Why the complete horror at the idea of vertical blinds? I knew they weren't as popular as they used to be, but they certainly make sense in a lot of applications. We have a floor-to-ceiling 12'+ wide window in our living room and *need* privacy. We've had vertical blinds for the last 25 years or more. The current set is soft off-white and stacks pretty slim. Generally the panes are rotated open rather than fully pulled aside, but it's nice on occasion, like after a snowfall, to have them wide open. They're not completely opaque so they let in some soft light even when completely closed; our previous set, fabric backed by rigid plastic, was better at blocking light, but we didn't really need a blackout feature in that room. When closed they're flat and not intrusive, just a plain backdrop. I've no immediate plans to replace them but have wondered idly what I would choose. I'm not sure any kind of horizontal blind comes that big, and I know from experience with a smaller window that wooden blinds can be VERY heavy in big sizes. We could get side-by-side cellular shades but from what I've seen it can be difficult to get them to align without being crooked. We also have a couch in front of that window so it would be difficult to raise and lower separate sections unless there was a remote control. The current vertical blind is all one piece with controls in a convenient place. Pleated traditional draperies can look nice but are VERY expensive, and perhaps too formal for our mixed contemporary style (though I know that's debatable). The previous owners had beautiful custom-made lined draperies and I'm sure they paid a fortune, but by the time we moved in the linings were completely sun-rotted. I don't get many ideas from magazines because they generally show big windows as bare, but that's not an option in a neighborhood with close-set houses like ours. I also hate the black hole look of bare windows at night. I'd love to hear some suggestions for treating such a big window.

Your windows are beautiful and it would be a shame to have something that would cover them up. With that said, I think drapes would be great but it looks like you may not have enough room on the left to stack that side of the drapes. Roman shades are nice because they are also decorative in nature (I would not cover the transom at all). They would, however, cover part of the window at all times. But I think your best solution would be the cellular type shades that you could hang under the transom. I have these in a room that has 3 walls of windows and find they really help with the insulation of that room and look nice in the evening when down--they give some texture and color to the room. When they are totally opened they only use a couple of inches of space over the top of the windows. You do have the issue of the "strings". (I have drapes in between each window for decorative purposes which hides the strings when the shades are in the up position.) If your shades match or are similar to the moldings, they won't be noticeable. (They may make them without the strings but I am not positive about that).

I was going to suggest the sillouettes like Bob did but if they are out of your price range maybe consider just getting roller blinds. They don't have to look cheap. They make some real nice ones now. I think something right up against the windows would look better to avoid the 'puppet theater' look and make the whole room seem more spacious. I have two picture windows butted up into a corner and I just removed the finials for the corner end. It looks fine. I use rings. With shades for privacy you don't really need a lot of fabric, just something to soften the look.

I have used SelectBlinds for my current house and my previous house. I LOVE THEM! They send you all the samples you could ever want and the quality has seemed to match the big names window treatments that my mom has in her house. Great customer service too. I contacted them many times about measurements and questions about the product itself. I had one wood valance get slightly damaged in shipping. They sent a replacement - no questions asked. I had the double cell blinds, double cell room darkening, wood blinds and one other room darkening (not a double cell). I wouldn't get the non-double cell again, but only bought them because they were on sale. I would buy all the others again in a heartbeat. If you're really interested I could do some digging to find the exact names of the blinds I have used. Let me know.