Q: We are about to build the contemporary house of our dreams, but I'm worried that the big windows in the great room will cause problems. The house is on a hill facing southwest, and we just learned that next year the town is building a school at the bottom of our hill. We hate - hate - fussy curtains, but we will need something over these big windows. What?
A: Be glad that the window treatment industry is aware of your problem - thousands of homeowners share it, thanks to advances in glass technologies that make huge windows possible, if not always practical. There are new glazing techniques that incorporate heat-and-glare-reducing elements in the glass itself, including windows with working blinds sandwiched between the panes.
You can also remedy your glare and heat problems by having a window film professionally applied to the glass. Films (by manufacturers like Vista, www.vista-films.com) barely tint the windows but are capable of blocking glare and most of the ultraviolet rays that come in and wreak havoc on you furniture.
The drawback is that, come nightfall, those wide-wide windows turn into black holes, making you long for the comfort of fabric - if not in the curtains you "hate-hate," then in another softening window treatment. In the photo we show here, it's a smart new version of traditional Roman shades (Alustra Vignette Modern Roman Shades by Hunter-Douglas, www.hunterdouglas.com), where the fabric cascades down the glass in graceful, 6-inch-wide folds. Draw the shades up by day, and they disappear into a head rail covered in the same fabric. It's neat, colorful, and in keeping with a no-frills contemporary room.
An added attraction: The manufacturer promises that the shades will block up to 60 percent of reflected sound, so you would miss most of the recess decibels from below.
Q: I just bought an older house and in the bathroom there is a closet. Its opening is too small to put a door on. It is very deep. Do you have any suggestions on what to put to cover the opening to hide all the stuff I have in there?
A: Simplest solution: a panel of fabric cut to fit on a spring-tension rod, so it hangs flat over the opening. You want it to look as architectural as possible, so use fairly substantial fabric the same color as the wood trim and weight the bottom edges to keep it taut.
A second thought: Your window treatment store can custom cut an accordion shade narrow enough to fit the opening so the shade draws up and out of the way when you want in. Match the color to the wall, and it, too, will disappear into the woodwork, so to speak.
Rose Bennett Gilbert is the co-author of "Hampton Style" and associate editor of Country Decorating Ideas. Please send your questions to her at Copley News Service, P.O. Box 120190, San Diego, CA 92112-0190, or online at copleysd@copleynews.com.
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