Carpet is greyish/multi in color. Drapes? Dear god we're not even close to picking that out yet :) We are using white 2 inch wood blinds. Drapes may be a decorative valence only. acountryfarm has the almost exact color we're getting in our hallways and downstairs bathroom. For the living room, as it stands right now we like "Harvester" from Sherwin williams (SW6373). We've got about 2-3 weeks to make up our minds. All the other rooms were easy, the main living room has been tough to nail down. Has to be warm/soft hue, good contrast to the leather, not too dark. We're thinking yellowish or greenish tint. No browns, beige, red, or blue. My wife has been scanning magazines for the pervebial "that's it" but we haven't found it yet. Here is a link that might be useful: Harvester color

I think trim on valances always helps define the edges a little, and can also add a bit of weight so they hang nicely. No pix, but what about a simple narrow cording that picks up a color in the fabric? A brush fringe could also be fun. Cording (comes in multi colors like this, or solids): multi-colored cord Some brush fringe: brush fringe You could also do a funky fringe, that has some fun beads or different textures in it. Since your friend sews, maybe she could go with you and take a look at things with the fabric? She might have some suggestions about things that would be casual but still add some interest.

Sugar Plum! That is a lovely room, and the drapes are fabulous! Adding that striped fabric was genius! Did you use a ready-made tab tape, or did you just sew strips of fabric to the back? A tab header is my second choice if the pinch pleats don't work out. FYI, the big 12x9' dropcloths made by Trimaco sold at Walmart and Amazon don't have a seam, and I think they're a hair cheaper than the ones at HD and Lowes. The canvas is 7 oz. weight. Leafy, the trick to dying a huge piece of fabric like that is to wash it several times first to remove all of the sizing, follow the directions on the dye exactly, and make sure that your washer is big enough for the fabric to move around in the dye bath. Maybe do one panel at a time? I wasn't planning to iron, I really like that nubby linen look that the canvas gets when it's just washed a few times and dried in the dryer. I made slipcovers ages ago for our large futon chairs, and the fabric just gets better and softer with every wash, and there hasn't been any stain (even gel ink) that I couldn't get out of the fabric. I'm making these drapes for the craft room, There's a bay window that is just a thorn in my side. I hung a large rod straight across it, which doesn't look bad, but finding a nice neutral, heavier weight washable drape has been an issue. The window faces southwest, so I tried blackout curtains, but the foam backing has washed off in places, and most of the lined drapes are made of a fabric that is more formal that what would look right in this room.

Those panels are nice. I would start with the drapes first...then select the paint color. Far easier to match paint to fabric than the other way around. Once you select the the drapes, then you can decide on the rods. If the fabric is more browns then go with the bronze or antique brass hardware. If the fabric is more gray, then go with the satin nickel. From your pics, it looks like the rooms are separate enough that they can be different, but it's nice when the rooms relate in some way. I'd suggest keeping window treatments in mind for both rooms when selecting the drapes. Often you can find coordinating valances if you buy from the same place. For the kitchen area window, think about what you need...light control? privacy? temperature control? That will help you decide what function you want the treatment to perform. Then you can decide if that's best done with drapes, just a valance, roman shades, etc.