If you’ve been paying attention to the insta-stories from while we have been up in Portland working on the fixer-upper (more here), then you’ll know that picking out window treatments especially for windows that aren’t exactly obvious what you should do with them, isn’t as easy as it sounds. There are multiple things to consider like, privacy, accessibility, if the window requires shades or drapes, if there are multiple windows in the same room that will require different types of hangings, if the windows are two stories or are large windows in a small room, or small windows in a large room…. the list goes on and on and it can be exhausting and confusing. On top of that if you’ve got oddly shaped windows or a more complex arrangement of windows then you’ve got your work cut out for you. Although most windows will work with a set of drapes on them there are some that are a bit harder to dress, so today we are walking you through some of those as well as our suggestions for how to make them work in your own space.
Arched Windows:
Let’s start with the arched window. One of the most beautiful in concept, but one of the most complicated when it comes to execution. When you think “arched window treatments” you may be thinking something like this.
People get really creative with their treatments. Some people choose to go with custom curved rods, some do some sort of valance situation, some take the curtains all the way to the ceiling in a decorative fixed way and some have accordion style shades installed to the shape of the window. While all of these in theory work and won’t get you in “design-jail” if yours look like this, our suggestion would be to go with a more simple treatment that doesn’t take over the wall or the window. Most importantly (and with all the following types of windows) they should work and be functioning more than just a decorative piece of fabric on the wall to look like a treatment. Now let’s talk about how to dress them.
If you’ve got a break between your arched window and the rest of your windows you could go with something like this where the curtain rod hangs just in between the two windows which visually keeps things from feeling too heavy. This works when the lower set of windows has enough height so that when the treatments are up it doesn’t look like you are cutting the wall in half.
And if you’ve got the ceiling height and wall space you could take them to the top of the window. A note on this one: it works here because they didn’t take the curtains all the way to the ceiling line, which would have resulted in way too much visual weight and could have ended up looking like theatre curtains on that one wall. They treated the lower windows with a custom rod and drapes and then left the upper windows bare. It dresses the windows without completely covering the wall or the windows.
If you don’t have room for hanging curtains then you could go with an option like this where they had a custom roman shade built that fits the inside of the window but still can provide privacy and light filtering for the room when needed.
To help you visualize the possible options (or should we say solutions) a bit more, we photoshopped two totally possible window treatments options on the windows below. For the first one, we took the curtains to just below the crown molding and then long enough to kiss the floor. Too much puddle at the bottom could have resulted in too much visual weight in the room what with all that fabric dressing the walls.
For the second option, you could take the curtain height to the place where the window begins to curve. This only would work in a space where the height of the ceiling and the window is quite tall (which it appears to be here). If you have these types of windows in your space and your ceiling height is only around 8-10′ then it is best to go with the previous option. This also works for these because they have some trim in between the lower set of windows and the upper arched window. If your window is one large piece of glass with an arched top then cutting the window in half like this won’t work and instead, you should go with option one.
Tiered Windows:
Next up, what we are calling “tiered windows”. These are very popular in a lot of new build houses especially in two-story “great rooms” or living rooms.
Similar to the arched window people can get really creative with this option especially when their room has multiple different heights of windows like the above two examples. We would suggest treating the bottom windows with drapery and leaving the uppers untreated so you don’t run into the issue of having a full two-story wall of curtains in your living room. We dressed the windows on the right of the graphic with a simple rod and drapery and then the windows on either side of the fireplace with a matching set of roman shades. You could also leave the windows on either side of the fireplace empty if you didn’t need the privacy but we would suggest a roman shade if you are going to dress smaller more slender windows like these.
Now, if you have a more complex wall of windows like below then we would suggest simple roller shades or roman shades to fit into the trim work on the lowers which will give you the privacy you need without an awkward hung drapery situation.
And if you have something like this which won’t allow you to go all the way up to the top of the window (due to the vaulted ceiling in this case) then we suggest dressing the lower set of windows with simple roman shades so that you don’t have a set of curtains hung too low on the walls.
