I have tried for the last few days to snap a good picture of the wall that leads out to our patio {from the living room/kitchen area} but the weather’s not cooperating. So please excuse my crappy pictures.
Basically, I need your advice. We have lived here just over a year and I still haven’t done anything with the back windows. Partly because I’m lazy {or busy with other projects, you pick} but mostly because I don’t want to shell out big bucks for window treatments.
Maybe I’m weird, but window treatments are kind of a big deal. They need to go with the flow of the house, which in our case is leaning towards a minimalist Pottery Barn on a budget let’s just make it nice enough to turn around and sell in a few years type of look. I need something classic. Something that will look good in 18-24 months. Hip, but not too trendy.
The cell shades that are currently installed are all either stained or off their tracks and are 18 years old and rather unattractive in my opinion. Under no circumstance will we be keeping them. We had dark green velvet curtains from Pottery Barn in our last home that I paid a small fortune for and they were totally worth it to me at the time because I knew we’d be there a while. However, since we don’t plan to be at this property long, I am looking for a nice yet inexpensive solution.
So when the HH and I were in Home Goods the other day looking for a mirror for the powder room, I wandered over to the curtain section. I spotted 2 sets of dark grey velvet curtains that I thought would go perfect in the room {and with our couch}.
I didn’t buy them {but now I wish I had}. Obviously curtains and a curtain rod would be the least expensive route. But I’m worried about the awkward space between the kitchen counter and the side window.
I’m planning on painting the trim work around the windows and patio doors soon, so I need to figure out what I’m going to do about the window covering solution lickety split.
If this was your house, what would you do?
~Mavis
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Sarah says
If the purpose of window coverings is just aesthetics for resale, I’d skip them. It looks like you don’t need anything for privacy and a major selling point of that house is going to be your gorgeous back yard. I wouldn’t cover them up. No way.
Cheri says
I vote for leaving them as they are. It looks clean and bright. Problem solved.
Mrs. Chow says
Me, too.
Laura says
Me three.
Wynne says
Me four. The next buyers can put holes in the wall and choose their own treatment. You’ll have less to buy, less to clean, and a better view.
Jane says
Me four! I love the view and the clean, open look. 🙂
Athena says
I think I would go with some nice white faux wood blinds on the windows and colorful curtains for the patio door. You would still get the softness of curtains but wouldn’t have to worry about the area by the kitchen sink ce the blinds could be mou tes inside the window well and would not be in the way. I wouldn’t do blinds or even curtains over the whole area (door and windows) because it would be very overwhelming, in my opinion.
Erin says
I second faux wood blinds. With your ability to find the best deals around, I bet they wouldn’t cost much more than brand new curtains. Putting thick heavy curtains all across that space would make the wall look overwhelming and heavy.
erin says
Maybe it’s because I live in the country and just assume no one is looking in my windows but I really don’t like window coverings, i only have them on windows my husband forced me to hang something. I love all the natural light coming in. If you hang something have it be minimal, no curtains just some kind of blinds.
JC says
This all the way.
Stacy T says
I would do Roman shades in the windows and nothing on the doors to avoid dealing with the counter and window space.
PattyB says
I would recommend roman blinds. They could be any pattern or color you wish. It looks okay without, but you may want something there during the winter to keep the warmth in and the cold out.
Deborah from FL says
I hadn’t thought about factoring in weather. PattyB makes a good point. That view will be totally different in the winter. And if they had a thermal thing going on, that would definitely be a good thing!
Brittany says
We had a similar situation with our deck doors. The kid and pets had ruined the curtains that were on them so once we pitched those we opted to use clear contact paper to give the doors an ‘etched’ effect. We just left a 2″ border of window and filled the rest in with the contact paper. It looks and works great! Easy to clean, let lots of light in but gives us a little more privacy. Best part, I bought the contact paper at the Dollar store!!
Melissa Fritcher says
I made grommet curtains for our dining room and I think they are simple and elegant (that last part depends mostly on the fabric choice) at the same time & you can easily make them to fit the window space so it doesn’t encroach on the awkward space.
Teckla says
I happen to like curtains! Depending on the width of the panel(s) you could probably extend the rod beyond the window edge so that the curtain covered the awkward space, while still covering the edge of the window. And curtains are likely one of the least expensive options. Also, they don’t necessarily have to cover the window completely; just frame the windows. My two cents worth. It’s your home, though, so ultimately you should do what makes you the happiest while you are there!
RebekahU says
I vote for either white wood blinds or faux wood blinds – the two inch wide ones… A pricier option would be plantation shutters, but that will really increase the cost. In our dream house we had custom drapery everywhere, and in the end, I wished that we had saved that money. We left them with the house (of course), the new owners got rid of them, so total waste of money. Blinds are easy to keep clean, and really work with a minimalist look.
