I understand why you might want these, but honestly...I don't love this. Those windows are great, and since you need neither privacy nor light control, I think they should be left alone to allow them to "disappear" so you focus on the yard beyond. To me, curtains call attention to windows, not views. You're right, they have to be floor-length, which means they'll interfere with the couch. And the rads. When will you ever close these? When you move the couch? That said, we did the curtain track route in one of our rooms, across a 12-foot room. (the post with pictures is in my clippings.) If you get an unlined (we used sheer) drape, they stack back to practically nothing. And if you want to get super-crazy, you can drywall in the track to make it completely invisible. They definitely add softness to that room (our master), which is pretty much cool blues, whites, and angles. But we did it, in the end, for privacy. What about doing something else to add a warm and finished look to the windows? Like some lovely thick wood windowsills? I haven't googled or flickr'd around, but I think I might be more into something using wood to add something softer than white wall to that view. JMO, I know whatever you do will look gorgeous, you have great taste!

We are not window treatment people either, but have started to add some as we've reno'd/decorated a few of the rooms in our house; two bathrooms and our office. They really do help to finish off a room. That said, we're not covering our kitchen bow window, or the DR bow window, though I might consider something for the DR window at some point--just for the window panes themselves, not to cover the whole bow-unit. We used Hunter Douglas' Designer Screen Shades in the Roman Shade style (ours are mounted inside the frames becuase of our window style/frame depth). The shades are very clean-lined and range in sheerness. With the sheerer weaves/fabrics, you can see outside with them down and they allow a lot of light in.

Its your choice. My house has gutters and eaves painted same as the body of the house. I did it that way because my house has a hip roof and I see no need to highlight the roof line. I also treat windows and doors differently. I like a front door to have a color of it's own. My window trim is light beige but the windows themselves are white. Something like this. I am conservative with big purchases so I would only choose white or black windows. Both will work when you repaint your house. Does the window company have a visualizer you can use to try different colors on your windows?

well, it just depends what you want. if those are real oak floors, you can always have them patched in, but that means the rest of the floor will need refinishing. For sure I'd put in some windows along that wall, and try and have the sink under it. Cabinets. you can do inexpensive or high end. I wouldn't nix the idea of a carpenter custom building some for your space. RTA cabinets are actually decent. hire someone to install. If you're on a budget, I prob wouldn't use HD or Lowes. you're paying them to be the middleman contractor, and they sub out their work. Sometimes their countertops are a decent price though. talk to a kitchen designer or an actual kitchen refinishing company. I found a great one on Yelp (all 5 stars) and they were amazing. I had mine painted, but they also did custom carpentry, refacing, vent hoods, and everything in between. If you could find a company like that, I'd go that route. walk around a stone yard to see what's avail for countertops/islands. Some people like ikea. It just depends the look you want. the rest of the house is very nice. looks like you have plenty of room. don't know why they did such a tiny kitchen with all of that room! however, for 30K, you're going to have to DIY, learn to DIY, or learn how to shop for bargains. I'd still list your current kitchen for sale. someone would want it. they can come in and take it apart and charge 1K for everything. (to demo all of that, you're looking at over 1K anyway! ) hiring a KD for a custom layout design wouldn't be a bad idea