SFGate

gatorpam yes- the border is going... worried about panels being in the way of the sliders and being "stuck" behind the new couch, which will butt up right to the wall/ eating nook...

ideahuntress I think I would do a mixture of roman blinds on windows with co-ordinating fabric on the sliding door in a curtain maybe a ring top'd one or blinds and curtains on the windows but from the old pictures you don't seem to need much coverage on your windows for privacy etc . Roman blinds would be contempory enough for your new sofas . If you decide to do both blinds and curtains on windows you could do dark mainly black accented material for the roman blind and then a lighter colour for your curtains. Happy re-decorating !

gatorpam There are blinds on the windows, which are "up" 98% of the time... I kind of like them "hidden"... I was going to just take down the ugly verticals on the sliders, which I never use!

clairefromthecolonies I agree with Jill that the border needs to be removed, and that the valances you have now, and projected cornices are not going to produce the up-date you are looking for. For a more modern look, simplicity is the key. Long simple panels on a thin rod with clip rings. You could go for a linen look or if you want to be more formal, a silk look. If you are removing the border decor, you will most likely be re-painting, so another helpful way to decide on a color scheme is to take a rug or cushion fabric that you love in the new space and draw from the colors in those. I think the throw pillow shown in your picture from the store is a great source for your color scheme. My inclination would be to go to a richer color for the walls. While I am not afraid to go with dark paint in small spaces, you could still argue that since you have so much light, the room would take it well. Good luck. Post pictures of your progress!

decoenthusiaste I would consider a larger investment in upgrading your home. Consider the trim mentioned above plus crown molding when the border comes down. Also think about french doors in place of the sliders. Wait on your window treatments until you have the sectional in place and post some more pics. Not sure that butting up to the nook is where you'd want to go with the sofa. Can we see the remainder of the room to help you further?

Sheila's Window Toppers & More Ltd We do many cornice boxes through our design centre. They do not seem to date and they can offer clean lines. The shape of the padded and upholstered Cornice box will dictate the look and style. You can have them made with straight lines or in modern shapes. Cornice boxes would look amazing around your nook area. If you are taking down the vertical blinds you can use a co-ordinating fabric and have either panels or full functioning draperies on a decorative rod made for the patio doors. I do agree that the border must go. I have included some samples of a few of the cornice boxes we have made for clients.

Sheila's Window Toppers & More Ltd Sorry one of the photos I attached above is from our Showroom, here is the one I meant to attach.

janishill Your leather sectional is beautiful! To compliment it go for something simple in drapery.

If it were my home I would purchase simple white linen, stationary panels. I would hang them high and wide (see the attached photo) and use roller shades with them. (see other photo)

I would remove the border and have the walls painted a fresh new color; muted green, earthy tan, etc. Perhaps something like this:http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/edgecombgray
I would add a few throw pillows in aqua or another bright color just for the fun of it.

I would buy new white linen shades for the light fixture and would do away with the fake trees.

[houzz=
]

Hope to see updated pictures when you are finished! :-)

anniebmw7 Exactly what janishill said "go with simple drapery with blinds". By the pictures your living space seems so compact, not sure where to put the nice leather white sectional in my head. If you can maybe attach a more broad picture.
With white type coaches i will attach couple examples and see what you think: keep in mind the paint on the walls, color of rugs and drapery, certain things hanging on the walls, and the amount of things in certain type of room areas.
http://northwestar.ebayclassifieds.com/furniture/springdale/beautiful-white-leather-sectional/?ad=24164902
Color walls to white coaches: [houzz=Butternut Residence]
Just beautiful to have one side of wall red ocher color,with white drapery and white sectional: [houzz=Valerie Wills Interiors]
[houzz=Forest Manor Model Home]
drapes that would look great for the slide doors:
[houzz=Living Room Detail]
more fall look: [houzz=Morroccan Living Room]
Simple white drapes: [houzz=William Hefner Architecture Interiors & Landscape]
[houzz=Master bedroom]
corner drapes: [houzz=Master Suite]
if you have pets that wont stop playing with drapes, another idea would be nice blinds:
[houzz=Window Coverings]

well that all for now.
GOOD LUCK!

olldbobbi Here is one interesting treatment for all your windows: [houzz=
]

chaski For a fresh, more contemporary look, which it seems is what you want, you need to remove the visual and physical clutter. Out go the border, valances (!), fake trees, chandelier. You might consider leaving the windows alone i.e. no "window treatment." Perhaps for privacy install translucent, cordless!, single cell honeycomb blinds in alabaster or ivory that tuck up out of the way when closed and that let in light when pulled down.
Re paint....If you want to make a bold statement, consider painting the patio door wall as in the picture above of the Butternut Residence.It's a blah wall to which you'd give a visual punch. Have the color keyed (cool or warm) to the color you choose for the other walls. If that's too rich for your blood, perhaps a more muted but still contrasting color for that wall. In other words, the bold paint would replace window treatment for that wall. You don't need to muss it up with valances, whatever (none of the windows)....I see the room itself painted in off white or linen leaning toward cool or warm, whichever you prefer)--clean, crisp, fresh.
Hope this is helpful. Good luck.

John Dwyer Architect Yeah, I have to agree with most of the comments. A floor to ceiling sheer would be best. Brighten up that room, diffuse the light and get a little more vertical dimension.

rivers300 I didn't read all the comments, but I feel like a cornice will look dated. You probably be most happy with long panels.

gatorpam So long panels- 108" on both the sliders and windows, so they are hanging at the same height?

jrost It's fun to update! The white couch is beautiful! Sheers would be great ! or go a different way with a big geometric pattern in curtains, that is were your color will come from. NO cornise boards...very dated !! Hope we get to see the udated room.

janishill gatorpam...this is Janis AKA TideLover as in Crimson Tide :-)

Yes the panels will be hung at the same height all the way around with th etop of the shade under the rod as in the picture I posted last night. :-)

trc59 I like the idea of long panels, please no cornice boards. A drum chandelir over the table and remove the chair pads.