Stacked Windows:
We briefly touched on versions of these above in the other examples but “stacked windows” are when you have a set of windows “stacked” on top of each other with a bit of space in between them on the wall. You’ll notice in the above and below examples, all of the windows either have some trimwork in between them or drywall.
With the majority of these windows, we would suggest having the drapery rod installed just above the first set of windows like they did above and below rather than taking them all the way up to the top window – resulting in two stories of fabric curtains.
Here is a quick mockup of what this might look like if you have “stacked windows” like these in your home.
And another version that has two additional windows above the large window, which we would leave untreated.
Bay Windows:
Bay windows can be very tricky to treat which is typically why most people just pretend to ignore the fact that they might need treatments. Some people go for a cafe curtain like above or a fixed valance. But for these types of windows, if you do want to add treatments, then we would suggest a simple roman shade hung at the same height and in the same material on all three windows like we did below in our living room.
The below photo is another example of how you can use three of the same treatment to dress a bay window.
And to help you out visually with a graphic here is how we would treat the windows in a situation like this, which allows some privacy while still allowing the light to come in through the top windows. If you do need full privacy you could take them all the way to the ceiling as well.
Wall of Windows:
Last but not least, what if you have a wall of windows with no room on either side of them have your curtains gather? For something like this we would suggest treating each window on the wall individually with a roman shade rather than trying to hang individual curtain panels for each window or a huge wall of fabric across the entire wall of windows. It gives you privacy and light control but doesn’t dominate the wall with an entire wall of fabric.
It’s a simple, clean and timeless treatment that works for just about any style of room.
In the graphic below we show how this can be down with roman shades for each individual window.
Now that we have all the basics covered, and have hopefully answered a few of your questions let’s talk where to get these extra long draperies. There are so many good options out there that can assist with custom drapery options that we have loved and used. We used Calico Corners for all the window treatments in our house (they came out to measure, brought fabrics and had everything custom fabricated for our windows). We’ve also used Decorview in a handful of projects (who offer the same services) and if you know what you want and would like to order online and have it shipped to you Tonic Living does a wonderful job at custom curtains and romans. And although custom curtains can get expensive it is something that you don’t want to skimp on or get wrong as it can be a costly mistake if you try and do it yourself just to find that your measurements are off by a few inches.
If you aren’t ready for fully custom curtains and trust yourself to measure and install then there are a handful of places online that stock readymade curtains over 120″ which should work for just about any of the window arrangements we have highlighted in this post. Some of our favorites are below. A quick note on this, less is more when it comes to color and pattern for any draperies you are installing, especially when you need them in longer lengths like you would for any of the windows above. Unless you live in an old french chateau or a reclaimed broadway theatre in the arts district save the saturated colors and patterns for a throw pillow. And if any of these are too long for your windows then you can buy the panel and have them hemmed at your local dry cleaners.
[drawattention ID=”143985″]
1. Washed Belgian Linen | 2. Dark Grey Washed Linen | 3. Belgian Heavyweight Textured Linen | 4. Natural Linen | 5. Perennials Canvas | 6. Meaghan Solid | 7. Belgian Heavyweight Textured Linen | 8. White Blackout | 9. Pyrogi Solid Sheer
Let us know if you have any questions, and if you have a set of windows that you think might be a good fit for us to showcase in a full blog post about how to dress them then send through some good scouting shots as well as what your issue is to “designagony@emilyhendersondesign.com” and we might address it here in a blog post.
Other Sources:
Arched Windows: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4, Tiered Windows: 1 | 2 , Stacked Windows: 1 | 2, Bay Windows: 1 | 2, Wall of Windows: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
Okay, but what if you have not a wall of windows, but a wall that is just windows? Essentially, I have a long hallway wall that is essentially a panel of glass
It is hard to say without actually seeing it in person but you could do some really slim roller shades attached at the ceiling if the windows go from floor to ceiling? You could also do draperies but instead of a rod they could attach to the ceiling with a track. Good Luck!
