SFGate

feeny I would use drapes, with a rod hung over the door, half way to the ceiling, and extending a bit beyond on both sides so the drape panels can sit out of the way, framing the door most of the time for entry and exit, and covering it only when needed for privacy.

orangecamera I actually prefer vertical blinds on a sliding door. You can move them out of the way when you want the whole view, or spread them out and tilt the louvers to allow light without glare on the tv. Or, of course, cover the entire sliding door for privacy.

Carolina Photo To Go LLC If you are not doing custom draperies, look on JCPenney.com if you are not doing custom. I like grommet draperies with a rod which is as large as the grommets. I actually prefer a large rod over patio doors like that so it won't look wimpy. If you do custom draperies, most of the people who do those will have pictures of projects they have done. I at one time had a valance above my patio doors; but, my husband decided it looked too formal.

hmschoolmom Thank you for the suggestions. I haven't seen verticals in some time and thought they had an 80's feel. My husband has a residential window cleaning business so he and his employees see the insides of some unbelievable homes (I'm sure you can imagine) and I asked what those folks covered their patio doors with (usually French doors, not cheap sliders like ours-LOL) and he said usually they were uncovered. Harrumph. Except for those folks who have built in blinds between the panes.

So should I get floor to ceiling type curtains for the other window as well? We have roman shades all over the rest of the house.

feeny No disrespect meant to orangecamera, but I too dislike vertical blinds and associate them with a different era. But I am not a blinds expert so perhaps there are new and amazing variations of them now that I haven't seen.

But on the drapery question: If you have just one other window in the room, it might be nice to put matching drapes there as well, but I don't feel it is absolutely necessary if this is more of a family room rather than a formal living room. And if you have a number of windows with roman blinds then I wouldn't change everything just for the sake of the door. It might be nice to match the fabric of the roman blinds to the fabric for the drapes, but only if this is easy to do and you think it would look good. But some of the professional designers here may have stronger opinions and advice on these questions. So let's see what they say.

hmschoolmom Thanks to orange camera I rethought verticals and checked out blinds.com. they have some reasonable faux wood that may work with our eclectic style. Or nondescript fabric that won't stand out.

I also found vertical honeycomb here:


Just trying to keep it economical since we will be redoing this room with built ins and a sectional in the next year or so.

hmschoolmom Drape question: would it look funky to have drapes on the patio doors and roman shades on the window over the love seat?

hmschoolmom @iforcolor: thank you for the recommendation of same window coverings. So should drapes (if chosen) hang to the floor?

This room is terribly narrow, and worsened by the horrible hearth that juts out a ridiculous 4 ft into the room eating up the space and making it a ridiculously cramped 10 feet wide (hearth to slider) which has been a thorn in my flesh. The room is 23 feet long. We initially had that maple unit at an angle in the right corner as a mini office and pulled the couch away from the window and centered across from the fireplace. The love seat was pulled away from the wall at a 90 deg to the sofa like now When we opened up the kitchen wall, we moved our tv to that maple unit short term and relocated it to the side of the fireplace instead of where it used to be--cornered where the black computer hutch is now. (below)

It feels HORRIBLE that the couch is no longer directly across from the fireplace. To pull it back partially covers the door and leaves a "no man's land" behind the love seat. (where my mini office nightmare clutter used to be)
Maybe I should have asked what to do with this whole room. LOL.

kwolff01 We have panel track shades. Ikea sells them and JC Penney's custom we got at JC Penney. They have worked well give an up to date look. The only problem in our bedroom they are light filtering/ not "Blackout"

orangecamera kwolff01, I'm looking for new shades myself, so I am trying to find what you mentioned on ikea. Not finding anything called "panel track shade". Can you be more specific or post a link to what you're talking about? Thanks!

hmschoolmom @iforcolor-thank you for hunter Douglas suggestion. I ordered a catalog to see some options. Your blinds sound lovely.

kwolff01 Panel track blind or try solar shade.

hmschoolmom Ok-so will window coverings of any kind look funky if I want to leave my kitchen window uncovered? They are all in line of sight.

