If I had shades like the ones from handwerk in that off white color would I get the stencil? and put a stencil on the curtains? I think stencil on both would be too much. Plain shade and stencil curtains or stencil shade and plain curtains? The other issue is color. If the shade is an off white color what would the curtains be? I don't think it's in this thread but one of my favorite places, Roycroft inn has black shades and then curtains with a leaf pattern. Looks really cool but I can't find a photo. The photo I took doesn't show the blackness of the shade. Off white shade with black curtains? Annette I just reread your post. So plain shade and then stencil the curtains? My concern would be they would both be off white (except for the stencil part). How would that go together? Trying to find a photo showing a shade and curtains together.

Thank you for all the good suggestions and helpful pictures. ; ) When you are suggesting window film, Tim, are you saying that by using the film we wouldn't need to close the curtains because the film would cut the glare, or that the film would eliminate fading the floor and furniture? Our windows have a UV protection built into them, so I don't think we'll have much trouble with fading. I like to let as much sun in as we can get as long as the glare isn't too much. It's just as cloudy as Seattle here (I just checked the data...) so when the sun is shining, we practically feel like throwing a party it feels so good! Two days of sun in a row are a cause for celebration. ; ) I'm totally ok with just doing the curtains if that's all we need. I've looked at so many pictures of long curtains with bamboo blinds that I was beginning to feel like my windows would look half dressed with only curtains. DH is not a bamboo blind fan (but could be persuaded, possibly) but the price of them is what I don't like. Our windows aren't quite standard sizes, so that makes it even trickier. I did consider doing a subtle floral print Roman blind, but I'd want to hang it so that when open, it didn't cover the window glass at all. Is it difficult to hang Romans a few inches above the moulding? (Do they hang right when bumped out at the moulding thickness?) From what many of you are saying this isn't even necessary. I'm all for less work, since the Roman blinds would be diy. Annie, your views are stunning! OT, I'm on the hunt for a large, inexpensive rug to put under our table. I didn't realize just how much sound the plaster and exposed joist ceiling were absorbing when this room was in it's pre-Reno state. The fresh drywall has turned this room into an echo chamber. One of my kids dropped their fork last night and we all cringed at the skull splitting sound.

Thank you all! I'm glad you were able to enjoy our space. : ) The Chandy was new from ebay, and looked like it had leopard spots when it came. Yikes, nothing like the "antique bronze" type description. DH cured that with some spray paint. The chest in the window is from a local yard sale. Yes, we sit in these little chairs by the windows often. The secretary desk was my grandmother's. It looked fine in her low-ceilinged living room, but it needed a little extra height in our space, thus the basket of goodies and lights on top. The table was my mom's, and about a year ago we put laminate on the top out of desperation when the veneer got reeeally bad. I'm still looking for a larger table to replace it, but for now, it works, and it is super-wipeable for everyday use. :-) Just for kicks, some of you might remember When the dining room looked like this. (You can now sort of see that we put closets on either side of the window at one end of the room instead of how we considered doing them in this old discussion.)

I would suggest Hunter Douglas cellular shades for each window. They have several styles to choose from. They should be mounted into the ceiling and measured and hung professionally. The measure would fit each window individually and perfectly. You could have just top down or top down bottom up which would give you the most flexibility. If you choose, you could do a simple valance at the top, inside the bay, to hide the hardware.