This is such a helpful post!! What do you recommend to dress a window that has panes of clear leaded glass across the top? We’re buying a Victorian house with a few such windows.
If you want to see the leaded panes and they are separate from the other window you could treat the lower portions with roman shades or if you have the room you could do two panels of curtains on either side of the window and treat it like a traditional window. xx
I have to give a plea for the cafe curtains to make a comeback!! The roman shades look great in the photos, but who puts them up and down every morning? Chances are they will just stay closed, or even worse put up at different heights. I started using cafe curtains and I love the function, they filter light through the day and give privacy at night. I try to make them edgy, but that is not happening…but I bet a pro could!
They definitely can work in some instances and in some styles of house. If they are done right they can be so cute.
Oh gosh…some of these treatments are so crazy! The creativity in the solutions for arched windows!
This is a great round up! We just moved into a house that has one arched window centered above 4 windows – but it’s in my son’s bedroom! So for now there are blinds on the windows and the arch is untreated – which I agree is the best look. But it lets in so much light that it is hard for him to sleep. It looks pretty, but it’s not functional at all.
This. This information is exactly what I need! We have an arched window above a very tall window, with a vaulted ceiling, in our bedroom. My husband often works overnight shifts so we need to be able to block the light during the day and can’t leave that upper arch untreated. Thank you for laying all the possibilities out. I think I can finally pull the trigger and replace the window treatments we have been living with for 6 years since we bought the house!
Any advice for what I am dealing with — a wall of windows but with one additional window around ONE corner (the right side)? We have a corner condo unit, so it’s almost like a bay window, except on one side only. Do we ignore the corner window for purposes of drapes to have symmetry? Or, to also ensure symmetry, should we have two drapes flanking the wall and add a corner rod/drape on both the right side AND the left side (a wall, not a window) as well to pretend we have corner windows on both sides? Or abandon symmetry, and just have two drapes flanking the wall and one corner rod/drape on the right?
If you live in a modern style unit (which it sounds like you might) the rules of symmetry don’t apply as much as they do in more traditional styled homes. You could try doing a ceiling mounted track that pulled from the left side and then when it got to the corner it curved around just enough to extend and cover that little window when needed. Hard to tell without seeing it, but that might work for you. xx
What are your thoughts on wooden interior (plantation) shutters – particularly for a bay window?
If they work with the style of the home (more traditional than modern) then they are a beautiful option if you like the aesthetic.
I have an attic bedroom in my house and one of the windows just into the stairs, I currently have blinds, but I’m thinking a roman shade is my best bet. Any curtains would just be floating in the stairwell! Also, I think patterned or bold curtains can totally work! We rounded up some of our favorite options here: https://www.andthenwetried.com/2018/01/rug-and-curtain-pairings/
This is great but I still am struggling with what to do when you have radiators underneath the windows and need both radiators on and curtains drawn sometime (in cold, dark climates).
That’s tough. But if you need the privacy as well as the radiators then maybe you could look into a roman shade that covered just the window area and didn’t get too close to the radiators like a curtain would?
I was just going to bring up radiators. I got super excited when I saw this post, as radiators were the first thing I thought of. Every room in my house has this issue.
Also, yup to cold, dark climates.
Making It Lovely blogger had a solution for a bay window that has a radiator under it. Her furniture placement masked how she cut the curtains short to accommodate the radiator.
What about windows that are off center?
haha. i have off center windows too! across one wall in my family room, right next to the corner, there is a high, wide but thin window…kind of like a transom window over a door, but there is no door beneath. then about 1/3 of the way across the wall there is a more normal height and size casement window. then allll the way against the other corner, in fact so tight against the other corner that they couldn’t put molding on that side of the window, is a matching casement window. Sometimes i just sit and stare at the wall and ponder…why?
I would love tips for off-center windows.
