Hi AnnieDeighnaugh, thanks for the links, will check them out. Hi lepages, thanks, I am thinking the roman shades are a good choice for the french door. Hi sweet-tea, thanks for the links, the roman shades look great. Hi sasafras, thanks I'd like to leave them blank but to conserve energy I'd like to add something to save on heat loss in winter and to block the direct sunlight in the window which faces west, the french door faces south but there is a covered porch there and we are way up on a hill so I doubt anyone can see in unless they have a telescope, lol

Or FR has a 36" full window plus a 72" slider (9' of windows/doors). Right now, we have curtains we pull in front of them when we want privacy but fully open otherwise. Previously, we had sheers on the door/windows like this. The pieces that draw the sheers together in the middle matched the curtains (rarely used with this setup): It gives you some privacy but still lets in a lot of light without obstructing the view totally. For more privacy, all you have to do is remove the center piece and the sheers cover the entire viewing area. Center piece could also be the same color as the sheers. I wish I had actual pictures! I really like this look and am considering going back to it when we redo the FR sometime in the next year.

I would advise against curtain panels for any of it if you intend to keep the blinds. If you are not pleased with the blinds, there are options for celluar shades. Cellular shades would be lighter and they can be opened really nicely to reveal the whole window. If you feel that you need softness or color, I would recommend only a decorative top treatment and stay with some functioning blind or shade. Being that you have a fabric covered couch in front, you might want to consider top down/bottom up shades. That way you can control the exposure and keep your privacy and keep the sunlight from eating up the fabric on the couch while still having light in the room. Keep your door free from the windows. There are problems in covering up a door. You dont have to treat them as one big space. They are not, really. I think that the blinds look way too heavy for that big of an area. Adding curtain panels is only going to weigh it down evern further and be chock full of logistical problems. It looks as if what you have attempted to put up are not curtain panels that are intended to actually function by opening and closing. It is not apparent that they are traverse rods. Those rod pocket panels are not meant to open and close. The only way you can make them functional is to hang them with clip on drapery rings. Even, then it is awkward to open and close a wide panel like that. I think that you need to regroup and rethink your expectations for what is possible or workable. Lighten up with celluars that do match for all three areas and forget the rod pocket panels or any curtains . You can put a valance over the tops of the windows. but leave the door aside from that. You can buy expensive celluars or you can go with something from the Homedepot store brand. I recently bought some inexpensive celluars for a purpose and I am surprised at how well they are working. Since you have a couch in front of the window you may want to consider the corded shades, as the cordless ones require you to actually lift the bottom rail of the shade. If you could grab a cord, it would be easier. For the door, you could go with a cordless one. What you are trying to do just looks too heavy and too fraught with problems, of all kinds. The celluars come in a few different options other than top down/bottom up. Also, if the only fabric that you are putting up is a valance. That valance can be changed out very easily if your decor changes. A good neutral shade as a working element will be a constant that does not need changing. If you have a sewing machine, simple valances are very simple to sew and they are much less costly becaue they take a lot less fabric. So, you could splurge on something special. Regroup. What you are attempting to do is not working for you or for the windows.

Kandrewspa, I added an additional picture to my original post, that shows my concern about the windows closer to the roofline almost disappearing if they are a darker color. They are painted the original brown. Of course, the 'shadow effect' is not an issue at all times of day; however, it is even more pronounced on the north facing front of the home. Bronze would be my first choice if not for this. My other, probably safer choice, would be a medium taupe. I would have to look at a different window line though.