I would remove the blinds entirely, and live with bare windows for awhile, at least in the LR and MBR. It doesn't look like you have a privacy problem in those areas. You could try a sleep mask instead of blackout curtains in the bedroom.

If you end up feeling like you need window treatments, floor length drapes would be fine. I would not do sill length or roman shades. Just be sure your drapes can be pulled completely to the side of the windows.

Congratulations on your new place and that stunning view!

Wow. Nothing on the living room window. Can’t imagine you’d ever need to pull the blinds.

I need to stop posting all of the questions on Houzz about my new apartment because the best answer seems to be - as with my bathroom post yesterday - just live with it for a while! I will have the blinds taken down by the painters and ask that they not reinstall them.

Emily - You are right. Why would we want to close those blinds? We though that the pic was photoshopped before we went to see the place. Indeed, it really looks like that.

Anna, good point. Is UV window film tinted or just clear?

Sun is one reason why some people had suggested us wanting to pull closed the curtains / blinds in the living room, especially to do so while we are away on long vacaations. I'm going to have to notice how far the sun reaches into the room and if and where it hits upholstered furniture.

Not a fan of blinds. For sure NEVER a treatment that stands alone. Rooms look unfinished and harsh "just moved in not unpacked" w/o drapery. Panel can be hung in such a way it does not restrict your views.

https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/p/d/b5005059011/

Just an example, and there are other companies, but I believe they are available clear and tinted. I'm actually hoping to install some on our slider to protect our wood floors in the next year.

I live in a high rise with fabulous views. I have no need for privacy becaue there is no one close to me and I am really not worried that someone with binoculars is spying on me :-)

I have motorized shades in a neutral type of fabric plus UVA glass plus a fabric window treatment which softens and complements my other design choices but isn't functional - it is purely decorative and doesn't obscure the views or the windows.

The only time I use the shades is in the morning because I have an eastern exposure and the glare is terrible. The sun is so strong in the morning that I would need to turn on air conditioning on a sunny day in the winter. I keep it down also to protect the floors and furniture because the sun is so strong that it destroyed stuff before I got the shades - I am okay with whatever the afternoon light does when there is no longer direct sun glaring in.

UVA doesn't block out the light so that isn't really a solution if blocking light is the result. It does help with other issues. I am able to sleep in a room that isn't completely dark so I don't need black out shades for my purposes.

As I posted in a similar situation - great view and no need for privacy - I do have innocuous motorized shades because of the morning glare which remain up at all other times.

Helen, Heat is such a good point that you raise. In our current house we can drop the temp by serveral degrees by closing shades and drapes. (Or thowing a blanket over the deck door - super classy.) Our living room gets southern light and the other rooms get south western and west light. I'll have to look out for how it is treating upholstery and the floors.

We love our roller blinds that are sun filtering in our open concept home. Definitely happy we have black out version in bedrooms. I do not like drapes for the most part and prefer almost nothing but on a bright summer day really appreciate the sun filtering

If your new home has a western exposure my experience is that you will need shades or blinds down for a good part of the afternoon when the sun is streaming through. I had a western exposure in my previous high rise apartment and it was unbearable as soon as the sun angled down and there was direct beaming.

The damage from the sun is quite real. My bedroom shades stopped communicating with the Wifi during the pandemic and I didn't want to bring in my IT guy aka my friend's husband to fix them. Pillows and my fur throw were fried where the sun's rays hit. It wasn't long enough to do other damage - before the remodel furniture was faded and prematurely cracked and the upholstery had started to crumble.

After moving back in with the UV filters on the glass and using the shades when there is morning strong glare, my electrical bills really became lower so it is just green as well as good economics to minimize direct sun at certain points of the day.