FYI, RH extended their F&F sale another day (thru today?). Included in the 20% off sale, are towels, bathmats,..... I use their towels and bathmat in the MB ("my" bathroom--DH uses our hall bath). Mine are white (bathroom has white fixtures and wall tile, pale blue walls, and a black-stained vanity, floor tile, and window shade). I use AHA products, including face wash, and those are no-no's with the dyes used for their colored towels. No problems with the white towels. I have the reversible (cotton) bath mat. It remains thick and plush for a long time (I have three sets of towels/mats that get rotated after each wash, which is done weekly). HTH!

West Elm curtains arrived and they are perfect!!!!!!!!!! Totally transformed our room; we are so pleased :) Thank you all so much for your help and encouraging me not to settle. (and I fully admit I do not have good decorating taste, so if you have any suggestions, I am open.) And I was really confused about what West Elm's color "zinc" was... if anyone is curious, it is a dark, metallic grey with a slight beige hue... I would rename it "Gunmetal." The material is great... I have not ironed them yet. I am hoping over the next week the wrinkles will fall out. If they do not, I will ask my mom to iron them ;) I'm horrible at ironing and also due to have a baby any day now :) :) :) Now onto finding a rug!

Yes, I custom designed a mock Roman shade for my mother based on a totally function Roman shade that I made for myself (see 4th pic below). She loved the way it looked pulled up, so here are pictures: Not yet installed, still lying on the floor (approx. 16" long): Sorry for the poor lighting where it was installed. It is hanging about 8" higher than the window frame, barely covering the top moulding: Another one for my mother in a different room and different fabric: This was the her inspiration shade which is a fully functional Roman shade covering a window about 65" tall and 29" wide frame to frame: I used Simplicity pattern #9986, but had to adjust for a smaller width and longer length. You could also Google "mock roman shade" to see other styles. It will depend on the ACTUAL shade you choose and then design one to match how it looks pulled up.

Thanks for the helpful replies! Starnold, thanks for your lovely compliment, and I like the idea of a small chest next to the chair-I hadn't thought of that! I've been looking at rods, and I'm thinking of a bronze color to match the rest of the hardware in the house. I'd like find some back-tab linen drapes--I like the simple classic look and they always seem to hang nicely. Tibbrix-I like your idea on the placement/width, that's close to what I was thinking. My only concern with the look of the full length draperies is the top of the window being uncovered--for some reason that bothers me! To me, it looks a little naked and unfinished. So, here's my second question: I've considered a simple matching upholstered cornice board to cover the top of the window frame, with the drapes hung behind it. With this set up I wouldn't need a decorative rod, and could use simple clip on rings on a hidden rod. Is a cornice board too dated? Thanks again--I'm hoping to get your opinions on the upholstered cornice. Diana