Ugh, there's that rug I LOVE!

No window advice, sorry, as I'm not a drapes person and and totally ignorant about them. If I could afford it, when it came to drapes, they are the one thing I'd have someone come in and consult me about, and i would definitely do custom.

I think your room could benefit from a more substantial window treatment to balance out the opposite wall and the fireplace wall. Something "like" this photo but different colors of course. I think it would be beautiful in your room.

[Beach Style Bedroom[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/beach-style-bedroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_715~s_2110) by Newport Beach Home Builders Spinnaker Development

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[Beach Style Family Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/beach-style-family-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_720~s_2110) by Markham Architects & Building Designers Lisa Stevens & Company, Inc.
I like the idea of a metal rod for the room.

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[Contemporary Living Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-living-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_718~s_2103) by San Francisco Architects & Building Designers Butler Armsden Architects

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[Contemporary Dining Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-dining-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_722~s_2103) by Oakland Architects & Building Designers Cathy Schwabe Architecture

I like drapes, but I don't think they'd work in your application...

First that's a lot of window to cover. Second they would only be open or closed so you'd have less flexibility on light control. Third, it'd be an issue to deal with down at the fireplace end where the raised hearth runs into the wall which might prevent them from hanging straight.

I think the solution you have is the best one...something inside mounted for each individual window. It can be roman shades, it can be woven wood blinds, roll up fabric shades, any number of treatments. (But I'm afraid it won't help with the pet issue...though they can tear and pull down drapes too.) If you want to add more pattern and softness to the room, you could do a valance over the entire window.

Drapes will give you a much better look.

Start with your furnishings, if you're keeping them, and just have at it looking for fabrics that complement them.

I think you can go either way....drapes or shades...but if you go with drapes I would consider a version of draw drapes. I'm remembering the kind my mom had...pinch pleats with pull cords on one side to close and open. I'm sure there must be more modern versions. It's going to be a lot of tugging on panels everyday with grommet panels or panels on rings to open and close them otherwise.

While I think drapes would look good, I like the flexibility of shades for the individual windows. Pull them down a little bit, depending on the time of year, all the way, or not at all. Of course, you could do both, but that would be a lot of $$$.

My cats seem more destructive with blinds. Oooh, look, where did that come from? than curtains which they accept as part of the room.

Thank you all for the input! I really value your perspectives.

Annie, what you said were many of the reasons I avoided drapes in the first place. There is some wall between the hearth and the windows, but I don't know whether it is enough.

I have been tempted to just replace the few ripped Silhouettes with new ones. But if the cats ruined these, too, I would be beside myself. I am not worried about the cats ripping things down. They really have never pulled anything down or ruined other furnishings. The Silhouette fabric is just so delicate and I should have realized prior to purchase-- but I just wasn't focused on that at the time. Expensive mistake.

I think I will try to find a designer to help me on this one. I'd love to find a way to add some softness.

I am not suggesting this color of panel but thought mocking up something might help.

I also really like the look of just the panels on the ends and shades roman shades on all of the windows.

I think you should look at shades that are made out of a tougher material than the silhouettes...that might solve it...maybe a woven wood blind...

I have a wall of windows in my living room and have been mulling what to do about window treatments so I'm just in here so I can get alerts and learn from tips being given to you. Hope that's OK.

Right now, I have no window coverings and I love that look. However, during the winter the angle of the sun is blinding, when it's out which is hit or miss here in the PNW. I walked into the room yesterday and had to shield my eyes just to walk across the room to get a book. I love light and sunshine but, yeah, that's a bit much.

We still have the 20-foot window rods hanging without the curtains on them. Just haven't gotten around to taking them down. I agree that you'd want pinch-pleats with draw cords if you go the drapery route. However, I hated the drapes because you might have sun only coming in and hitting a 2-5 foot wide area in the wrong way requiring some kind of shielding yet, with drapes, you are forced to close off parts of the window you could keep open. Just something to think about.

Can't you just do sheer curtains on a slender track just below the little soffit? Or, how about flat panels that slide? Ikea has some good ones, and they suit the style of the house.

In my experience, while I love the look of sheers, they don't necessarily cut the light. I put up sheers in the window on the machine shop, and when the sun hits it, it actually makes the room brighter as the light is more dispersed...

