The Tricky Bay Window

Hi....

I have bay windows in my living room and kitchen. There are several problems in trying to find window treatments for them. Right now, there are these awful vinyl vertical blinds.First problem, is the windows are old and can only have blinds, etc. outside mounted. Secondly, the windows are so close together that it is difficult to have two outside mounted items end to end. Thirdly, there is an "overhang" that the windows are tucked under.I'm open to pretty much anything at this point.

Thanks so much :)

Amy

Dear Amy,

You have a number of different options.

1. You can add a cornice to the bay windows- I like the look of a wood crown molding- I am not a big fan of the upholstered ones most of the time. With the crown hiding your top- you can add whatever blinds you like. You can also "dry-wall" a sofit in that would act as a crown in this way- without photos of your place it is hard for me to tell you what would work best. (see the last picture in the post)


2. Eliminate the entire idea of "blinds" or shades and just use drapery panels and sheers. Hang them as high as you can- and take them to the floor.


3. The smallest, least intrusive blinds are roller shades. Use roller shades and add drapery panels on top to cover outside mounts.


4. Use a cafe curtain in the kitchen area. (like shown in this post.) No matter how awkward the top of your window is, this won't go near it.


5. Use Roman shades- have them outside mounted- butted right next to one another.- A fabric valance like the one at the top of the post would give a similar look.

Notice the pictures in this post, and in most nicer design magazines. (these are from House Beautiful) I know that blinds are very functional- but they are definitely not the design ideal in window treatments. You will more often see no blinds at all in nicer homes. So- if you are unable to have blinds- you are in good company.

The Lakefront Kitchen Remodel

Hello again:-)

I am spending WAY too much time reading your blog today:-) I wanted to see what your thoughts were on my lakefront house that we are planning a total kitchen renovation in VERY soon. We are planning on painting all the woodwork in the kitchen white, with the island being rebuilt and painted chocolate brown. I want to keep it light and airy as it is a lakefront property and I want to bring in the blues/browns to decorate. I am unsure of the countertops to use. Keeping in mind this is our second home, budget is a huge factor. I really do not like speckled granite/quartz. I have a shiny black quartz countertop in my home now and absolutely hate it. It is so hard to keep clean. I cannot spend a lot of money in this lakefront home as we are renovating the whole thing. I need to remain frugal. :-) Any ideas would be truly wonderful. :-)

thank you so much and I hope I can get all my pics to you. :-)

deb

Dear Deb,

I will tell you exactly what to do.

1. wood countertop


2. beadboard backsplash


3. stained island


4. wood floor

1. Wood counters are a less commonly used material- but generally speaking- you can get them for a fraction of the price of other solid surfaces. Sure- they require some maintenance- but they are timeless, charming, and inexpensive. You can't get a bigger bang for your buck.

2. Beadboard backsplash. Forget the expense of a tile backsplash- purchase 4 x 8 sheets- and go beadboard. Again- charming, timeless, classic, and inexpensive. Paint it to match the cabinets. The perfect look for lakefront property.

3. Stained island. I don't like wood painted brown. Wood is brown. Wood painted brown doesn't make sense to me. You said it was being rebuilt- don't paint- stain. With the wood counters on the other area- and now that we are staining the island- do a different surface on the island counter. I would do a grayish black soapstone. If that is too expensive- stay with the white cabinets and wood counter. The backside of your bar can be beadboard to tie it together.

One more thing- if you don't NEED the privacy- remove all of those blinds and valances and put in cafe curtains. We need a little more charm in your place. :) Look at the picture at the top of the post. These would be extremely inexpensive to make or have made- and what a great look! Add chrome or black hardware. (I would probably do black.)

Thanks for writing in, and thanks for spending too much time on my blog. :)

- Christine

PS- Remember that the blue and brown combination is trendy- bring it in though dishes, pitchers and wall decor, not permanent items like backsplashes and islands.