I have a window dilemma! We recently purchased a 1950’s bungalow with an awkward 60’s addition that has a lovely 4’×10′ window in the living room. The light is amazing but it has been curtainless for months because I can’t figure out a curtain solution. The problem is that the window goes all the way to the fireplace wall that has a brick hearth running the length of it. The hearth is about a foot high and 2 feet deep. Installing floor length curtains won’t work because the floor height on one side of the window does not match the other side. I know it is a design no no to do short curtains but it seems like the more plausible option. I am at a loss. Any ideas???!?
Maybe a Roman shade? Or depending on the style of your house, intentionally long curtains that puddle up on BOTH sides could work. Especially if you can have the puddle that hits the hearth kind of spill over the side to touch the floor next to it a little, to draw it down to the same length as the other side.
And what about a wall of windows with a mix of sliding glass doors? I was super excited about this roundup but I feel like it just addressed a small subset of the problems, leaving many of us with our bland mid century tract houses without solutions or ideas.
Ooh, we have the same or a similar problem – sliding glass doors with windows to the sides of the doors. Thoughts, Emily? Currently we have no window treatments…
Oh man I have this too! A wall of windows then a slider to the right about a foot or two away that also drops down a foot in height…I’m stumped on what to do since the length wouldn’t really allow for a single (functional) rod. Do I then hang romans in the windows and leave the slider open or a rod on the slider – that seems weird…. ahh help us Emily!
I would love to see some help for dressing those windows that you find in split level houses, that are very short and often off-center. The windows featured above are all beautiful, but definitely featured in houses outside my budget! We are buying a new house with long rows of very short (top-to-bottom) windows, and I’m stumped on how to dress them, particularly in my daughter’s room. She’s used to blackout shades, and I don’t know what to do with these! Roman shades? Cafe curtains? They currently have plantation shutters, which are actually nice, but I’d love to figure out a way to incorporate blackout shades.
Yes!! I have no idea what to do with my long, short (8×4′) split-level windows. My husband is pushing for roller shades, but there’s not enough room to inside mount and I’m afraid it will look like the overhead projector pull-down screen of my school days. I re-read “Hanging Curtains All Wrong” and there were a few comments about this exact dilemma so there’s definitely a need for advice. I was bummed that long, short windows didn’t make the cut in this blog, but maybe a future one. Hint hint!
Please, please, please do an Emily-approved ceiling fan round-up! This is where good design goes so, soo bad.
We have a wall of windows and they are southern facing so there is a lot of light and with that comes a lot of heat. I really wanted to leave the top windows bare but we were being cooked during the day. Plus, we have neighbors really high up on the hill that could look in and I’m sorry but I want to walk around in my underwear sometimes. We thought about roller shades but they just scream cheap to me. Instead we did nice woven natural shades and while they aren’t my favorite they were definitely cheaper than $5k for custom curtains and 12 foot ceilings! Still unsure about what to do when one of the wall of windows is a giant sliding glass door.
I second the question on a wall which is a sliding glass door. I live in a condo, so nearly the entire width of my living room is a 10+ foot sliding door. I have some panels on either side – but then, it’s annoying to go in/out of the door with a panel in the way (because I have barely a foot of wall on either side). I put up some sheers up on a rod behind the panels, because I can’t function in the complete dark (with the heavy panels closed) or with nothing on my urban high rise windows (when the panels are open). But, sheers? That feels kind of retro in a bad way. However, the window is way too long for a roman shade….the ugly vertical blinds that were there when I bought it were the best functionally, but I just can’t with those. TL; DR – please save us from our existing awkward sliding door window treatments!
I’ve been waiting for this post for ages – thank you! Possibly a post on roman blinds – what to know, how to choose, and where to get them made affordably? Greatly appreciate this!
YES!!!! So many mock ups with roman shades….I was dying to see links!
What about a large octagonal window? I’m completely stumped!
Any ideas for mid-century/1950’s home that have small windows on the upper half of the walls? We have these throughout our house and I still am not sure what to do with them! Long curtains just look weird since the windows are so high!
How do u do curtains on an angle like for your top photo (for insulation reasons) that are above other windows/glass doors (mid century). ? How does the curtain not slide down when pulled?
