les917, the accent wall leads to a stairway up to the living room/foyer. Open loft floor plans are neat but also have their challenges - there are no interior doors other than on the bathrooms! So we have the bed there to provide a feeling of privacy, even though we don't normally have guests overnight. Also I was trying to create a sitting/reading area by the window and a sleeping area in the other half of the room. It's so big is does not seem crowded to me, but maybe because in our previous home the bedroom 12'x12' and we could barely walk around the bed! Also the window overlooks the street (park with trees is across the street) so again it felt wierd having the bed too close to that window. I added a link to a PDF of the floor plan (lower level is the master bedroom) in case that helps. Here is a link that might be useful: Floor Plan

I agree that lining the shades would solve my problem, and I may end up doing that if I can find the appropriate fabric. I want a consistent look in all of the windows on the front of the house, so the liner would need to be a dark brown to work with the dark wood blinds already in place in the living room. Putting the same dark wood blinds in the bedrooms would work too, but it's pricey. I think I'd still want curtains of some sort, if only for the texture. As for the bed location: we've had it facing the windows, and I hate it. It just doesn't feel right. So we sold the three low dressers that used to be under the windows and replaced them with these two taller dressers, and that's it; we're done. No more assembling Ikea dressers! Right now, adding curtains seem to be the best way to preserve both the view through the bamboo shades and our privacy.

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Or... You could hang drapery across the back wall behind the headboard. The fabric doesn't have to be expensive but you should have a lot of it so its flowy and voluminous. I would go for a heavier fabric (e.g. velvet like or linen like). If you use a curtain rod or a metal rod from the hardware store with three rod brackets it would even need a lot of sewing (turn the hem under so you don't see the raw edge). I would add wood feet or metal casters from the local hardware store to increase the height of your night stands and put two tall but simple lamps on them. I would replace your drapery and blinds with wood look blind with wider slats or blades to simplify the window and have it blend in. Or you could do a fabric blind that would block the light if that is an issue. The fabric should match or compliment the fabric behind your bed. You could hang a neon sign or hollywood sign above the window to give it a bit of bling. I love your floor and your rug is the star of the show. This would be a really fun project and not too expensive. I wish it was my space. :-)