JenaW
10-29-2007, 09:10 AM
Let me start my saying I HATE CURTAINS.
Ok. Got that off my chest.
Let me also say (as many of you know) I am VERY longwinded. I do not do concise. Sorry. So if you are busy, you can just skip this right now. But if you are bored and in a home-decorating mood, please read on.
We need some help. We bought a new house this summer that has gorgeous wood windows with wood trim. Although we hvae neighbors on both sides, our lot is very wooded, affording us tons of privacy, especially in the back. So for the summer months, we just left those alone. The views are nice, and we like the look of the windows. All of the front windows (incl all bedrooms) have cheapo white plastic blinds. YUCK. Our DR has 2 HUGE - nearly floor to ceiling - windows. We took the blinds down after I got sick of them falling out everytime I tried to lower them at night. (they were not wide enough for the windows and kept falling out of their brackets). But now, the entire street and all of the people across it can see right into our DR and through into the kitchen. We have thought of doing wood plantation shutters. I wish I could upload pics, but my camera is dead. If you click on this link http://tinyurl.com/2xk9cu
and go to page 5 - folkloric charm - that is what our dining room looks like, color-wise. We chose that paint, we already have similar wood trim, a light wood dining table, and black chairs. If I WERE to do curtains (I HATE CURTAINS), what color would you suggest? DO you think wood shutters (hopefully matching the dark wood trim) would work? Does anyone have experience with shutters? If so, where did you get them? Did they come prefinished or did you stain yourself? Did you hang or did someone else install?
The great room is another challenge. It is a HUGE room - I think about 22 x 28 and cathedral ceiling. The back wall has two 8ft windows that are bare. The walls are painted ryegrass - very close to the wooded backyard color - so the walls just blend with the backyard. The front wall looking out to the street is basically all windows. There are 3 side-by-side 8-10ft tall windows and a huge half circle window above that in the cathedral space. During the day I would like them open as much as possible (the front is also heavily treed so we don't get a lot of natural light), but at night, you again can see right in, more so now that the leaves are dropping. Everything is again trimmed in dark cherry wood, and we have all black leather furniture. I thought about doing curtains (agh, that blasted word) in a matching or coordinating color (green, or something else?) in that shimmery dupionni silk on top with a wide black velvet band on the bottom that would puddle on the floor. I have SOME sewing experience. I can sew a straight line. Curtains aren't THAT hard, are they?? I would like shutters in there too, but I think there is too much window (the span across is about 15ft) with no place to open the shutters as the windows are in a small recessed area.
I think for the bedrooms, I will just have to suck it up and do curtains. Maybe a cute sheer (possibly with something embroidered on it) with something heavier over it to close at night, especially duirng the cold winter months. Does anyone have any suggestions for where to look? The two younger girls' room has varrying widths of pink, purple, green, and white stripes. Carter and Maddie share a room that is currently still off white, but we are thinking of painintg the room a brick red color and doing C's side with antique fire trucks and M's with pink butterflies. Someday.
Suggestions?
Phew. Sorry this is so long.
Jera
Mom to Carter ~ 05.13.03
Madigan ~ 09.28.04
Natalie ~ 09.17.05 (born at 25 weeks!!)
Alexa ~ 11.03.06
Ok. Got that off my chest.
Let me also say (as many of you know) I am VERY longwinded. I do not do concise. Sorry. So if you are busy, you can just skip this right now. But if you are bored and in a home-decorating mood, please read on.
We need some help. We bought a new house this summer that has gorgeous wood windows with wood trim. Although we hvae neighbors on both sides, our lot is very wooded, affording us tons of privacy, especially in the back. So for the summer months, we just left those alone. The views are nice, and we like the look of the windows. All of the front windows (incl all bedrooms) have cheapo white plastic blinds. YUCK. Our DR has 2 HUGE - nearly floor to ceiling - windows. We took the blinds down after I got sick of them falling out everytime I tried to lower them at night. (they were not wide enough for the windows and kept falling out of their brackets). But now, the entire street and all of the people across it can see right into our DR and through into the kitchen. We have thought of doing wood plantation shutters. I wish I could upload pics, but my camera is dead. If you click on this link http://tinyurl.com/2xk9cu
and go to page 5 - folkloric charm - that is what our dining room looks like, color-wise. We chose that paint, we already have similar wood trim, a light wood dining table, and black chairs. If I WERE to do curtains (I HATE CURTAINS), what color would you suggest? DO you think wood shutters (hopefully matching the dark wood trim) would work? Does anyone have experience with shutters? If so, where did you get them? Did they come prefinished or did you stain yourself? Did you hang or did someone else install?
The great room is another challenge. It is a HUGE room - I think about 22 x 28 and cathedral ceiling. The back wall has two 8ft windows that are bare. The walls are painted ryegrass - very close to the wooded backyard color - so the walls just blend with the backyard. The front wall looking out to the street is basically all windows. There are 3 side-by-side 8-10ft tall windows and a huge half circle window above that in the cathedral space. During the day I would like them open as much as possible (the front is also heavily treed so we don't get a lot of natural light), but at night, you again can see right in, more so now that the leaves are dropping. Everything is again trimmed in dark cherry wood, and we have all black leather furniture. I thought about doing curtains (agh, that blasted word) in a matching or coordinating color (green, or something else?) in that shimmery dupionni silk on top with a wide black velvet band on the bottom that would puddle on the floor. I have SOME sewing experience. I can sew a straight line. Curtains aren't THAT hard, are they?? I would like shutters in there too, but I think there is too much window (the span across is about 15ft) with no place to open the shutters as the windows are in a small recessed area.
I think for the bedrooms, I will just have to suck it up and do curtains. Maybe a cute sheer (possibly with something embroidered on it) with something heavier over it to close at night, especially duirng the cold winter months. Does anyone have any suggestions for where to look? The two younger girls' room has varrying widths of pink, purple, green, and white stripes. Carter and Maddie share a room that is currently still off white, but we are thinking of painintg the room a brick red color and doing C's side with antique fire trucks and M's with pink butterflies. Someday.
Suggestions?
Phew. Sorry this is so long.
Jera
Mom to Carter ~ 05.13.03
Madigan ~ 09.28.04
Natalie ~ 09.17.05 (born at 25 weeks!!)
Alexa ~ 11.03.06