I think she did a post a while back about that very issue. Didn’t she have some type of film/special treatment put on them or something because the living room was baking in the sun?
Emily! This post is amazing! Funny thing, I read every. single. post. you ever make, follow Insta and Insta Stories…constantly reference old posts when making design decisions…you name it…but have never taken the time to comment. I don’t know why! Maybe now I will comment more regularly. 🙂 But, I LOVED this post!
We have a new build house in Texas with four tall windows, dry wall above, and then arched windows above. The ceiling is heavily vaulted and the windows span almost the entire width of the wall, so no room for drapery (and absolutely no shot of them helping with privacy). We need privacy because of back neighbors, but I didn’t want to lost all natural light during the day. So…I went with 5% solar roller shades AND roman shades. Beautiful light filters in during the day (or they can be WIDE OPEN which I love), and we can close the roman shades at night for complete privacy. I debated for soooo long because of course two window treatments is not cheap, but it was SO worth it. Thanks for inspiring me regularly! 😀
Is it ok to have no window treatments? We have a sunroom in the back of our house which is very private. Can I leave the windows naked?
I would say absolutely, as long as you like the look, especially if the space is more modern! Plenty of modern and mid-century modern homes are designed to have Windows with no treatments–let the light pour in!
This post is great timing! I purchased a rod and curtains for my bay windows, but am I making a mistake? The only bay window solution you offer is roman shades, but is it ever okay to hang curtains in a bay window? I was planning to do four curtains: one on either side of the center window and one on either side of the two outside windows. I would love some advice before my return window expires. 😉 Great suggestion about getting the curtains hemmed at a dry cleaner! I’m going to look into that!
Thanks Emily, this is really informative! I have a wall of windows in my daughters’ room that currently have rollers on them but there’s a lot of light leak. I plan on getting blackout drapes to help (although I do fear the theatre curtain effect…) but I’m stumped how to hang them. The ceilings are concrete and we don’t have the tools to drill into them for a ceiling track. Is inside-mount brackets for curtain rods a thing? Why can’t I find them anywhere?! Thanks for your help!
Thank you for these options! Any comments on top down bottom up shades or blinds? We have a bathroom window that is quite low right next to the toilet. As it’s a window on the front of the house (2nd floor) we don’t want to use frosted film nor cover it all the time. There’s a pretty view too! Effectively we want to cover the bottom half with the ability to still open if needed. These shades seems to be the only option but I can’t find any examples except from the manufacturers. Yay or nay or any ideas?
Thank you for your amazing blog, it’s been a huge resource and inspiration as we work on our home!
Maybe plantation shutters would work here?
I have a bay window in my dining room and really wanted sheer drapes. Thoughts? Not for privacy just for aesthetic.
Ideas for sliding doors?
This came right in time because I actually just got all my windows replaced this week and I’m finally ditching our stupid horizontal blinds. I have a question though: is there something wrong/unattractive about having the colonial style grids on them? I live in Florida where attractive windows are pretty impossible because the ideal is impact windows. Obviously they all have to be really thick and there’s not much in the way of options, unless you go super expensive (and impact windows are already expensive). I added the “colonial” mullions to give them a little more character but I just saw Orlando ranting about how disgusting they are in his parents house so i’m confused, most of the windows you (and other designers) post have mullions, unless it’s a modern house or something with an amazing view. Is there a preference or a certain kind of mullion that somehow makes them more attractive?
I’m only commenting because we are in the process of window shopping and I have been driving neighborhoods to see all the options in order to make a decision for my own home. What I’ve seen so far is that it looks like whatever the mullion-and with or without-depends on the style of the house. Our house is almost entirely fieldstone and has a English cottage look to it, but in it’s current state-how we bought it-it’s like previous owners just totally denied the stone was there and did whatever they wanted. I’m trying to get it back to what it looks like it’s supposed to be. What I’ve taken from Emily’s posts so far is just keeping things consistent and cohesive in that way. Also, drive a bunch of neighborhoods to get visuals-good and bad. It’s hard not to feel like a creeper, though. Haha!
