It's July, it’s hot out and the last thing you want to think about is layering your home with thick, heavy curtains. We totally get it. But when the sun's harsh glare becomes too much to bear, it doesn't hurt having at least a little coverage over your windows. To keep your favorite spaces comfortable all summer long, use brightly-hued, lightweight curtains that will gently reflect the sun. Here are a few of our favorite ideas for inspiration. By replacing dark pink drapes with billowing white curtains, Nicole Curtis opened this sunroom to soft, natural light, making it feel peaceful and airy from morning to night. Because dark colors absorb more heat than others, it makes sense to choose curtains in softer hues during the summer. That's why we love this design by Jenna Buck Gross; not only do the floor-to-ceiling aqua curtains redirect the sunlight, but they also give the white walls a cute, coastal touch. Another way to cool down your home is to decorate with white lace curtains, like these beauties by Kelly Baron.

Because the fabric is less dense, air will flow easily through the curtains and keep your space breezy and comfortable. White curtains speckled with blue polka dots? In this living room by Chango and Co, the curtains add energy and color to the space and are just translucent enough to keep the room well-lit. Windermere Real Estate, a member of Luxury Portfolio International Bright and beautiful, pink is an ideal color for summer. Windermere Real Estate infused a formal dining room with this fun-filled shade, making the space seem calm and inviting. Nothing says summer quite like florals. In this bedroom by Gail Barley Interiors, two pairs of floral curtains easily complement the slipper chair and throw pillow and give the bedroom some gentle coverage. This design by Brian Patrick Flynn just goes to show that curtains work well even in outdoor settings. For extra shade during the day, wrap your porch in warm orange-red tones to create a vibrant yet relaxing seating area.

These DIY curtain rods are made from galvanized pipe, so they have a cool, industrial-chic look to them. And with the gold spray painted finish, they’re also quite glam. Monica Benavidez, the creative DIYer who writes Monica Wants It!, came up with this project using pipe for our series here on The Home Depot Blog DIY Challenge: Pipe. We asked Monica and several other impressively talented crafters and bloggers to come up with ingenious DIY projects that use pipe as an ingredient. It could be just about any kind of pipe: galvanized pipe, PVC pipe or, as in this case, copper pipe. Just follow the steps in this tutorial to make your own DIY curtain rods from pipe. I love these Home Depot challenges because they usually motivate (and inspire) me to start something I’ve been thinking about. I’ve been slowly revamping a bedroom to serve as my home office and craft space, and there’s a window in there that lets in light that floods the room…which is good most of the time.

However, sometimes I want to filter the light or block it out a tad to focus or do some blogging. I’ve had my heart set on a brass/gold curtain rod, but boy are they expensive! The ones I fell in love with were over $200 and had a bit of an industrial feel that is the perfect balance to the feminine black, white, gold and pink vibe I have going on. Yes, this is the same color palette I used during the Harvest Style Challenge. How Much Do Automatic Toilets Cost With a little creativity, pipes and gold spray paint, I was able to create some DIY stylish curtain rods that are unique and look simply gorgeous in my home office.American Standard Whirlpool Tub Not Working I’ll walk you through the steps. Auto Repair Shop Flyer Sample

This is a project anyone can accomplish in an afternoon, and with the myriad of spray paint colors available at The Home Depot, the possibilities are truly endless. I debated on whether to assemble the curtain rod and then spray paint, but I ended up spray painting the pieces individually and it worked out fabulously. Use Goo Gone to remove any and all grease from the pipes and accessories. I only had to do this to the 60 in. pipe, but this step is critical to success because you want the primer to adhere to the pipe to provide a solid, smooth foundation for the gold spray paint. After you remove all the grease, make sure to dry it off with a shop rag. Apply a coat of Zinsser spray primer. This was my first time using the spray paint version, and oh my gosh y’all, it is fabulous! It truly does work with just one coat. A bit of advice: use short bursts from about 8-10 in. away, and shake the can every 20 seconds or so for flawless coverage. Let it dry half an hour.

After the primer coat has dried for half an hour, it’s time to spray a coat of gold (or whatever other color you’d like) on. I did three light coats of gold to ensure a durable finish. Optional: If you want to tone down the gold/brass, or if you plan on using curtains with grommets or using curtain rings, I’d suggest using a clear gloss spray paint sealer to seal the finish. This will help your paint not chip off from the back and forth motions of closing your curtains. Fair warning though, it does dull the shiny part of the gold finish. I bought the sealer, but when I saw that my shiny, metallic gold was dulled when I used it, I chose to not use it after all. NOTE: Steps 4-6 are really a two-person job to ensure a level, accurate installation, especially on a wide window. I let my pipe curtain rod pieces dry about an hour before moving on ahead to the actual installation. We (my darling and handy husband and I) fully assembled the curtain rod and measured it.

Although I bought a 60 in. pipe, the overall width was about 65 in. due to the elbows and flanges. From there we made pencil marks on the wall at the overall height of the curtain rod (I chose 83 in. so my 84 in. curtains would skim the floor), and we also marked where the holes would be drilled to attach the flanges to the wall on the left and right side. The order for the assembly is (from left to right) flange > nipple > elbow > pipe > elbow > nipple > flange. Drill pilot holes for the drywall anchors and insert the anchors. Place the flange over the holes and screw into place. Attach a nipple and elbow into the left flange. Install the right hand side flange. Screw one end of the pipe into the left elbow and slide your curtains on. One person holds that in place while the other connects the elbow and nipple on the right hand side and screws it into the right flange.Now you can sit back and enjoy your hard work. I love, love, love my DIY pipe curtain rod.

It’s glamorous, unique and a bit industrial in this very girly office of mine. The gold really pops thanks to the bold floral curtains I chose for the space. I’m using lots of gold polka dots with black and white stripes, so this pattern addition really makes a statement and shakes things up. In the window reflection above, you get a glimpse of my super stunning Maria Theresa chandelier, which is also from The Home Depot. Truth be told, there are three of these chandeliers in my house– one in the office and two in my dining room. I’ll let you in on a little secret…I am so head over heels for my new DIY pipe curtain rod that I keep going into the office just to look up and gaze at it. I’m always so proud when I turn an idea into a DIY project and it turns out better than I had hoped. I still have a bit more work to do on my office, so if you want to end up seeing the full reveal and tons more tutorials (the desk, the console table, the bench and the wall artwork are all DIY’d), you can stay tuned to my blog.