Wood blinds would be my first choice, however, they are going to be very very heavy for a window of that size. You may want to make sure that the cord mechanism will allow you to easily pull up wood blinds of that weight.

Because of the weight issue, I would choose the other blinds; they may not be as attractive, but they would be more functional. You will have your panels for beauty:-)

I would go with the wood blinds. We've had them on big windows before, and I liked them a lot. When I wanted more sunlight in I would just twist the slats open as opposed to pulling the blinds up. I only pulled them up when opening the windows to let in a breeze. I think it'll look really nice with the panels on the sides too. Beautiful house!

Definitely go with the wood blinds. You will be able to control the amount of light in the room. Do NOT put black out blinds in your beautiful room. They will TOTALLY block out the light. You will defeat the purpose of those gorgeous windows on the south side of your house. You can experiment with heavy craft paper on your windows. This may give you a better idea of just how much light will be blocked! Another option to consider is window tinting on the windows. It will block the harsh and blinding rays without taking away your view. It comes in varying degrees of coverage. It reminds me of sunglasses for windows. FYI- I sold custom window treatments six years ago and would NEVER recommend black out blinds for everyday living spaces. 99% of the time we put them in bedrooms. Just my 2 cents. Lisa

Thank you mom3sons

Very pretty home. Would you mind sharing your wall color?

I'd also pick the wood blinds for reasons stated above.

The wood blinds.

You have enough wall space in that room so that wood blinds would not seem overwhelming and you could control the light coming in too. Wood blinds are not all that heavy, but if you feel they are, go with two separate ones on the double windows. Make sure that if you do get two separate ones on the double windows, that you get ONE header instead of two separate ones or you will have a gap.

Have you considered Silhouette blinds? With those you can have them closed or open while filtering light. The drawback is if you keep your windows open for a breeze Silhouettes block the breeze unlike blinds where the breeze flows right through the open slats.

http://www.hunterdouglas.com/our-products.jsp?so=tn#/P_1/

Here is a link that might be useful: HD Sillouettes

I like the wood blinds too. We had them in our family room, and kept them down all the time, except to open the window. You can open them without having to put them up, so that is really nice and it keeps your window "dressed" even during the day! And there is the advantage of being able to turn the slats in different directions so as to let light in but no make it glaring--does that make sense?

Another vote for the blinds. If you live in an area where you have the windows open often, and humidity, then I'd recommend faux blinds over wood.
I had wood blinds when I lived in Calif. and had problems with the finish peeling and the slats warping.

For your lovely home I'd remove the sheers on the upper windows and replace it with either remote controlled cellular, or solar, shades. Another option for both the upper windows and the arched portion of the lower windows is to have them tinted. Tinting will block out enough sun and also protect your furnishings.

Wood. I think it would look best with in your home since you have white trim and your stairway balustrade is stained.

You have enough suggestions on the blinds, so I'll address the panels. Please consider mounting the rods a few inches above the arch on the arched windows, then even with that on the other windows. It will look stunning. You'll have to have longer than normal panels (86" are normal, 95" are for normal ceiling height mounted at ceiling, you'll probably need 108"), but so worth it. They can't be bought in stores, but can be ordered online from stores that sell panels (Penneys, Bed Bath and Beyond, etc.) Also, no tie backs...just let them hang straight.

I have wood blinds throughout my home and I love them. I found however, that due to the constant sun exposure in my FR, they warped after a year, so I have replaced all south facing windows with faux wood. In all the other rooms, not only do they look nice, but they are very functional as well.

Pay no attention to the naked windows - I'm searching for the perfect treatment:

Just found this picture from when we were getting ready to sell our old house so it looks kind of empty but we had white wood blinds and I loved the look and functionality.
They are heavy but pretty easy to move although normally I would just twist the wand to control the light.

I think they would look beautiful in your room and when they are open you get a nice breeze & a clear view of the twins playing outside.

Love you ladiess-- so my last 2 questions

Based on the sunlight issue- i think i should look at the faux wood--- anyone have a brand that they love (kirsch? HD? What faux wood have you been happy with?)

I guess I will try to find one that has the creamy beige tone line my wall color right?

The one thing about wood blinds is that you can leave the blind slats open and it's almost like you have nothing on the window. It doesn't interfere with the view and allows sunlight in. You can tilt them to control the sunlight also. I never even pull them up. I don't find them so heavy either. In fact the faux blinds I have in the spare bedrooms are heavier than the wood. Don't worry about warping. We live in the NOrth East and one block from the beach (talk about humidity). I have had them 7 years and no warping.

Is there a brand you recommend--

I went with the brand that best matched a color I was looking for. I have a Home Depot brand, Bali, Hunter Douglas and Comfortex thru-out my home. 7 yrs now and no problems with either one.

My only gripe with HunterD are their cords. A few of the knobs have cracked/broken and they seem to have more cords on their blinds than other brands.

Wood blinds for sure!
I have Hunter Douglas 2.5 inch wood blinds in my family room. I live in the northeast and they did warp within 3 months. I have Home Depot wood blinds in the bedrooms and no warping.
I have a few windows to put blinds on still and I think I am going to go with the faux wood. I looked through past posts on here and everyone says if you are getting white blinds that the faux wood looks like real wood. I am thinking about Levelor Nuwood.

I was thinking instead of white that i should do that creamy off white/goldish like my walls- try to match them-- so that i can do window treatments/panels later- thinking white might be too stark with window treatments

Suzie-
We did real wood and had tons of sun with no warping in NJ. Ours were Hunter Douglas and I will agree with the PP that they did seem to have lots of cords but I was happy with them and liked the cornice option that they had since I wasn't planning an additional window treatment.

Regarding the color- I wasn't crazy about HD's cream/ecru so went with white to blend with the other trim surrounding the window.

Looking forward to seeing what you decide.

I'd say match your trim since wall paint changes. Plus, when the blinds are open they'll look better against the white trim behind them.

hey guys- i got some samples today

Looking at the faux wood b/c i dont want to worry about warping- we get A LOT of sun!

Looking at a creamy off white color- so it will be lighter than the walls but not stark white--

the two i am looking at are
HD Faux polymer soft cream (* i love the color b/c its in the same tone as the walls but definatly a lighter version-- but there is not real "wood grain look" its painted... is that ok?

2nd is
Levlour Visions Faux Wood Sand Blasted-- color is not quite as creamy as the first one-- but it does have more texture and graining....

Thoughts

Last thought of the day-- Will i really love wood blinds? I love feeling open-- and these blinds are HEAVY so i dont really see opening them all the way-- more i see just using the wand to open and close them but not lifting them....

Do you love the look? Do you think its right for my large family room? I wish i could decide!!! And do you think the painted color will look good-- creamy ivory....

Blinds of that size aren't meant to be opened fully by raising and lowering. One usually tilts them open for full light. Since you said you need light control they are probably your best choice.

If you're wanting the windows fully open every day, then consider cellular shades.

I still say match your trim if you're going with blinds, otherwise the blinds may look 'dirty' next to your white trim.

see new post-- thanks!