Window Treatments for Kristen

Dear Christine,

My husband and I are moving into a newly built house in December. This home is in Clarksburg, MD, backs up to woods, but has close neighbors on either side. The drywall is going up this week and we will have 15 windows that need covering right away. I have been online and looking for what to cover the windows with. I don't even know where to begin.Plantation shutters seem to be the "in" thing right now, but I didn't know if you could at least give me a starting point. Should I use a window covering company such as Next Day Blinds, or do it on my own room by room? Please help. My husband and I are teachers, on a modest budget, but we have been able to save quite a bit of money. On a three story home with roughly 20 windows, what would be a good budget?

Any advice you would give me would be great,

Thanks,

Kristen

Dear Kristen,

Congratulations on your new home. I adore Maryland. My parents used to live there- their place backed up to water and you would sometimes see SWANS out there. It is so beautiful. I also loved that beach with wild horses. It starts with an "A" -- what is it??? We would always go there when I came to visit. A new home is always such an exciting and possibly overwhelming time. Where to begin with window treatments? I would never go and put the same window treatment in all the windows of your home. I would consider how I planned to decorate each room, what window treatment would be most complimentary, and go from there. I would, however, keep all window treatments neutral on the back side, especially those that face the street. There was a house near my home that was listed for sale FOREVER and it had burgundy drapes in a large picture window in the front of their home. The drapes had no lining, and were totally burgundy from the street. They looked HORRIBLE. I always thought that one change might have helped them to sell their home sooner. So- keep it neutral as it faces the street- but don't feel like it all needs to be the exact same treatment- it doesn't.

How much should you budget???? That's a tough one....

Let me give you some ideas:

The Cordless Roman Shades from JC Penny are one of my favorite window treatments on a budget- I used them in my office- and really have been happy with the quality. JC Penny has fabulous sales also- you can pick these up for around $50/each on sale. The downside is that they only come so wide- unless you go up to JC Penny's custom shades which will run over $100 each. My house has windows that are too large to use these in most of the rooms. If your architecture has small windows you could really luck out here. To show you the spectrum, really beautiful custom Roman Shades will be more like $300+/window- and you still would want to add draperies to some of those....

Shutters are fabulous. They are also one of the most expensive... You can have them made from vinyl instead of wood- and I think they still look great- although you will be more limited on options. Ballpark on those are going to start at about $6,000 to $15,000 for an entire house. (just a ballpark... )

Roller Shades are also a fantastic look on a budget- you can even have custom made, with custom material selections- and they still don't cost very much. For most rooms you will want to add draperies- but for some rooms- like the bathroom above- they really stand on their own. For a more contemporary home, the screen shades are a terrific look. I use these a lot in commercial settings.

Woven woods are another that have quite a range- Target and Lowe's sell them at super low prices- JCPenny has good prices- and Hunter Douglas and Conrad's (as well as many other brands) have some beautiful custom made choices with many color and material options as well as lining options, motorized options, border options, valance options- the list goes on- and the price can be as high as a shutter before you are through- and the look can be stunning...

What about panels? West Elm has fantastic prices. Z Gallery is not too expensive. (I don't love JCPenny's styles.... but some of them are alright- overall they seem a little dated to me- but their prices are great). Pottery Barn is going to start at about $100/panel- and go up to about $220. Restoration Hardware is starting more like $200- going up from there- but their quality is fantastic. Smith and Noble will have a lot of fabric options- but are fairly reasonably priced. Custom Panels start around $300 unless you are in a very inexpensive fabric, or know how to sew.... I like to have mine weighted and lined. If they don't come weighted- you can add weights. I threw some different panel ideas throughout the post. Keep in mind that the most unique ones are always going to be custom...

So- tell me- HOW can I possibly give you a budget?- To start with, I would splurge on some windows and then use an inexpense treatment like the sheer cafe curtain in the kitchen nook on others. Get your mom to sew it for you. That's what I would do. ;) For a budget I would say $3,000 to $20,000. :) Was that helpful at all? Anyone purchased new window treatments lately- what were they and what did they cost? Give Kristen some ideas....