I have a feeling the answer here, as with most things in the design world, is that if you pick something with good quality it makes a huge difference. I know in our area the mullions are super common in builder grade homes from the 80s and 90s, so they give them a bad name because they’re cheaply done and look it.
Thanks for taking time to produce those graphics because they are so helpful!
Any advice for dressing sliding glass patio doors? No other windows surrounding them, just the slider. Roman shades can’t be mounted directly to the doors because obviously one door slides behind the other. I found an example where a single shade (covering both the stationary and sliding door) is mounted inside the door frame, which looks nice. And drapes would work – But in my case, they can only hang on one side, which would be asymmetrical (and might drive me bonkers)! Any other ideas?
We did drapes on our slider at our last house, and I never regretted it. We originally had the panels hung on either side, but quickly discovered pushing them all to one side was more convenient. Our style was fairly modern and eclectic and the curtains were simple, lightweight, white panels, so all that probably helped. I can see the asymmetrical look being more difficult in a traditional space or busier panels.
Any suggestions for readymade Roman shades or roller shades? We son’t want to order custom ones for our rental but it’s hard to find readymade options.
Can you tell me more about the custom Roman shade for the arched window? I haven’t found anyone in Cincinnati that admits it is possible. I have a Palladian window within a vaulted ceiling. It is like the one shown above, except it doesn’t have the trim break. I am desperate for a cohesive, light blocking solution for the whole unit (something that doesn’t require multiple separate parts: the fanned accordion in particular gives me hives).
The fan is the worst! We have one in our master bedroom, and I can’t wait to haul it off for good!
I loooooove the idea with the photoshop mock ups! Obviously I like the beautifully styled example pics too, but it somehow really, really helps to these sketches be so simple, the rooms empty and also beeing able to compare the different treatments on the same window – THANK YOU! I didn’t even know I wanted this, but this is wonderful! 🙂
If the windows are not in the bedrooms, then I would leave them untreated. Dunthorpe is filled with lots of greenery and this also means privacy. I am not a fan of window treatments that do not function and cutting half way down a window with a curtain rod looks awkward. Depending on your interior style sleek roller blinds could look minimal and modern.
Although I like the look of roman shades on a our living room bay windows, we also need privavcy whuch I don’t think those would provide if not lowered. Whatabouta cobination of roman shades and lower shutters? Would the shutters be too heavy for the roman shades?
This is great!…but I still don’t know what would look best on my windows 🙁 They are 9 1/2′ tall, some are curved at the top some aren’t, and set into a paneled “pocket” designed for shutters (long gone). House is 1870s build, Victorian Italianate style. So it seems like the curtain should go *inside* the pocket (but maybe not?) The window frames basically kiss the 10″ plaster moldings at the ceiling…and there is no bottom frame…the side window frames go straight to the baseboard…w/ a paneled insert below the window. Right now I have tension rods in the “pockets” about where the curve starts (even though the meeting rail is below that)…but the curtains only hang as low as the windowsills, leaving 18″ or so of wood paneling below. HELP!?! (casing is kind of like this: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/477100154265813783/ ) but windows are two large pieces of glass w/ no muntins)
What a great post! We have awkward windows in our living room and dressed them similarly to what you have above. We left the triangle windows open, since dressing them would have been expensive and very difficult. Tried to include a picture of it but couldn’t figure out how to do it. :/
Any ideas for front doors that are all glass? I have double glass doors with matching windows on each side, and these windows allow a perfect view of my living room. I love the natural light but need privacy at night.
Such a great post! Do you have any suggestions for a-frame, triangle windows? So tricky!
This post was very helpful! My master bedroom has an arched window above a “window seat” that’s too narrow for anyone’s tuckus, plus two other narrower windows on another wall. I may just have to send pictures to see what you think!
I live in a chalet in haute Savoie. We have triangles for windows. Any advice?
