I like the idea of using drapes and thanks for the pic @valinsv and I will probably be stealing your bay window look with the candles etc. it looks great. Our living room is tiny and I have noticed that since I removed the vertical blinds, the room feels so much bigger than before, which is why I wanted to go with something mounted inside the window. Do you guys think that using the drapes will make the room feel small again, or will using the inside mount blinds, make it even worse? The drapes across the window will certainly make my life a whole lot easier. Someone had also mentioned traverse rods which I had never heard of. I have looked into them, but I am not sure if it is a solution I would like since it seems as though I will have to use the little hooks on my blinds. Has anyone ever used them, and if so any thoughts? Thanks for the tip on the handles, I will look for them the next time I am at Lowes. Thanks!

I. didn’t cover my south facing kitchen window, for pretty much the same reason as you…lots of spaces and I want to be able to get out the Windex... Do an outside motored awning.

There are percentage levels of how much "openness" there is in the weave, usually from 1% t0 10% https://www.theshadestore.com/shades/solar-shades/custom-solar-shades?preselected_collections[]=1-percent-basics&preselected_collections[]=3-percent-basics&preselected_collections[]=5-percent-basics&preselected_collections[]=10-percent-basics

You need to show all four sides of the room to get the best suggestions. Asking about one element (curtains) isn't what good design is about. We didn't know about other windows, what's on other wall that might clash with curtain suggestions. Is it a TV wall? PLEASE, DESIGN DILEMMA PEOPLE, SHOW A ROOM FROM ALL FOUR SIDES. With the limited visual information, here's a start. Put beautiful live plants of various heights at the windows since you can't really get full length drapes with your baseboard heater. This would connect to the view of your plantings outside. If you have space, move sofa forward from the window to let maximum light. So much of that window is blocked by the massive sofa.. Without seeing the rest of the space, you could get drapes for the other windows with a pattern that includes greenish wall color. . Thank about getting a pairing of severals art work to balance out the bulk of the sofa in this palette: The art works don't need to match but should complement each other.