Window Covering Help

[jmarie]

I have a fairly large picture window in my living room. The curtains have been there for about 19 years. When H left, I took the curtains down...would have done it before now, but didn't want to listen to his protests.

This window faces the road, a well travelled road.

I haven't used the living room much since H left...I have actually tried to stay away from the house, as much as possible, but it is getting a little easier to stay here, now and I need to do something with that window. The evening sun comes pouring in around 3:00PM until the sun goes down.
I LOVE the brightness and the airy feeling that comes from the uncovered windows, but once night comes, it isn't practical...because I do use my living room quite a bit. I would love to leave it uncovered, but it is scary to think about people looking in at night, so that is out of the question.

Do you think sheers would be enough coverage? I really haven't done a lot with curtains in my life and the ones I had were hung incorrectly, but after we remodeled, H wouldn't allow me to hang new curtain rods, so I just did the best I could with what I had.

I cannot afford a professional to come in.

How can I learn what is best for this window and me?

[sneezles]

Try looking at different sites that sell window treatments to get an idea of the different types. My favorite site is Smith + Noble, every window in my hose has something from their catalog (except for 2 French doors in the living room).

The kitchen table windows and the windows in DH's office and the ones in the dining room have these blinds:



They let all the light in during the day but become very private at night.

[charley]

A visual would help. Can you post a photo of the window? I have a similar problem. Been living with a picture window with shutters on the bottom half for more than 25 years. During the day that's fine, but at night I'd love some privacy. I'm thinking simple panels on clips, but that's as far as I've gotten. Like I said, it's been 25 years.

[Beth]

Sheers would be good by day, but at night with a light turned on in the room, chances are you would see everything pretty clearly. The weave of the fabric and the amount of gathering might filter some, but I wouldn't count on them for much privacy. You could use sheers if you like that look and use a shade or blinds behind them -- or just do blinds.

If the window is a size where you could buy them ready made, Lowe's sells plantaion style sgutters that would also look nice and could be open by day and more provate at night.

A shade that can be raised from the bottom might also allow you to have more provacy and still get light through the top, depending on the height of the window. Smith & Noble has those. Even Domestications had some sizes in their catalog (better prices, but I'm sure they are not the quality of SMith & Noble). I know you can order those from Lowe's and Home Depot, but I don't know if they or Target carry any with that feature in a ready made.

[jmarie]

My H is taking this couch and two matching chairs with him as soon as he gets his carpets cleaned. I may leave this area void of any furniture. I have a picture that I cut out of a magazine, of a grouping of furniture I want, but that will have to come a little later. He actually bought them for the cabin last summer. They are the most uncomfortable pieces of furniture around. Jerk, he kept saying that I furnished this house and he was going to furnish the cabin. I went everywhere with him looking at furniture and watching him pourchase it and he knew all along that I wasn't going to be there with him to enjoy it. Well, I won't miss these three pieces.
but that is not what this thread is about.

[Robyn1007]

I would do some sort of tab top curtain all the way to the floor but instead of putting the curtain rod just above the window, install it as close as possible to the ceiling so that it gives your room more height. I'll see if I can find a picture.

[Laurielee]

I agree with Sneezles, I love those shades. They give you semi privacy during the day while letting light in, and then you close them at night for privacy, and yo can dress them up by hanging curtains on the side

Lauirie

[Ann1965]

Sounds like you'll be better off without H. I wish you all the best. I have fabric shades on all the windows of my house except one and I love them. They let light in but also provide privacy.

[Robyncz]

Good for you for making some changes YOU want to make. The big change is obvious, but the little ones, like dressing the window the way you would like it, are really going to help you, I think.

I love sheers and I have them on several windows in my house, but they really don't offer any privacy at night. I have blinds on all of those windows as well, and the blinds come down at night.

I like the idea of some really nice blinds (but they can be expensive and tricky to install) or some fun tab tops. Either way, you'll be able to open them all the way during the day and close them completely at night.

[Robyncz]

Me again. I really like these simple panels from Pier 1. I think the grommet styling at the top is simple but current. They come in a lot of different colors.


Another idea is to look online somewhere like Pottery Barn to see what's "now" and then copycat it with something similar from Bed Bath and Beyond, Linen's and Things, or even Overstock.com


Good luck!

