Argh..I see my response did not get posted. Thank you all for the replies! I really really like the shades you posted robotropolis! Those are what I would like to do, but I would want the mechanism hidden in the drywall, which I was told I cant do. Maybe I will do some research and see if there are any minimalist hardware brands. I guess my other option is to replace the curtains with blackout curtains and follow Matheson's design like in the pic above (I LOVE his stuff!) that atheniva posted. I really dont want a valence to hide the hardware as it would look too bulky and might be overly heavy looking at the corner. I dont mind seeing the curtain hardware as it is flush with the aluminum trim of the windows, so not obstructive. Dreamgarden, I will look into possible glazing, but it would have to not be visible from the outside, or I would have to do the same to the living room glass (they are mirror opposites from the outside). I dont want to replace the glass though as it is new. Thanks!

My windows are 36" wide and too long for redishades to work well. I bought inexpensive, single-bed, flat sheets. For each window, I folded a sheet over at the top and used 3 thumbtacks along the fold to attach the sheet to the top side of the molding. The sheet hangs down to the floor. The thumbtacks are hidden by the fold, and the foldover makes a valance. I use a shoelace, which I attached to the side of the molding with another thumbtack, as a tieback during the day. At night I untie the shoelace, and we have privacy. The sheet is wider than my windows, and the extra material drapes (pun?) gracefully to the side. If I had had any idea that my temporary curtains would still be in use 11 months later, I would have done a neater job with the thumbtacks. Here is a link that might be useful:

just want to put my 2cents on the sofa situation. try home reserve, supposed to last 4ever and cheapest around. have had 2 positives from users here and 1 positive from a designer. no negatives from users just those who can not believe.

I'm a DIYer and am all for customizing Ikea as long as it doesn't end up costing more. The ease of installation of the drawer system is one of the draws. Replacing the interior and fittings would drive the cost up tremendously especially since most want all drawer kitchens. If I were concerned with lost interior space in drawers I'd definitely price out a custom kitchen and compare costs to the Ikea kitchen with drawer modifications. Both trash/recycle hacks I posted above I did with all Ikea parts. I did not have to purchase an additional insert system. An island can be configured to many different depths without cutting down cabinets. Add a 9", 12", 15", etc to the sides of the 24" with the large panels on the long end and you can attain many different depths (33", 36", 39"... -not including counter overhang). Yes, if a person must have exactly 36" and back to back, you'd have to customize. All depends on how much you want to spend. I use the rail system for mounting, except for islands and special circumstances. The feet aren't for support but do make fine tuning the leveling quite easy. Also, the toekick snaps onto the feet. Sometime I use Ikea toekick, other times I use base moulding or a combination. The bottom line is to be careful with your labor and material quotes for the custom work if you aren't doing it yourself as it can drive the price of an Ikea kitchen up tremendously. With careful planning you'll be able to have the kitchen you want without too many expensive changes since you're trying to save money. The easy hacks I've done and see called for frequently that aren't widely known are the trash/recycle pullouts, pulling the fridge cab forward and using a larger side panel for full depth fridges, alternate ideas for microwave spaces, installing a non-Ikea farm sink, adding drawers to pullouts and pantries beyond their suggested configs, and using kitchen cabs in other spaces. Buehl's FAQ thread is a compilation of these and many others.