I like the looks of the Hunter Douglas woven wood ones online. I will definitely check those out.

Thank you for the mockup, aktillery. The visual really helps.

Funkycamper, there is no time in that room where the sun only hits a small area. We have 2 conditions in there-- full-on sun or no sun at all. It didn't used to be that bad because we had some tall trees out front. After Sandy, we didn't, and that really changed how we got the sun.

Sas,

If you like the woven shades, (won't the cats REALLY go after those, though?), I highly recommend looking at theshadestore.com. They do also have retail outlets, apparently.

Under "Woven Wood Shades", check both "Bamboo and Grasses" and "Naturals". They have an AMAZING selection. I recently sent for three swatches of the Tahoe (i Naturals), and I was VERY impressed when they arrived. Someone named Glenn Bassett has been following up with me, he is VERY helpful w/o being a pest. The wood blinds are pretty transparent, but Glenn tells me they can be lined (other than the roller shades).

Here is a link that might be useful: Shade Store, The Naturals

You wouldn't really do all those separate panels. The drapes would draw to the ends.

While the silhouettes may be delicate, you don't necessarily have to lose the softness. I have HD linen vignette Roman shades which soften the window fine and come in many fabrics and colors and opacity liner options. Not sure if they are cat proof though. They are sturdier than silhouettes

What a lovely room and wonderful view!

We have four indoor kitties and loads of windows. We have wooden blinds in the library and they drive us crazy wanting them open when we are in there. The ladies parlor and other rooms have bamboo blinds and bamboo roman shades that cut the amount of sun, but also allow them to see though to the outside world they view as we do TV. I highly recommend going that direction. You could always add panels at either end for added softness. I have panels in both the parlors and they don't bother them at all. They will all be eight years old this year, but never bothered the panels.

From the angle of the photo, the room has very strong horizontal lines, drapes would break it up with the needed verticals, which you might consider hanging tall as in the metal rod examples provided by gr8day, for a stronger vertical. Someone else suggested roman shades and end panels, but you might consider both shades and curtains.

As far as being too close to the far wall, I don't see that as a problem, per say. You have a lot of window in this room, if the drapes had to be brought in on that side to cover part of the far window, I don't know if that would be a crime.

The room is a bit stayed and bland for my taste, and I think introducing a more vibrant color might help the scheme. Or an accent color, like a dull green or blue.

As far as cats and blinds of any kind. It isn't just the fact that they are vertical but they are in the way of prime bird watching. It may not be so much that they are ignoring the other blinds but that only certain ones are perceived as being in the way. There will be nothing you can do about that no matter what shades you introduce. Are you suggesting there are only a couple of blinds that are being damaged and the others left alone. If so, those may be thought of as being in the way. You could try making a compromise with the cats and leaving those blinds up enough to peek out of while the others are down all the way.

I suggest one of the many aerosol deterrents on the market to spray on your currant blinds, to keep from possibly staining the delicate material, you could spray on the back (window facing) side and the bottom edges..

Perhaps do a test first. switch out one of the scratched blinds with a good one rehang the bad one so there isn't a window without a blind, then spray the undamaged blinds with Cat Deterrent Spray, and proceed as you usually do. If the cats don't attack the sprayed blind, you will know it works and can purchase the replacement blinds and treat the whole lot with deterrent.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cat Deterrent Spray

You hit that one exactly right, Lily. The blinds had been blocking their view of a chipmunk nest last spring, and they were merely trying to move them to get closer to the action.

I appreciate your candid comments regarding the need for more vibrancy in the room and a stronger vertical. I agree.

Justgotabme, A few people have suggested just panels at the ends to me, but I have hesitated as I fear it will be a wimpy solution for the room. I don't know if that's true, but it's my fear. I'm thinking all or nothing here.

Thanks again to all for your time wading in to help.

I can't see if someone mentioned it, but have you considered a 3M film on the windows? We had it on west- and east-facing windows and it made a huge difference in the sun glaring in, it was light but not bright. Then you could do any kind of blind, drape, flat panel (and flat panels could stack on atop the other for double filtration, leaving one window clear for chipmunk-guarding), and sheerness would be less of an issue.

Artillery' mockup looks really nice.