[Kristilyn1]

well, from the picture it sure doesn't look that close to the road. I'd leave them uncovered. If you can't deal with that (and many can't) I think you pick some curtains you like and keep them wide open during the day and pull them closed at night. I'd get them the minimum you need to cover the window at night and I'd go one step up from a sheer. Maybe something cotton? I have very thin cotton, offwhite curtains on my bedroom windows and while you can certainly see a vague shape walk by---you can't see if it's clothed or man or woman or what it's doing.

Kristi

[gertdog]

I have shades similar to the ones Sneezles posted and love them. They let in natural light during the day, but you can close them for privacy day or night. They look nice on their own, or you could do a fabric swag or cornice at the top for some color.

[PAMMELA]

well, from the picture it sure doesn't look that close to the road.
Kristi

Really? To me, that's close! When you look out the window, the road is right in front running from left to right, correct? And then it looks like there is another road at an angle like a T?

I like the blinds that Sneezles posted.

[jmarie]

When you look out the window, the road is right in front running from left to right, correct? And then it looks like there is another road at an angle like a T?

Correct. In the summer when the bushes and tree is fill of leaves, it is more difficult to see from the road...but at one time there was a peeping Tom in the neighborhood....or at least everyone said he was. He still lives in the neighborhood. I just don't feel comfortable at night being so open...

There is a place down the road that does custom kinds of things. A friend told me about her and volunteered to go down with me. She is having a retirement sale with everything deing disounted 40%. We are going to go down Friday and pick her brain and see if she has anything in stock. I am also, in the meantime, going to follow your suggestions and then I will let you see my final decision.

H is going to be surprised about quite a few things. He has already been surprised to see that I pulled up a flower bed, pulled the timbers and sewed it with grass, right in front of that window. I never liked that flower bed and he liked marigolds. I went to Southern States with a picture and they told me what to do. (I am not much of a grower/lawn care person.)

I am excited about the little things that are eventually going to lead to the big things like redoing the bath....ceiling to floor.

[jpap]

If you do drapes I'd hang them almost to the ceiling, a little trick they use on HGTV. It makes the ceiling look higher. And also use blinds or plantation shutters to control lighting.The most fun in decorating to me is chosing different fabrics and having them custom made. It is so exciting when they arrive and you get to see your own creation.

[Kristilyn1]

Really? To me, that's close! When you look out the window, the road is right in front running from left to right, correct? And then it looks like there is another road at an angle like a T?

I like the blinds that Sneezles posted.

Oh, I thought that was the driveway. It is close. That said, I don't believe in covering windows unless I have to. My theory is if you are enjoying the show, more power to you. I might scratch my head, or even walk by singing. Lucky peeping tom.

Kristi

[AvrilH]

My LR window is even bigger than that, and I have left it completely uncovered - the difference being that I can avoid that room at night (never have to walk past it in my PJ's) and I live at the end of a cul de sac. So I can say that Love an uncovered window!

But for privacy, I have thought about getting a mirrored coating on the outside of my window. My realtor had it done to a 2-storey window in his home, and he said it was great. Complete privacy, full light. Don't know the cost, though.

[jtoepfert100]

But for privacy, I have thought about getting a mirrored coating on the outside of my window. My realtor had it done to a 2-storey window in his home, and he said it was great. Complete privacy, full light. Don't know the cost, though.

So that was the deal with the house I passed today. I have to say, when a window is at eye level (as your window appears to be) that mirror effect is quite strange from the outside. I wouldn't recommend this.

[Beth]

I think that gives you day time privacy, but nothing for night privacy -- at least the stuff I am familiar with.

There is another type of window film that creates an etched or textured glass look. I bought some of the etched glass look stuff at IKRA a couple of years ago to cover the transom above our master bedroom door. I wanted the light and would normally leave it open, but there was a line of sight from a second story window behind us into the master bath. The window film turned out to be a prtty good solution for just a couple of dollars. That's a small sapce. I'm sure you can do it on a larger scale, but maybe not with IKEA's product -- if they still sell it.

[CompassRose]

If you want privacy at night, you must have a solid/heavy drape. Something sheer is, well, sheer.

I would go for a heavy, even lined, curtain, but with, as others are saying, a tab top or something, and hung on a fairly wide rod, so you can draw it right away from the window by day.