Great post. My 1890 Victorian has so many odd (but beautiful) windows – bay with middle window shorter and sill way up high, bay with built in windowseat, oval window in bathroom, pretty mullions that I don’t want to cover with roman shades, pretty moldings that I don’t want to hide with curtains. There’s even a really tall interior window between the master bedroom and stair landing which is great for letting light through, but terrible for privacy. I feel like it’ll be years before I get these all sorted.
The first photo of the living room with the fireplace is how sooooo many people have suggested you should have your living room furniture (requires another sofa – try out the one from the family room/playroom, just to suss it out??) and a couple of more substantial chairs, rather than the Target ones which don’t really go with the vibe or period of the house.
Please, try this out – obviously, your fireplace is different and you have bookshelves BUT the point is more substantial furniture with an additional sofa to square-off the room instead of the loonnng draw-in for the eye, from the entrance to the fireplace, which doesn’t do the beautiful architecture justice. You need to slow the eye down in there and provide more seating, unless of course, you only ever have four adults in the room at any time.
Put the chaise in Birdie’s room, it would be so lovely in there and is a little awkward in the living room.
Just sayin’.
I am so happy you addressed this because it is something I have been agonizing over in our house. We have two windows on same southwest-facing side of the room, except one is in our dining area and one is in the living room, in an open floor plan. I finally put some floor-length curtains up on the dining room window, but haven’t yet replaced the blinds on the living room window. The reason being is that our TV is under the curtain, so there are many wires down below. I also haven’t removed it because it is filtering the light/glare in the afternoon. Is it so terrible if one side of the room has a totally different window treatment than the other one on the same wall? Roman shades on one, and curtains on the other?
I’ve been waiting for 2 years for a post like this! I have a newly-built house with smaller, close-together windows that are up high. These keep your privacy, since houses are a little close to the neighbors, but let in tons of light. It’s great elsewhere in the house but not ideal for bedrooms that face east. What might you recommend?
The windows are about 2 feet wide, just under 2 feet tall, with about 8 inches between. Roman or bamboo shades would be too small to have one per window, and I can’t seem to find any pictures of a larger one covering two windows in a similar layout. Please help!
Such an informative post! One more type of window I’d love to have your advice on are casement windows, opening to the inside. Curtains and shades are so difficult with these! Thanks.
Awesome post! I have two types of awkward windows in my house (one of which you covered here and was what I was leaning toward so awesome to have some validation).
1. Bay windows in kitchen and dining room–I’ll be doing roman shades (I’m considering a Liberty fabric in the dining room b/c I’m insane)
2. Some other kind of window that I don’t know the name for: like a bay window, but instead of three “facets” it’s just a big ole’ semi-circle. My building was built in 1900 and the windows were originally curved panes, replaced by flat panes down the line. So I have this sort of half-cylinder of windows. In two rooms. In one (the more casual TV-room) I’m going to do linen roman shades. In the other (formal living room) I’m considering having a custom round French rod made? It might cost a fortune but wouldn’t it be gorgeous? Then hang some lovely super full curtains in some gorgeously textured fabric. Probably also linen b/c I have an addiction.
Anywho. I loved this post but would have loved it EVEN MORE if this weird cylinder-window-thing were covered, but it’s probably not very common…. Alas.
Do you have any resources for affordable, ready made Roman shades?
I have a dilemma! We have an L-shaped front window line and I had my heart set on doing sheer ripple fold track curtains. Unfortunately, my feelings (and bank account) were hurt when I priced how much drapery fabricators charge – OH MY!! Any clever DIY/design hacks to achieve a ripple curtain effect, ideas for curtain panel options that would sew well and options for curtain tracks? Thanks so much:)
What about dormer/gable windows? That’s the situation in our bedroom, which we’ve lived in for two years and have yet to buy curtains for. The ceilings in the dormers are low, so we can’t hang anything “high and wide.” The gable window doesn’t have much space, either. We thought about doing roman shades, but none of the windows are the same depth–so would it be better to do an exterior mount? I like the look of an interior mount but I don’t think we could do it consistently.