Some large evergreens for shade would be 'Nellie Stevens' Holly, Leyland Cypress and Western Arborvitae. The traditional Arborvitae 'Emerlad Green' do need a lot of sun and do not tolerate shade. Leylands are a bit fussy. They do tend to dry out quickly due to their shallow roots and dislike for windy conditions. If you water them in well especially for the first season and get them to take they will be alright but again they can be difficult. The western Arborvitae is the new substitute for the Leyland, takes shade and is much hardier in our region. Skip Laurel and Leatherleaf Vibernum are also nice selctions but only reach about 15 feet. The Skip Laurel is evergreen and the vibernum is semi-evergreen. Both have more of a natural form verses the evergreens which are more pyramidal shaped. Hope this helps!

Why not just open the blinds when you want the light, and keep the liners on the shades for when you need them? Are you really in a situation where you ALWAYS need privacy, especially in a dining room? If you do, most woven wood shades still block quite a bit of light even without the liners. I'd look at sheer drapes, or some other sort of window covering.

Dogwoods are certainly beautiful and do well in GA, but you might want to see if you can fit in (maybe in areas that get at least some sun) some tea olives. They are evergreen, beautiful, and have the prettiest scent when in bloom…at least twice a year! (But they are bot sickeningly sweet!) You can easily keep them in check, ours never grew super large…and you can smell them usually before you can see them. I miss mine so much, but we’re (at most) zone 6 now, so they’re out of the question in the mountains at elev. 4500’ and howling winds from Nov-April☹️.

Ginkgo trees measure 14 feet in height and 5 feet in width. They are hardy, require little maintenance, and their leaves turn an attractive golden color in the fall. Next is the bamboo, which grows quickly and is hardy. Typically, bamboo reaches 10 feet in a pot and 12 to 15 feet in the ground. The last type is the brightly colored dogwood. It produces white, pink, and red flowers in changing seasons. With a height of 15 feet and a canopy width of 15 feet, it is suitable for medium to large backyards. Suitable for planting in moist, well-drained soil.