Personally, I hate blinds, or anything that you open that is still in front of the window, and I REALLY hate sheers, which combine all the worst features of obscurity and shadow with no actual practical qualities, but that is, I know, just me. When I can, I have no curtains at all. Then again, I'm an artist's model, and feel that if anyone really wants to check out my sagging nekkidness that badly, why should I make it more exciting by making it a challenge?

[Grace]

I have the top down/bottom up honeycomb shades from Smith & Noble on my windows. I like the windows open too. I want the light and outside to come into my home. But we live in our living room and at night, there are lots of people outside because we live near the park. So we put the shades down at night. But they are not like blinds, you pull them all the way up and they are barely visible at all when completely up. You can have them up during the day, and then close them at night. Additionally, I can open them from the top as well, so if I did want to run around in my undies or something, and still have some light in the house, I can open the top half to let light in, while the bottom half remains closed so no one can see me. Here is my picture window and you can see the blinds at the top - they are not completely open in this picture - you can make them disappear behind the drapey sheers altogether (which I usually do).

[Lauren]

I'm a fan of cellular shades too. I like the sun during the day and privacy at night. Also keeps the rooms warmer during the winter. I bought the top down/bottom up for the bedrooms that face the front of the house. We have woods in the back and don't have a privacy issue.

Grace - I cracked up at the picture of your dogs in the window. We have a bay window in our living room facing the street. I have an upholstered bench in the window that my dog lives on. She spends the day watching the world go by. I call the bench Molly's perch.

[Robyncz]

I REALLY hate sheers, which combine all the worst features of obscurity and shadow with no actual practical qualities,

Oh see, I love sheers because of the interesting light play and the shadows. But most especially, I love sheers when the window is open and they're blowing gently in the breeze.

But I also dislike having open blinds in front of a window. Every window in our house has miniblinds, and they are pulled all the way up almost all the time. Some of them, the ones that face the fenced-in backyard, almost never come down.

[pointerhaven]

I would put the cellular shades to be let down at night and then use a long Tab Type Curtian over that for additional privacy.

I made some for my Daughter, we found some really pretty tone on tone stripped Sheets, just the right length. Then I bought a rod and those clip type curtian rings. Easy and functional and relatively cheap. It could solve your issue until you get just what you want.

I've also used those plastic reed type rollup blinds used, allows sun in during the day and diffuses shapes and give privacy at night.

Good Luck, and that furniture does look uncomfortable!! Let him have it and get what you want.

[jmarie]

Good Luck, and that furniture does look uncomfortable!! Let him have it and get what you want.

Oh, I have furniture...Well, I have a leather couch that I plan to work around. I am only storing the couch pictured.(and two chairs) He bought his set, last summer, for the cabin that he is planning to build. He is going to move it as soon as he gets the rugs cleaned in the mobile home where he is staying. He will also be taking his leather recliner. (Right now, he only has a bed there. He stays out until bedtime and then goes home, to sleep. No pots, pans dishes or anything.) I guess it makes him look big to sacrifice so much.

Anyway, I am headed out now, to look for window coverings.

[rosen]

Now I like sheers, too--but not the silky sheers that are transparent. I have opaque sheers in our den picture window (that faces the street). They are mounted on a decorative traverse rod that allows for easy opening during the day & closing for privacy at night. Even with all the lights on, you are unable to see into the room. I love the way they still allow the room to be so bright during the day if I keep them closed.

I dislike blinds of any kind cause they are just such a pain to dust or clean. The curtains go in the wash once or twice a year. Sooooo easy & quick. I'd never buy any window treatment that had to be dry-cleaned.

Country Curtains (www.countrycurtains.com) have oodles of choices of all different weights of sheers. Traditional and modern floral, checks, dots, tone on tone, etc..... My SIS looked for months for pretty white cotton sheers for her bedroom & found exactly what she wanted there.

[Paula H]

Maybe I'm just boring and practical, but how warm is your house in winter? If it's warm all year round, and you can live with the fact that sheers are, well, always sheer to some degree, then sheers might be for you.

But if it's a bit cool temperature-wise, then get some gorgeous curtains with thermal lining, and fling them open during the day, and make yourself a nice, warm cocoon at night.

[ChristieinMB]

Reported as spam

Funny, sneezles already made the same suggestion.

[Robyn1007]

Funny, sneezles already made the same suggestion.

But sneezles didn't pull up a 4 month old thread and post a link as her very first post.

[jmorrowdesigns]

See Smith+Noble Blinds & Shades