My two cents. I agree with the previous post re: cream curtains to flank the existing ones. Then I would put a darker cream/khaki. Black, cream, and khaki scream classic/universal to me. And it makes a great canvas for black and white artwork, etc. I would also suggest you do one of three things with your current curtain hardware: 1. Leave as is, and allow the flanking cream panels to take up the rod space that is exposed now. In fact, what fabric is your bedding? Is it anything like linen? If so you could do $4 dropcloths for panels. 2. If you're going to keep your black curtains and not add anything, either move the brackets in and shorten the overall rod so that the finials just protrude from the rod pocket, or... 3. Well, I lied. There is no 3. :) I was thinking you had tab tops but you don'tm, you have rod pocket. If you had tab tops I was going to suggest moving a tab or two to the other side of the bracket so that your curtains took up the entire longer rod length. The goal would be to cover or remove the exposed naked rod length. (Umm, that sounds bad...) The purple sponged walls don't do anything for me personally. Apart from the khaki (think classic Dockers khaki) I could see a very light bluish gray too. Carpet is one of those things that (to me) disappears after a while, so just work with it until you can afford to replace it. Or if you don't plan to replace it, work with it in a more comitted way! :) A headboard would definitely help. You can get them left & right secondhand. You can also make them out of something as simple as some broadcloth yardage, MDF board and polyfil. Or an old window, or a room dividing screen, or a stencil/vinyl applique, or... I don't know if it's just your pictures, but it looks like you have two schemes going on. "Black and white" (lilly print, white gauze canopy, tripod table skirt) and "black and cream" (bedding). Is it just the pictures, or is it a mix of B&W and B&C? I might try the chest angled in the corner where the TV is now, TV on it if possible, and using the tripod table the TV is on now as a nightstand. I think it'll be a more comfortable viewing height, both sides of the bed will get a usable height table, etc. I would make hubby hang his hat in the closet. :) You might want to look in the Gallery here, or google, and find a few inspiration rooms. Rooms that really call out to you. Then post and we can help you determine what it is you're drawn to, and how to incorporate those same principles into your space. Without knowing your desired outcome, it's hard to make specific suggestions. Can we see some of your other/finished rooms so we can get a sense of your overall style preferences? Do any of these strike you as a color combo you can work with? (they're predominantly black and white bedding, so pay attention to the way the wall color & accessories work). BTW, here's and inexpensive headboard you could DIY. You could even use the calla lilly shape instead, and move your print elsewhere. Just one example.

I got some that I really liked at (gasp) Target. I just needed pole rods and they had several finishes and finials to choose from. My last house had something that I loved - a previous owner had placed coat hooks in the upper corners of the window trims and they were fabulous for hanging curtains - you could do a double treatment with a sheer, or adjust how close your panel hung to the window, etc. so easily. The hooks were like this, but more ornate. There are all kinds of styles and finishes available: I know it's not "traditional" but I loved the simplicity and the interesting use of these hooks!

I think I know what you are looking for and I wish I had a picture. In college I was a nanny for a family with this look in their dining room. I was fortunate enough to watch the custom drapes installed. I knew how to sew at an early age & that was the start of my fascination with how easy it is to make fabulous window treatments. I have since made all of mine. Anyways back to yours and how they achieved this look. I will describe it, though hard to imagine without a photo. They used nice material, lined. They started with very simple panels, finished seams and lined. The top of each panel had a drawstring pulled through a top turned hem. They just attached a small scrap wood square to the wall to each sides of the window where each "medallion" would go(one at the top of where each panel would start). They pulled the draw string very tightly, into a small circle, this pulled the panel in at the top and gathered beautifully and hung full towards the floor. The drawstring was wrapped and knotted tightly around the piece of wood to attach the panel to the wall beside the window. They made a "medallion" almost flower like piece that was wrapped around itself (more than just a knot). It was either just glue gunned or/and staple gunned over the top part on the panel. This covered the drawstring gathered part of the panel and block of wood. I remember watching them do the flower like "medallion" knot piece. As they had to come back as my boss thougt the first ones were too small (and they were). They started with a finished almost long scarf like piece. Sewed right sides together and seams inside when finished. They kind of wrapped and twisted it into like a large knot, flower like piece. You could probably do different things, but it did look beautiful. I have since been the one to stand on chairs in model homes to see how drapes are attached and made. Always amazes me how the most devine, rich looking drapes are hung on plain wood blocks & boards as well has held together with glue and staples. I hope you are able to achieve what you are looking for & I would play with some ready made panels or cheap material to see what you like!

We were also wanting windows with black interiors and exteriors. For us the local availability brought it down to a choice between Pella or Milgard fiberglass windows. The Pella offerings were somewhat pricier, and we could never quite understand the why of it. We wound up selecting Milgard Ultra, and we're happy with the end results. And Milgard's warranty was fantastic, as our landscaper accidentally hit one window with a stone and chipped it, but Milgard replaced the insert without so much as a blink. One factor is whether a particular manufacturer's black is acceptable to you. Milgard's is called Black Bean, which is a bit lighter than true black, and I fussed over this for quite a while. Pella's may have been very slightly blacker, but also not true black. Now that we can see the final product in place, it looks fine. Good luck on your project. Brian