Thanks for all the suggestions. The width of the area I'm working with makes things very challenging, doesn't it? val -- the advantage to your idea of roller shades is not having to worry about any cords hanging down. I did look at something called a solar shade at one time, but I think I may want a softer look. les -- one of my first thoughts was to use some type of pleated or honeycomb shade (because they are available without cords) along with a valance to hide them, just as you suggested, but somewhere along my thought process, I thought it would be nice to have some kind of single-panel panels to soften that side of the room. I probably should let that idea go because it may not be the best solution for the area, especially considering the limited amount of clearance I have to the right. We have Silhouettes in the LR, which I love, so if I have the Luminettes in the FR, that may flow nicely thru the house. One of my concerns about the Luminettes, tho, is when they're open, I wonder how much space I would have to allow for them to stack. deborah -- maybe you can answer my question about how tightly the Luminettes stack when open. sally -- do you also have the Luminettes? parma -- thanks for the pictures. We don't get The Sun Times, we get The Tribune. I looked at the paper's website, but couldn't find the article. I'll try the Divine Design website. The thing is I don't really want a lot at the windows and after having nothing there for such a long time, anything will seem like a lot to me, I think. I still want to have them very open during the day, especially on a day like today with all the snow we're getting. We have some very large pine trees in our yard that look so pretty in the snow. I hope to head out to a local drapery store on Monday to at least get some suggestions there.

This Milgard bay window is about 10 years old. I wish I knew then what I know now, pay the extra $$ for UV protection on the glass. The sun is the process of ruining the cushions, they're so faded. Not even the UV spray I bought from Calico Corners stops it. That's one reason why I put up the sheers, to slow down the deterioration of the cushion and pillows. For some reason it hasn't faded the barrel pillows as much as the cushion. When it comes time to replace the cushion fabric I may have to go with Sunbrella fabric to be sure I'll never have this problem again. Something to keep in mind when you're selecting fabric for your bay window. From personal experience I can tell you that eastern exposure in California is not kind to fabric in windows. I pulled the cushion away from the window, you can see the window goes from top to bottom, no place to hang curtains! I finally came up with a solution, buy cafe rods and hang them upside down from the only wood surface inside the bay...the "ceiling". With an all-vinyl window there's no other place for the screws to go. Hanging curtains on the wall doesn't block the sun from the fabric inside the bay, because the curtain would be on the outer edge of the bay. I was looking for a way to block the sun from getting inside the bay window not inside the living room. No one makes a small curtain rod to hang upside down. The other problem you can see from the pictures is how low the window goes, straight to the floor of the bay. So we can't use a very high cushion. This one is 2.5" high (or 2.25"). I have never had a problem reaching down to open the window, there's a lip that protrudes, that's what your hand pulls up on to lift the window up. DH built the frame for this window and he didn't take into consideration that you need to have a few inches of wood on the bottom, he should not have taken the window all the way to the horizonal base. Live and learn. What I do like about the cushions is the foam they chose, it's pretty firm. I made it very clear to the designer that I did not want to feel my butt hitting the wood base when I sat down on the cushion. For a cushion that narrow to support a body without mashing down, well it has to be firm. I'd prefer a softer look, not so tight like this one is...but then it would probably have to be thicker and then I have to deal with reaching down behind the cushion to find the window lip. I thought I would read and lay inside this window but I never have. I attribute that to the lack of a wood frame because leaning up against glass is very unsettling, expecting it will shatter. So it's mainly there for show. I think that covers all the issues I've had with this window. My advice is to think about comfort and sun-fade when you're deciding on fabric for a window. Even a few hours of sun can do a lot of damage. If your window has UV protection then consider yourself lucky...or smart that you made the wise decision to add that option to the glass. The money I saved by not doing that has ended up costing me more in fabric.

I recently bought a product called Veilish. It’s a window film made with fabric material. It’s semi-transparent, so it can provide indoor privacy without blocking the view outdoors. The best thing is that it is self-adhesive, and it can be installed and removed easily, so you don’t need an installation expert. I think you will definitely be satisfied with this product.

few suggestions for the bay window. individual shades are one option. (woven woods, cellular, roman, solar, etc) Another option is doing a window seat with cushion/pillows and having drapes pull across the whole thing. Or you can do individual shades. BTW, instead of getting a useless blind for the transom window, why not do an insert of some type? stained glass, leaded glass, combo of both,, ,would be pretty. would look something like this (I gave you a blue/green glass beachy design) with woven wood blinds and white drapes. (see below for more info on the window dressing) You can design whatever you like (I have a link to the girl I used on Etsy if you like) I did a stained glass insert over my own window in the bathroom. it's easy. held in place by clear silicone. you have the glass insert made to order to that windows dimesion. Yours would be super easy since it's fixed. Mine opens and closes here are examples to all of those celluar shades w/a window bench curtains w/window bench (BTW, these aren't difficult to DIY) Roman shades woven woods w/drapes for the bay since you mentioned coastal, I really like this room, especially the beaded light. you have the height in your ceiling for something like this. Love the board and batten panels behind the bed too. looks great w/the white textured rug and woven ratten elements. Another way to do the batten panels. this is pretty easy. just run them up the entire wall. paint white and do the other walls in the seafoam (like shown here.) Bring in the beaded light (or a fan) and try a sisal rug. another coastal idea. roman shades on the window Vertical panels behind the bed with a long shelf. put up beachy items to display navy accent wall with white plantation shutters on the bay another bay window (s) with linen style roman shades. love the woven rattan ceiling light, comfy chair by the window, potted plant.