Have a blower door test done on your home to determine leakage sites. Seal all leakage between attic and conditioned space, then insulate. radiant barriers work well in hot climates but savings in heating climates are minimal. adding insulation to the roofline (between rafters) is usually done by spray foam in the attic. cost is a factor, as is total sealing of attic. also you would need to determine what type of foam you should use. Open cell has less R-value per inch than closed cell, but open cell will allow water to pass through and closed cell will not. www.buildingscience.com has climate specific information check out what they say about unvented attics and insulation for your region. Best of luck.

I was thinking wooden shutters. But now that you mention it, you could use a shutter frame with inserts made of fabric, or even punched metal, etc. Shutters are great when you want to the option of opening them to allow full sun and view. But when I re-read your post, your window treatment is for privacy, so maybe window treatments could be fixed. In that case, I could see a sheer or lace panel, or sheer gathered curtains, mounted inside the window frame, and ending at the window sill. That way, you're free of the radiator, and the pretty wood trim and the glass arch are visible.

Melle, I thought I was the only one with this issue:-) First of all, I have fans in every room of the house except the kitchen, and I have to be careful about any light that is above them because it casts shadows and makes me nauseous after a while. Also, and this is why this isn't a small issue, strobe light effects have been proven to cause epileptic seizures and migraines in those prone to them (not all of the time, but they set off some electrical impulse...). I get migraines, so this is a huge deal to me. I think the cans can work, the recessed eyeballs are a great idea, too and in fact if I had my druthers, that is what I would use (because you can angle them and they seem more like gallery lights to me). But I do want to make sure you test some light up there with the fan on. It may not be an issue because your cans will be up much higher than the fan, but in some rooms when I've had this combo, the fan blades whirling past the cans cast shadows. Maybe your eyeball lights wouldn't be anywhere near the blades, in which case, this could work out well. In my experience, looking at can lights and where they will go, it's often hard to see them not looking weird. But when they're up and functioning, they tend to blend in. Good luck, I feel your pain (I have -- no, DH has -- CFLs in every room- esp painful in the bathrooms and the exterior front lights, which are gorgeous carriage lamps that are supposed to burn with the flickering gas look....you can SEE the CFLs in there...UGH. He has even stuck them in crystal antique lamps! He's so sweet; I love that he cares about the environment, but...geez).

Not to rain on that parade, but I think a movie popcorn machine seems like one of those things that's cute in theory, but ultimately a regret. I wouldn't want to clean and maintain an entire machine just for that. from what I read, you need to clean it every time so the oils don't build up and grow sticky, or be ok with a hazy looking glass box that will make your basement smell like old popcorn oil. you can avoid all that by just cooking it stovetop in the kitchen with the vent hood on, and you can just stick that pot in the dishwasher when you're done.