Beth Rankin says
Why not cafe curtains with rods inside the window sash. Simple, light, lets in the natural light above.
Kat says
If privacy is not an issue you might consider using sheers or curtains made from a lightweight fabric. Take a look at what Ikea offers online.
Thelma says
First choice for me would be 2″ plantation shutters in white, they wont hide all of that beautiful trim around your windows and would give you a simple clean classic look,. I’m not sure if they can be mounted to your doors, they are available in a heavy plastic that is super easy to maintain, less expensive than wood and still look amazing.
Second choice would be roman blinds/shades mounted inside the window trim and on your doors as well.
Aline says
Thinking of you, pricing, your love of the outdoors, and minimalism, what came to mind is what a friend of mind did in her living room. She found a branch with a few twigs on it – not too big in diameter, to use as the rod and then draped/wrapped appropriate fabric over it across the top and let it drop at the sides. Your windows with doors are about twice the size of my friend’s window so you might find two branches. You’d have to come up with “hangers” for the branch/es, and then the fabric would not need to be sewed much or at all depending on what you picked. It would not obstruct your view and yet it would frame this area nicely. Kind of like bringing the outside in! They would be super easy, cheap, and different! Just a thought. Happy day!
Kari says
I love the look of woven wood blinds (roman shade style) with white or cream drapes. Again, the drapes wouldn’t necessarily need to cover the windows, just enough to frame them.
Kari says
Oh, and hang the drapes clear to the ceiling to add height.
Ranee says
What about valances on tension rods? Minimal blocking of light, and easy to switch out if you want to change in future. (ie new owner) You could purchase fabric and sew them up your self. There is a lot of nice fabrics to choose from and could find something that goes well with the rest of your decor. The cafe curtain is also a good idea. It would be a nice fresh look.
Courtney Thomas says
i had a stint working for a retail window coverings company a few years back. Any type of custom shade is going to cost a chunk of change. Shutters are even more pricey. You can get some online now vs from the big box stores for slightly less – even then with this size opening you are looking at Apx 1k. If you don’t need em cover d I agree they look gorgeous without. If you want some texture id go with drop cloths from Home Depot and grommet clips off amazon on curtain rods hung high and wide over the whole opening. The fabric once ironed will drape nicely on the walls.
Susan says
I’m not a big fan of curtains due to their price (plus rods), the maintenance and b/c I live in a wooded area and want the outdoors to ‘come in’ as much as possible. However, I do like to have some type of covering on my windows, especially at night. I’ve put up bamboo blinds all over my house and love them! If you watch the sales at Lowes, Menards or Home Depot, you can often find them for a very reasonable price. (Hit the jackpot once and found six of them marked down to $4 each!)
linda says
What is the problem with the current situation with the windows that you need to fix? Looks like you have privacy, looks like a lovely view to me, looks like great light coming in those windows, so unless you get tons of sun coming in during the summer to heat up the house, or the lack of full closing drapes makes the area colder in the winter months, I would leave the windows just as they are. No rule says you have to have windows covered. For resale only? get rid of worn out cell blinds and replace with nice clean new AND inexpensive ones, and keep them pulled up just like you do now.
Barbara says
Have you considered just putting window tinting on . You can get it at any hardware store and since you are a DIYer can apply it yourself. It really is fairly simple. They also have some with patterns that will let the light in but also offer privacy, and the best thing of it all they can be removed by you or whom ever buys your house if they don’t like it. Another option you might want to think about is frosting your windows. There is a product that I have used in my home that you spray on the window and it instantly gives it the frosted look. You can do designs using templates or full coverage, which ever you may like. It gives you privacy even at night with the lights on but yet full light during the day time.
Good luck Mavis in your search.
Susan says
Living in the Pacific Northwest, I think the last thing you should do is add wooden blinds or shutters as we need all the light we can get inside for a good part of the year. I’m a big fan of curtains to soften a room and unless you need privacy, I would leave these windows alone. They have gorgeous trim above them that frames them beautifully. Now my question is where did you buy the stools and do you like them?
Mavis Butterfield says
Target and yes, we like them. 🙂
Jenise Dunn says
I’m a big fan of leaving windows as simple as possible. Most of our windows do not have curtains or window treatments. We have 4 bay windows on our main level (one in dining, living, family and eat in kitchen area) and not one of them has curtains/window treatments. I love the clean simple look. We live in the suburbs and no one finds it strange – or at least they aren’t telling me ;o) We do have simple blinds in the front windows. The kind that fold up into themselves.
Dianna says
If it were my house I would kept without window coverings. It looks like you have enough privacy that it’s not an issue. We don’t even have curtains in the master bedroom. They’re just dust collectors!
Lissa says
Clearly everyone has a different opinion about window coverings. If you are doing this for resale value, how in the world could you make a future (unknown) buyer happy? The windows look great as is. You can save the money, save the time cleaning them and just let the light shine in! Do keep us posted with what you decide to do (you are so good about that!).