kwolff01 I did the same solar shade material(mine are a soft white/light filtering) in a roller shade and just mounted outside the window. I would suggest a custom order. JC Penney's is always having custom drapery promotions. Measuring window correctly (I would talk with some one re size allowances )

hmschoolmom @kwolff01- so I looked up solar shade and had a "gestalt" moment. Maybe if I created a simple cornice or valance structure to hide horizontal window coverings when they are pulled all the way up at the top of he window? Can honeycomb style or other "drop down" style blinds be hung outside the window casement? Do they have to be hung on the inside?

hmschoolmom Mind reader!! So you hung yours outside the casement?

kitasei Rather than a sofa or sectional, think about two substantial and comfortable swivel chairs, which will face the fireplace when you want to, but also the outside view. The two seats can be supplemented with smaller, interesting seating in front of the fire.

In thinking about the window covering, isn't energy efficiency as much a consideration as privacy and light? There is nothing 80s about that -- and many new options that weren't around back then either!

Sarah Bernardy Design Hunter Douglas and many shade manufactures have better alternatives to vertical blinds. Check out their website for options and suggestions for cordinating shades for the smaller windows. You don't have to have full drapery panels on all of your windows. If you are looking to do shades, match all the windows even those in the kitchen. But you can do a Roman style valance or cordinating fabric valance/cornice on the smaller windows that matches decorative panels on the patio door if you want a more traditional vibe. Window treatments can be expensive so consult with a local Designer or window treatment workroom for options that suit both your needs and style. Having a consultant out to your home to fully understand you and your space will be key to your happiness as window treatments will be a long term investment.

orangecamera Maybe those windows in the fancy houses your husband sees have just what you're describing, hmschoolmom - blinds mounted above the window and hidden by a valance or cornice!. Just make sure when you order them you let the salesperson know how you intend to mount them so the measurements are accurate and you get the right type of brackets.

For the sliding door, just remember that if you have the shade down, you won't be able to access the door. (Which is part of why I like verticals on sliding doors).

hmschoolmom Blocking the door is an issue for sure which is a plus for drapes or verticals. For us, we would only close them when we werent going in and out.

hmschoolmom @kitasei-- wish I could. We need the seating since we have a large family and entertain. As it is, we drag our camping chairs in and all our dining chairs in when folks come over. Ridiculous, I know.
We used to have a table/corner seating in the breakfast bar area where folks would squish when we entertained. It's gone so people sit on the floor. Lol.

kitasei You need the window treatment, whatever it is, to be aligned with door opening. A sliding door demands veritcal blinds, vertical drapery, or anything else vertical. I made this mistake on a sliding window in an apartment once. If I pulled the blackout blind down, I either got no air and roasted like a chicken, or had to listen to the blind flapping all night! Don't put yourself in the same situation just because you have an idea that vertical blinds are out of style!

hmschoolmom You all have been a tremendous help! Love the feedback. I can stop ignoring the problem ( and my husband's pleas for window dressing) and get on the stick and git 'er done!!

orangecamera I swear I'm not a vertical blind salesperson, but I've had sliders, sons and vertical blinds. Unless you have another door to your back yard, it's likely that someone will be going in and out on a sunny day when your husband is trying to watch tv. Your grill is right there, so while cooking you'll be in and out a lot.

I just can't see a shade as the best solution there. Drapes, maybe, but they tend to get caught in the door itself. In my opinion, the perfect solution would be verticals, with the addition of drapes if you want, hung wider than the door, so you can close them off when you want more darkness and for energy efficiency (as kitasei so rightly brought up). Drapes have the added benefit of absorbing sound, which is important in a large open area.

hmschoolmom Aaaaah. Good point.

Ok-what about matching cornices/valances that offer similitude with a pull down shade or blinds in the window and verticals that hang down from the patio door cornice?

hmschoolmom Are there verticals that offer any insulating factor?

orangecamera "Ok-what about matching cornices/valances that offer similitude with a pull down shade or blinds in the window and verticals that hang down from the patio door cornice?"

BINGO! We have winner!

orangecamera Yes indeed. Google this: insulated vertical blinds for patio doors