My suggestion would be cordless cellular shades for these spaces. You can select top down and bottom up so the top can bring in light but no one can see you. Is there going to be a TV in the room, you may want some of the shades to be black out shades.

Bali Shades for an example

Thanks for the suggestion, I like the idea of top down. Yes, maybe we will put a TV above the fireplace.

The only suggestion I have is to forbid your kids to play with Legos, lol! Seriously though, just wanted to say that you have a lovely home! You're a great parent for planning in a play area. My mom did the same thing with the formal dining room at our old house. We had an eat-in kitchen where we ate most meals and then she had a big folding table she set up at one end of the living room if they had a formal dinner party. We finally got old enough for mom to reclaim the space!

Thanks for the compliment!!. Haa Haa..your mom sounds great!. My daughter loves to hang out in the kitchen. Instead of playing with her toys, she will play with the pots/pans, cooking books, small spice jars etc etc...I thought of creating a space for her so this way she can be close by and I can keep an eye on her while I am cooking.

Your home is very lovely!!! I have to say that I am stunned by how close your neighbor is! Is this typical in your area?

I am always in favor of letting in lots of natural light and being able to enjoy outside views. However, in this case, would you ever really want those windows uncovered? So, I would most likely get either shutters or else pretty shades covered by shears,

Is there any way to hang outdoor blinds from the end of the soffit/roof, away from the windows, so you can still get some outdoor view and more light than covering the windows all the time? Or erect a privacy screen on the property line? It's hard to tell from the pics how much space there is, but I would imagine they'd want the privacy, too? Maybe they'd split the cost?

Plantation shutters would look lovely. I have them in my home & just love them. The wide slat ones are the best, because they let the most light in when open & just look so architectural.

@grapefruit1_ar....Yes, I was also surprised by the closeness of the houses too. Its a newer construction and they are all built that way. Some have detached and some have attached garages, ours is attached...so we have no yard, just the side space and a little next to the driveway. I do have a porch in the front, which is nice and also a small landscaped area in the front.

They are trying to build kind of like a community, they have planned for building 1500 single family and townhomes. They will also build a playground, swimming pool, clubhouse, sledding hill, amphitheater, biking/hiking/jogging trails, park-picnic areas, soccer field, future school and future retail stores and small offices.

That's why the houses are crammed together with little yard space and I guess they expect people to come together in common areas like a small town feeling, which is what attracted me to the place.

@ olychick...Its part of a home association, so not sure about the outdoor blinds, would have to ask. Also, I think the house next to us hasn't been occupied yet!!, its still for sale, but I do like the idea of splitting the cost.

I did want to install a privacy fence, but the space between the houses was about 5-7 feet, I think, I will take a pic once I move in next week and get measurements. I thought since its such a small space, maybe the fence would look weird. I'll put up another post about that.

Thanks for these ideas, will research them more, like the Delia shades.

Since I'm a very private person, I would never need or want to see out those windows. Sheers alone would still leave one 'on stage' at night, unless roller shades, etc. were pulled down. I would personally consider using a soft frosted window film - they cling but are removable, possibly with another window treatment for when/if the windows were to be opened. Your space looks lovely!

Here's an example. From the first website I checked, Decorative Films, there are dozens of choices, from frosted, rice paper, and more in a variety of privacy levels. I used a similar product at work and the effect has been very professional looking.

In my experience, small children like to play with floor length curtains. They are fun to hide in and pull on to see what happens. I might be a bit worried that the curtains would come crashing down. And a lot annoyed about the sticky fingerprints that would necessitate cleaning the drapes. For a room meant to be a playroom I would go with cordless shades or blinds of some kind.

Lovely house! And I bet you will enjoy having a walkable neighborhood with amenities!

I think I may have read somewhere that after market window films can void the warranty on the window. Since you have a brand new house, just might want to check before using them.

@crl_Will definitely check that, I have a walk through next week with the warranty guys.

Yes, my toddler was fascinated by the curtains a year ago, but now she just ignores them at our current place :), maybe if we get new ones, she might curious again. I did like the idea of cordless top down/bottom up shades. So many choices...its making my head spin and we havent even moved in yet!

@gramarrows, yes I am a private person too, and the close houses did erk me, but I would still like natural light to come in and not keep the blinds/shades closed all the time. Though of course the houses are so close, not sure how much light can actually get in.