Amy W says
I think they look beautiful as is, and the view is amazing. BUT. I would be creeped out and feel the spooky every night after dark by leaving them open and exposed like that. Even with outdoor lighting on the porch and in the yard I would feel very vulnerable instead of safe and cozy. I like the idea of the 2″ faux wood blinds in white. You can leave them open or even raised up during the day and close them at night for comfort and security. We got ours at Home Depot, they were custom cut in the store while we waited to our various window sizes, and were very affordable. Less than $1K for all the windows in our house.
Carmen says
I’m another fan of undressed windows BUT they definitely soften and finish a room, so I would opt for curtains in your position. It’s the cheapest option, though I wouldn’t choose cheap curtains. Window dressings really set the scene, though my preference is for simple lines: nothing ‘soft and drapey’.
I would opt for a pale colour though, not grey. And probably something with a light pattern. A single rod going across all 3 windows, with curtains pulled to the side.
Shelly says
I would suggest treating them as one giant window and go to the floor even on the windows on either side of the door. You could do a sheer one if you wanted a lighter look. Have tie backs for when you want to enjoy the view.
Debbie N says
When I am choosing curtains, I first figure out what I need then I decide what would look good. Do you open those windows? Would curtains be in the way? Is there any time that the natural light bothers you? Does it shine on the TV? (I can’t see the room the curtains are in but I assume its the living room since you mentioned a couch). How about the dark? Do you feel you need curtains at night?You have been given a lot of good advice just pick what fits you best.
Rachel says
Undressed windows offer no insulation/energy savings, so I would not leave the windows uncovered. If it were me, I think I would get inexpensive cellular shades for the two windows and also run a curtain rod a little longer (about 6-8″) than the length of the windows with simple thermal curtains. The longer rod would allow you to push the curtains to the window frame to let the sun in. Yes, it would touch the awkward space but a potential buyer won’t think of that.
Rebecca says
Hi Mavis,
We are in the process of buying and selling a home. More than one real estate agent has told us that we should take down all of our curtains/valances because buyers want to see lots of light coming into rooms and the view of the outside. (It also makes your space look larger) We live on a country property of a couple of acres, so privacy is not an issue for us and I mostly have up just valances. However, I have not had anything at all for years on my double kitchen window which overlooks the yard and a huge magnolia tree. Whenever people come to our house for the first time they always say that the kitchen looks “bright, clean, and fresh.” Best compliments ever in my opinion. Sooooo, I echo what several others have said – – – don’t put up anything and let the light and beautiful yard be selling points for you!
Katy says
Whatever you decide, please show final pictures. I have a similar situation and really need visual examples, so I am happy to see this post & all the responses.
Ayla says
How about leave the door alone, put a plant on a stand in front of each window. That would soften all the wood/glass, be easy and portable when you move. Greenery in/out light from the windows for the plants, no fuss no muss. you could do ferns or something drippy like pathos. I love plants. The stands could be as simple as bar stools from the thrift store. Good Luck.
Tamara says
This idea sounds great! Less expensive and easy to change if you don’t like it.
Emily S says
I would go with 2 inch wood blinds stained white or roller shades in white and “x” out the curtain idea. I recently bought a house and we had to take out all the curtains and were thankful the house had the blinds.
Jen Y says
I have a set of French doors & a large slider window that’s also a pass through to a serving area on our screened porch. They’re on the back wall of my kitchen, facing the back yard & a lake. I don’t have any window treatment on them. I love the open view & the clean lines of the wood trim. It faces full east & gives a gorgeous view of the sunrise. In summer, when the leaves are on, the sunlight is more filtered but in winter it’s amazing.
I think your door/windows would look great this way as well.
After saying all of that…if you really need something for privacy, I would consider Simple Roman shades you can raise because of the counter space.
Deborah from FL says
If the only reason you are considering window treatments is for resale, I’d suggest you consider waiting and doing it after a few seasons have passed, as this could impact what you decide to do. 😉
Colleen says
Well since you have pickpockets and loose women I would leave them open and face the sign facing out for the Hoa to see.
Mavis Butterfield says
Ha! We have had that sign for 15 years!!! I love it.
Kathy Porterfield says
Mavis: I have 4 or 6 panels, kind of modern (colors: tan, brown, rust and darker blue/grey). I think they are 84″ long, with the grommets in the top. They weren’t the style I was looking for and I waited to long to return them (my bad). They are new and I would love to send them to you if you might be able to use them. I believe if you can’t use them – lose them. My space is valuable. On the other hand – I do like your window wall blank. It does look so open. Let me know. Kathy
Mavis Butterfield says
Oh Kathy that is very kind of you to offer but the more I think about it the more I want to remove the shades and have nothing covering the windows. I like to view too much. Thank you for your generosity though. 🙂