My previous curtain rod in my bedroom only looked like metal, and turned out to be cheap plastic that could not handle the weight of the room darkening curtains. This caused it to bend in the middle. So i needed a new one and chose this one. The fact that it corners so that the curtains go all the way to the wall to block more light, is great! It is a solid curtain and will last as long as i need it to. It also looks nice and well made.