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.

In that window, to make it work for your husband and you and allow you to control the light, I would use wooden blinds that match the trim (and a shade lighter if you can't make it exact) with attractive tapes. I'd use very light-weight ones, and use the widest slats I could make fit, because it takes fewer of the wider ones per shade, which means that they stack up higher when you pull them all the way up. If that is appealing to you, from what I can see, you will need to add a header from which to hang them, so that they will clear the windows when open. That can be masked with molding stained to match. Some blinds have valances of molding available to match. And it also means measuring carefully from side to side, based on the spot at the top where they would hang, because every additional bit of distance out from the window means their width might have to be reduced a bit, so they will clear each other at the inside corners. (Am I making that part clear?) For the safety of your children, whatever treatment you choose, think about how to corral the cords so they can't get tangled in them.

valzone-- is casing trim? If so, there is no casing above the window, so I dunno how it would look. lyban, no need for privacy, view is OK. I like the idea of Roman blinds, but that leaves me still with the question of the sides of the window since there is no trim. What do you think? parma, tell me about it . . .my big dream was to block off that window completely, put in a fireplace there instead, and then put 2 stained glass windows on either side up high (like a craftsman home). But, no money to do that now, it wouldn't suit the house, and it just wouldn't be worth it (I'd rather move to a house more my style). And thank you for the compliment! It is still far from done, just slowly working on it as money, time, and ideas allow! suero, you hit the nail on the head with the proportion problem. Unfortunately, there is no wall opposite the small window. It's a tiny room. The other side is a little walkway leading to the rest of the house, with columns that also serve as closets. I've rearranged the furniture in there many times, but this is the only arrangement that will work, I think (since DH is DEAD SET on leaving his %$^ flatscreen where it is, but he leaves all other decorating to me, at least). Does anyone like my idea of a swag? I thought maybe it would cover the top and sides without (hopefully) giving it that rec room appearance. But maybe it would still look like a disproportioned window.

I would look at roller shades and maybe even the possiblity of battery powered ones. They will give you a clean look and clear view of your window openings. If you want curtains, you can use an iron rod and have it bent to the corners of your bay windows. Use a mount at either end and 1 in the middle (screw it in place so the rod doesn't move). You can then close the curtains to the center of the opening without any major issues.