SFGate

Carolina Photo To Go LLC Love the look without the curtains! Beautiful windows.

Sunday What about solar shades?

Sunday inside mount

EB Interiors I love the look of the clean windows, but if you need privacy, the new fabric you posted would be very fresh and pretty as curtains posted in the last pic. Go all the way up to the top of window frame.

housemamma You stated you need something to block the summer sun. Perhaps tinting the windows would work if you don't need privacy. Those are gorgeous windows and look so inviting even without fabric.

anthip I'm not sure I could bring myself to cover those windows up. Summer sun or otherwise.

les1238 I like how the curtains in your living room photo stack almost completely back from the windows when drawn. But the fabric you're considering looks a little heavy to permit that. Is that pattern perhaps available in a sheer, and would that filter the light sufficiently for your needs? Maybe pleated and attached to clip-on rings?

claudiann Could you put something outside such as fruit trees in large pots to create some shade? They would look pretty with some kind of lighting in them at night. What direction do the windows face? Maybe you could put up a trellis outside and grow some beautiful annual vines. Or a substantial arbor might shade enough and if tall enough not block the view. You have a beautiful home and view.

Welcome Home designs I would not use drapes in this dining room - it makes your room appear larger without any window coverings. If you need sun blocking then try roman blinds or silhouettes shades and only in the top part of your window. This allows for your beautiful windows to show through.

Ramona Please don't cover these gorgeous windows with drapes. Roman shades which stack all the way to the top of the transoms can be done in sheers if you just want to cut the glare. You have a beautiful room which needs to let all that woodwork make its statement.

punkey90 Thanks for the compliments on the room, we love it too. The room faces north, so the only time the sun is an issue is during the summer when the morning sun is pretty intense through the bank of windows on the right. The main concern with that is the long term effect on the table. I could just forget about it and stop worrying about the table. But it just seems a little barren without anything at all to us. Housemama, not sure I want to tint, haven't thought about that. Claudiann, exterior plantings or a trellis are not an option as outside the right hand windows is a retainer wall dropping to a lower level, it wouldn't work. Welcome Home & Ramona, the thing about Roman blinds or silouettes shades is I would either have to cover up most of the transom windows or the trim above to mount them, or I could mount silouette shades inside the lower casement window openings only. The only problem with that is it would still cover up part of the window when they are drawn up and would add visual weight to that area with nothing above. les1238, the material is fairly light, I think it would draw pretty tight. I wish we could just use 1 panel in each corner, but to able to actually draw them I would need 2. If I could draw a panel either direction from the corner it would work, but the mounts for the rods would prevent them from going around the corner would they not?

janamdavis We "tinted" our windows at our previous home. We had a tricky window situation and found that the "tint" option decreased the temperate and glare in the room. It was nothing like a dark car tinted window. We just bought the tint ourselves at Lowes or Home Depot (dont remember). There are many differnt finishes, ie. mirror (which I didn't want) and a few others. They turned out great, no one knew they were tinted and it took care of our issue. Consider looking into it!

janamdavis ps. your windows and the trim are FABULOUS!!!!

decoenthusiaste Yes, there is tint that will keep out the UV and protect your table, but will hardly be noticed. I'd go for that with such beautiful windows. If' you've already purchased the fabric, you might consider covering the chair seats and making placemats to add a little of the olive color. The drapes you removed could also add some color to the chairs. They're a bit neutral for my personal taste. I'm one who would be changing the chair seats with the seasons - bright and happy for warm weather, then warm and toasty in cold weather.

janishill Love the new fabric. Have panels made that will stack on each end. They do not have to cover all the windows, just the ones that are an issue, but for balance you will have to put them on both sides ~ as if you didn't already know that. :-)

If you don't want to hang drapes don't. Simply rotate the table 1/4 turn every 6 months, moving the chairs with it. Be sure to put a pop upremider on your calendar!

punkey90 Thanks all, I am going to look into the tint for sure. Never thought much about it and always associated it with dark car windows and bad applications with bubbles underneath it! We just calculated the fabric for the panels, and it will cost about $800 for the fabric for 8 panels, plus lining and rods, so we'll end up with $1200 in it at least. The fabric is $33/yard but is the only selection we've liked out of looking at hundreds. Never fails it's also one of the most expensive! I think the panels would look good, but not sure it's worth the cost when the windows look so good without anything. Great ideas, Thanks!

janamdavis The other thing you could do is try the tint first....for well under $100, if you do it yourself. If you like it, great....if not....on to the next option. Its also easy to remove. Good luck!

nevadan Think about cleanliness. You don't want bacteria-laden dust falling on your food.. Use roll down tailored roman shades, which can be up most of the time and are easy to keep clean.

Julie Thome Draperies, Inc. If you were committed to doing the panels, you would need 8 panels, with rods that have a flexible elbow joint, the panels do not move across the joints. You would stack all the panels at the bends in the wall, and on each end.
Your windows have a lot going on architecturally, hence I would not complicate things further by putting anything on them as everyone else has said. There are sheer fabrics on the market with a similar motif to what you have chosen. Sheers would look less heavy and intrusive in that area.

If they were my windows, (obviously they are not) I would be mounting woven shades as inside mount in the transom area, but I know you do not want to cover the transom area.

judyg