and amazon, and cut to fit. Once they are firmly in place, use 1 1/4″ screws to mount the flanges 3/4″ down from the top edge, leaving room to insert the rod. When curtains are hung, hide the blocks behind the outer edge of curtains.

Oval closet rods and flanges work great as curtain hardware for inside mount applications. Sturdy and narrow, they neatly tuck into shallow windows. Also, one smooth rod is better than telescoping, as the curtains or rings can catch on the lip where telescoping rods intersect. A google search leads to many oval rod options, but a great resource is HARDWARE-DECOR.COM. The pricing is excellent, they have eight foot long rods, lots of finishes and do free cuts. Use rings, rod pocket, or a tab back header to attach fabric to rods. If you’re using rings, please don’t use the clip on kind. They won’t hold. Use rings with eyelets and sew them on or use pin hooks. Also, the rings should be at least 1/2″ bigger than the rod for smoother operation.

FOR TRACK:
Use a good construction epoxy to attach wood to masonry. Cut 2″ x 2″ x 8′ wood furring strips (Home Depot) to fit the uppermost edge of the window from corner to corner. The wood should tuck fully inside the window depth. If the upper edge of the window frame is choppy and uneven, use a piece of trim molding to cover the jagged edge where wood meets masonry. Paint all of that wood black, or the color of the wall, and it will resemble a lintel or cornice.

Use 1-1/4″ screws to attach plastic ceiling track into the underside of the wood. A favorite resource is RECMAR.COM and the website will help you determine what you’ll use to attach the curtains to the track. If you opt for the sliders, use pin hooks or hand stitch them to the top of the curtain. Cut the track with strong scissors to fit exactly from edge to edge and put the sliders or curtain on the track before attaching to the wood.

CHOOSING FABRIC:
Now you have somewhere to attach your curtains.
Whether you have them made, or just use sheets, there are a few tips when it comes to fabric.
Inside mount curtains always block some of the glass when open. Thin to medium fabrics work best, as they ‘stack back’ more completely and reveal more of the window when open. Thick fabrics, used for added privacy or sun blocking, means the width of your panels can’t be as expansive, as they don’t compact as much when open, leaving less room for the view to show. Use a ring or slider every 4-5 inches of the FABRIC, not the HARDWARE for the prettiest result. Using too few connections between hardware and fabric makes the top edge of curtains look unkempt and droopy.

Measure everything twice, plan ahead, take your time, and for sure get in touch with me if you have questions or need more help. Because you CAN curtain!”

The Wizard….of OZ Curtains
OzCustomCurtains.com
213-413-9900

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Copyright © This free information provided courtesy L.A. Loft Blog with information provided by Corey Chambers, Reali, Inc, CalDRE 01889449. We are not associated with the seller, homeowner’s association or developer. For more information, contact 213-880-9910 or visit LALoftBlog.com Licensed in California. All information provided is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified. Properties subject to prior sale or rental. This is not a solicitation if buyer or seller is already under contract with another broker.

Jenga Building Los Angeles ( artist rendering )

REAL ESTATE NEWS (Los Angeles, CA) — While innovative, artistic modern architecture is always bound to have many critics, many see creative building designs as a necessity for L.A., the entertainment capital of the world.

Plans for what could become one of Downtown’s most unique highrise buildings have received unanimous approval from the city’s Planning Commission. With jutting, cantilevered sections, including swimming pools on the top floors, the proposed tower, across the street from Pershing Square, has been described as looking like a Jenga game of stacked blocks. Commissioner Samantha Millman described it as “an ambitious, bold design”. The 53-story hotel and condo tower is to be built on a thin, L-shaped site, wrapping around Pershing Square, which is also owned by the towers developer, Jeffrey Fish of JMF Enterprises.

In addition to a Thrill Pool, the glassy tall tower would include several other water features, including two that would effectively hide an above-ground parking deck behind a wall of falling water. Inside the facility, 190 “five-star” hotel rooms and 31 condos would reside. Twelve of the condos, which were a particular treat, would get their own floating pool. The tower also would have connected to a popular Perch rooftop restaurant in the Pershing Square Building, located on the 13th floor.

The facility was dreamed up by Fish and designed by Miami-based firm Arquitectonica, who is also architect of the Emerson Apartments near the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Bunker Hill. Commissioners applauded the projects bold architecture and creative approach to concealing parking.

A rendering of the tower, with glass swimming pools jutting out from the top floors. A view of the project from Pershing Square. A rendering of the buildings slender Fifth Street entrance.

Above the entrance is a multi-story water feature, which was designed to shield parking levels from falling water screens. The waterfall-like feature will hide parking spaces.

But Commissioner David Ambroz said he is concerned that, if the project is approved, then sold, the design could lose its most eye-catching aspects, becoming a “short, rectangular thing”. In an effort to make it harder for the developer to change an approved design in the future, the commission asked the project be re-submitted to the commission again if it wanted a new design. Commissioner Mark Mitchell said, “Visually, this is a fabulous project, but it has a lot of other advantages.

Jenga Building Los Angeles — Due to skyscraper development happening rapidly in LA, the condition and other details about the buildings below are subject to change, more taller towers are proposed all the time, and the contents below will be updated accordingly. The Los Angeles Department of City Planning recently released the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for a proposed so-called 5th & Hill Project, which includes new renderings for an impressive 53-story tower, Urbanize.LA reports. Developer Jeffrey Fish has revealed new renderings. The proposed Fifth & Hill project would consist of 190 five-star hotel rooms and 31 apartments, rising up on a L-shaped site next to historic Pershing Square Building, also owned by developer Jeffrey Fish.

The lead designers came up with this Jenga-like tower, complete with terraces and about a dozen long, skinny acrylic-bottomed pools cantilevered off the sides of the building. Fish and architecture firm Arquitectonica came up with this Jenga-like tower with terraces and acrylic-bottom swimming pools that jut out from several sides of the building, including a few that will hover over Perch, Downtowns popular rooftop bar. Meanwhile, columns and walls surrounding New Yorks 75-foot-long swimming pool are covered with tiny metal tiles. Arquitectonica is designing the towers 53-story top floor. Originally proposed to have 57 stories, the tower is now planned to be topped at 53 stories. The two towers – one of them housing units – will be built with concrete in a prefabricated form, with some glass and metallic features. It is being developed by Related Co., and it is comprised of two towers — one residential, one hotel — and lots of restaurants and shops surrounding a central plaza above five levels of parking.

Be among the first to tour the exciting new condo towers in DTLA. Get on the New Homes Interest List. Fill out the online form:

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