need help with window treatment

[ellenrr]

I have a large window in the bedroom and one in the living room. Each is 58" across and 66" down.
face north.
My conundrum is that I want privacy and I want light, and I want it to be easy to go back and forth - between covered windows and uncovered.
I have both windows now, so that during day the upper half is all open and the lower half is curtained, which can be open or closed.
At night I have a shade.
BUT I also have a light outside the window, so I need something darker than the shade so my bedroom can be in darkness.
First I thot about room darkening drapes - but if I pull the drape to the side during day, it will still cut off light in each corner.
if I get a drape on loops, I think it will be hard for me to open and close every morning and night, because I am short. And standing on the ground, not sure I will have enough leverage.

I have considered blinds, but I was reading on another thread here, and reminded me of blinds needing to be dusted - no to that.

I like the looks of this shade.
http://www.sears.com/oriental-furniture-burnt-bamboo-roll-up-blinds-natural/p-00842709000P

but I don't know how dark it would be.
But I like the pull, which is easy for me to operate.

Any ideas appreciated

[ginnyinWI]

1. I have a triple window to cover in our bedroom

Not sure but the width is around 89 inches! What we did is put a large wooden rod above the window frame and hung drapes from large wooden rings on that, fastened with hooks that are pinned in the drapery pleats. Since they are large and wooden, the rings slide easily, making a satisfying "clack" in the morning or evening when we open or close. The drapes themselves have a room darkening liner, so we need no other shades or blinds. It is either completely open or completely closed. We made the rod wide enough so that when the drapes are open they are all the way back, in front of the wall, not the window.

That's the answer to your concern about pulling the drapes to the side during the day: just make the rod wide enough so that you can pull the drapes all the way off the window space. The room darkening liner has a magnet where the two sides meet so that the drapes stick together at night.

[ellenrr]

5. Can you suggest what to search under...

I would like to see if I can buy drapes with these hooks already attached - bec. I do not sew.

[ginnyinWI]

6. no sewing needed!

No what I used are the standard metal drapery hooks that just slide into each pleat of the drapes. The part that sticks out is the hook part, which goes into the little loop at the bottom of the big ring which slides on the curtain rod. Here's a picture:



Note: when you put up your drapery rod, make sure it is high enough so that no light comes in over the top of the drapes. As you can see in my photo, the rod is much higher than the top of the window. And the drapes still go down all the way to the floor.

[ellenrr]

7. thanks. nt

[Worried senior]

8. This was a very

good idea, never would have thought of this, saves using a regular drapery rod.

[applegrove]

2. I house sat for people who had those long curtains on a wooden rod with wooden loops. Two big square

panels of fabric on each side of the window that open and close really fast. The great thing they did was decorate their room and couch in neutral colors. Then they switched up the panel curtains depending on the season and the amount of color in the fabric and the amount of light or insulation they wanted that season. They had many windows so the curtain fabric changed the whole color palette of the room. I thought that was grand and fun. But then again I am a color fan. And a fan of switching things up.

[Curmudgeoness]

3. I have had bamboo shades,

and they do not block out as much light as you seem to want blocked. They have tiny spaces between each slat. Also, they are not as bad as blinds, but they also will get dusty and need cleaned.

They do sell blackout shades, although I have not tried them so don't know how well they work.

[ellenrr]

4. thank you for replies.

I like the idea of wooden loops, that will be easy to open and close.

I really wish I were a sew-er and I would use an Indian print bedspread and sew those loops in it.
Drapes are not my style - I am more informal -
but -
I do need to darken room.

[Arkansas Granny]

10. A little hint for short people about opening/closing drapes with loops.

I got one of those pick up tools to use for that purpose. Works great.

[LiberalEsto]

11. I drilled a small hole and screwed a large cup hook to the end of a wood broomstick

The nice thing is that it hangs on the curtain rod, concealed by a curtain, until I need to use it to move the panels.

[Arkansas Granny]

12. Great idea.