Eagertopaint, I didn't see the new pics you posted until today, and in all honesty, think a print on such a long panels could be too much print as well as tiring of the draperies quickly. Before I built my home a year ago, I went thru many model homes, and did see window treatments w/pattern, but the pattern was usually more subdued and not so prominent, and if so, was usually a valance. IMO, a solid would be the way to go, but that's just *my* opinion. The printed draperies seem to take over your beautiful room. ;o(

Tibbrix, I love the idea of painting the ceiling in the DR. A new chandy is probably 6 months out unfortunately. I have to do my re-designs in small doses so either hubby doesn't notice or not overwhelmed with my expenses! As far as the rod height, I see what you are saying but my ceiling are only 8 ft and I think going lower makes them seem lower. In my eat in kitchen I originally had panels hung right at the window trim and then raised it to the crown, looks so much better. Jeannie, yes I was planning on getting thicker rods, probably wood rods. I threw these panels up when we bought the house as they were fairly inexpensive and I could not spend a lot on window treatments at the time. We were in the midst of a nearly full house remodel and finishing touches was just not in the budget. Now I am focusing on the small things. I think my plan is to do the plantation shutter and then either the RH panels or something similar. I like the idea of going lighter. Everyone is so helpful, I really appreciate the ideas/insight!

jynxed - Your home sounds like it's going to be beautiful with your new window treatments. And I can't wait to see the pictures. sallymo - You're the greatest. Thanks for the visuals. It really helps me a lot. I agree that the black might be too strong in the living room. There are eight total windows in there. Check out the picture below. Plus, I'm thinking of doing panels for privacy, versus valances alone. I think it would be great if I could get touches of red in the fabric for the great room to accent the kitchen area. caroleoh - I love your colors. Your tastes are a lot like mine. Is your kitchen valance the cuffed top pattern by Pate Meadows? That's exactly what I had in mind for my kitchen as well. Les - We don't have any furnishings in the great room that we'll be keeping. The stuff we have (a microfiber couch, love seat, and two end tables) don't go well with the decor and have been well used. So at some point, we'll need new furniture. You're right about the fabric matching and that it's better to choose the furniture first. So that's another whole ball of wax. I'm just wondering if it's okay to go ahead with the window covering fabrics in the kitchen now, or if I should wait on that too, until we figure out the living room furniture situation. We don't plan to buy furniture until probably next year. I love the caldwell espresso. We probably need panels in the living room because privacy is an issue at night. There are a total of eight windows in the room (3 singles by the fireplace, 4 connected toward the opposite end of the room from the fireplace, and one more on the long wall, also toward the front of the house). Here is the wall toward the front of the house, opposite from the fireplace:

Stay away from Smith and Noble. Stay far, far away. I ordered 6 shades. I paid Smith and Noble to come measure. When the shades arrived, 5 of the 6 were about 1/4 to 1/2 inch too wide for the windows. I asked to return the shades to get my money back. Turns out their "satisfaction guarantee pledge" means that they won't give you your money back, no matter what. They insist on coming back to re-measure, but a) I can't take time off from work again for this, and b) why would I want to run the risk of further screw ups and hassle? Their customer service staff come across as Soviet-style bureaucrats. Evidently, Smith and Noble could care less about disappointing their customers and engendering ill will. I guess my next steps are to file complaints with the BBB and my state's attorney general, as well as dispute the original charge with my credit card company. I'll probably send the shades back to the company's president for good measure. Keep in mind that Smith and Noble's "partner sites" (i.e. sister companies) include Ballard Designs, Grandin Road, Garnet Hill, TravelSmith, Frontgate, and others. You can rest assured that I won't be giving any of them my business in the future either.