Tillys Solid Brass Bay Window Curtain Pole

Tilly's Interiors bend solid brass curtain poles to the shape of your own bay, so the curtains draw round the whole window in one run rather than stopping at each corner. The pole is cut, bent and hand finished to a template you supply, in six finishes that run from bright Polished Brass through to the mottled, unlacquered Old Brass that continues to change with age.

Made to your bay

Every bay pole is bent from your own measurements. The set includes the bent pole, a pair of finials in your chosen style and adjustable brackets, whose projection can be set so the pole lines up with each face of the bay. How many brackets your window needs depends on its shape and size, and is confirmed once we have your measurements. The rings are passing rings, which travel over the brackets so nothing stops the curtains halfway round the bay. Tilly's supply twelve rings per metre as standard, rounded up to the next even number.

Choosing the shape and size

Count the bends, not the sides. A corner window has one bend, a standard three-sided bay has two, and a five-sided bay has four.

Then measure roughly along the wall, following the shape of the bay, and add the sides together. Pick the band that total falls into. If you are between two bands, take the larger one: we refund the difference if your bay comes in shorter, and a band that is too small means a price change later.

You do not need to be exact yet. The box below is for your best figure, and we confirm everything from the measuring form before anything is cut. If your bay is curved rather than angled, or longer than the bands here, ask us and we will quote it.

Curtain weights

At 38mm in solid brass this pole carries full length interlined curtains (fabrics with an additional layer sewn between the lining and face cloth) without visible deflection, provided the brackets are fitted where we specify.

Other diameters

This page is built around 38mm, which suits most bays. Tilly's bend the same Classic pole at 25mm, 32mm, 50mm and 65mm as well, so if you want something slimmer for a small window or heavier for a tall Victorian bay, tell us the diameter when you enquire and we will price it. The finials and finishes on offer change a little with the diameter.

Before you order

You do not need to have measured properly yet. Choose the finish, the finials and the bay shape and size, put your best figure in the box, and we will send you a measuring form. Nothing is cut or bent until you have approved the drawing. The measuring and fitting tab sets out each step.

Tilly's bay poles are bent to your own bay. You do not need to have measured before you order, and you cannot get it wrong at this stage: the shape and finish you pick on this page set the price, and we confirm the exact figures with you afterwards.

1. Place your order. Choose the finish, the finials and the number of bends in your bay, and put your best estimate of the total pole length in the box. Add up all the sides of the bay, not the width of the room. Neither figure has to be exact yet.
2. We send you a measuring form. Within one working day you will get an email with a template form for your bay, along with instructions. Tilly's need a to-scale template, or a measuring sheet giving the angles or the cross measures, before they can bend anything. Measurements are taken at the height you want the pole, in millimetres, with a metal tape.
3. We check the figures and confirm the price. This is also where the bracket schedule is set, since how many brackets a bay needs depends on its shape and size. The price here covers a bay of the usual size for that number of bends. If yours is materially longer we will tell you before anything is made, and if it is shorter we will refund the difference.
4. You approve the drawing. Tilly's produce a technical drawing of your pole and we email it to you. Nothing is cut or bent until you have signed that off.
5. Into production. The pole is cut, bent and hand finished, then crated and sent out.

If you would rather not measure it yourself

Tilly's offer a templating and site survey service. It is charged separately and is worth considering on a splayed bay, where the angles matter more than the widths. Ask us and we will get it quoted.

Fitting

The pole arrives with the brackets, rings and finials. The brackets are adjustable, so there is room to line the pole up with each face of the bay once it is on the wall. Fitting a bay pole is within reach of a confident DIYer, but it is a two-person job: the pole is long, solid brass is heavy, and it will only sit correctly if the brackets are level with each other rather than level with the ceiling.

We do not offer a measuring or fitting service ourselves.

This page carries the finishes and finials we sell most of. Tilly's make a good deal more than that, all of it to order:

• Other diameters: the same Classic pole is bent at 25mm, 32mm, 50mm and 65mm, if 38mm is not right for the room
• Satin brass, aged brass, polished and lacquered brass, satin nickel and antique nickel, alongside the six finishes shown here
• The rest of the Classic finials, including Nouveau, Reeded Sphere, Stepped Ball and Cutaway Ball
• Painted poles, matched to most paint colours or to a RAL reference
• Tracked and corded bay poles, where the curtains are drawn by cord or by hand from a track set into the pole
• French returns, where the pole turns back to the wall at each end instead of finishing on a finial
• Curved bays, bent to a radius rather than to angles

Send us the shape you have in mind and we will price it.