Finally! Our living room window limbo is no more. This weekend we actually got around to picking up some bamboo blinds to bridge the gap between the top of the window and the curtain rod. Gotta love making windows look bigger and taller while introducing some texture in the process.
Here’s the w.b.b. (window before blinds) totally begging for something under that rod:
And the finished product thanks to two wood blinds from Wal-mart (for 25 bucks a pop) and John’s manly muscles (free of course):
We actually have the same exact blinds in the den and above the laundry nook in lieu of pricey cabinet doors. We love that we could tie them into yet another space to keep things consistent and create the illusion height. White Ikea floor length curtains flanking these simple wood blinds is absolutely our favorite combination for big picture windows (and one that we often suggest to everyone who will listen) but what say you lovely readers? Think we did our home’s biggest window proud?
Psst- Wanna know more about finding the right window treatments for your home? Check out this exhaustive answer.
Liv says
I like it. I never thought about filling the space between curtain rod and window. Probably because none of my curtains are even up yet and I haven’t had to stare at that space!!
I just bought some 95 inch IKEA drapes this weekend. I’ll have to see how they look without a “space filler.” Thanks for the idea!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Liv,
Yeah, a lot of people still hang their curtain rods right above the window so there’s not much space to fill, but I love cheating them up as high as they’ll go and filling the space so the window seems about a foot and a half taller. You can’t tell from the before and afters above, but being in the room it feels like the ceiling is much higher since we hung the blinds to make the window look taller. Just adding more vertical interest to the top part of the room makes the whole space magically seem much taller. Yay for optical illusions (our ceilings are only 8 feet tall).
xo,
Sherry
Amy says
We currently have fabric vertical blinds that we are planning to replace this summer with some Cream colored curtains & white sheers on a double-rod. I like this idea of making the ceilings seem higher with blinds (whithout actually having high ceilings to clean cobwebs from!). Two questions:
1. Do you think the blinds would work with a double rod?
2. Did you have to alter the blinds at all to make them fit into the space so perfectly?
Gràcia says
With our windows going up to the ceiling we won’t be able to do that, although it looks sooo great!
I wanted to ask about your courtains from Ikea. Which ones did you use for your sunroom? Are the ones here also from Ikea?
They look great and feel airy but not too thin.
And I do think that huge window is a happy one now :)
YoungHouseLove says
Amy- I think that blinds will definitely work with a double rod, just hang them as close as you can to the rods so that everything visually becomes one window treatment to the eye (too much space between them will make things seem disjointed). As for the blinds, we had a 96 inch window and just ended up purchasing two 48 inch blinds from Walmart and hanging them next to each other. We made sure to get them really close together so there was no telltale gap, and the point where they connect is barely noticeable thanks to all the texture going on. Keeping them opened to the same height also helps them to feel like all one blind. Purchasing one 96″ custom blind would have definitely cost us at least $100 more than picking two up for a total of $50, so we’re happy to hear that you think they “fit into the space so perfectly”- yay!
Gracia- Oh you lucky girl to have such high ceilings. I’m jealous! As for the curtains in the sunroom- yup, they’re also from Ikea. They’re called “Vivan” curtains and we get the longest ones they have (they usually come in two lengths) so they go all the way to the floor. They seem kinda sheer when you see them hung in the store, but at home on a window they let in the perfect amount of light without being too thin and flimsy. And you can’t see the wall or the window frame behind them which is great if you’re trying to cheat your windows wider. A good Vivan curtain tip is to wash the curtains a bit on the gentle cycle and then throw them in the dryer (on tumble dry low so you don’t shrink ’em too much) and hang ’em up as soon as they’re dry. They’ll be wrinkle free without the use of an iron, and they look so much better than the crushed, folded things that come out of the package. Hope that helps!
xo,
Sherry
Jen M says
How funny, I was just thinking about your window this weekend – I’d remembered you’d said you were going to put some blinds up and I was wondering if you had. (Okay now I feel like a stalker for admitting that!!) I think they look perfect, a lovely touch of warmth and texture and really finishes off the illusion of height. Great job.
Beth says
I was totally not feeling the rod-higher-than-the-window thing — until I saw this post, that is. It looks great! Good job, as usual :)
Jaime says
I love it! I’ve struggled with wide windows and was always afraid to hang two sets of blinds next to each other. I will definitely have to try that; I could not even tell there were two from your pic! I just posted something on my new blog about high-hanging curtains; I love the effect that has!
angeline says
Love the “after”! That is very creative, what a great idea!
Liv, the Ikea 95″ curtains are great bang for the buck! I bought a bunch from my previous ikea road trip (the closest ikea is 4 hrs away). Unfortunately it didn’t work for my window as my windows are too wide and the windows/walls are too high.
megan says
How great! I love the blinds.
And love all the budget deals you find!
Aimee says
I love the look! I actually have two bamboo shades that I was dying to use when we finally got our home. Sadly our windows are totally strange and the blinds don’t fit any of our rooms! It’s too bad because I adore that look!
Chelsea says
Which curtains are those from Ikea? They are fabulous!
YoungHouseLove says
Jen M- Couldn’t love you more for thinking about the state of our curtains. That totally makes my day.
Beth, Jaime, Angeline, Megan, Aimee- So glad you likey. That also makes my day. The hubby deserves a nice dinner tonight for all his drilling and holding and anchoring!
Chelsea- The curatins are called “Vivan” from Ikea (these are the 95 inch ones, but they also come in a shorter version). They seem a bit sheer in the store, but they’re much more opaque than they seem under the harsh lighting. You can totally cheat a window taller and wider without anyone being able to see what you’re up to through the curtain. Hope that helps:)
xo,
Sherry
Amy says
Wow! What a big difference for a little effort/cash.
Alicia says
Just found you guys through AT yesterday and I love the site. I found this post and I have a question. My husband and I just bought our first house (a 50s brick ranch, as luck would have it) the living room has a really nice big picture window and we need some drapes for it. the whole house had 2″ white faux wood blinds when we moved in and we really like them. But the window needs something else. I love the window in your living room but with the blinds already installed (inside the window) there wouldnt be anything to take up the space. Do you guys have any thoughts? a valance or something? Also, since the blinds are white, I am not sure that white curtains would do. Any suggestions?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Alicia,
So glad you found us! We would hang long floor length curtains about 3-5 inches above the top of your window (and about 12″ to the left and right of the window for maximum light) to softly frame those 2″ white wood blinds and add lots of vertical interest and height to your space. Since you think white might be overkill, you could try long chocolate velvet panels, breezy tan linen curtains, or even some luxe dupioni silk panels in your room’s accent color- the sky’s the limit! Hope it helps and happy hanging!
xo,
Sherry
Alicia says
Thanks Sherry. I am loving looking through everything you’ve done. Ours was flipped before we bought it (two owners before) so we havent had to deal with as much as you have. But we still want to make it our own. I was actually thinking chocolate velvet since our living room is a sort of latte tan. We dont have an accent color yet. We are still working on that. Not sure what to do yet. Maybe I need to get a mood board for my birthday that is coming up. :) Thanks for the advice!
Jen says
I love the curtains, but I am wondering what you would do if you want the light look, but the efficiency of thermal. We are moving into a new house that has a large 3 section window in the living room and dining room, and I am a little nervous about curtains since the windows are older and not as efficient. Any suggestions?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Jen,
Pale tones like white and ivory can keep things looking light even if you use heavier materials. So by all means go for something that will be super efficient like thermal, but get it in a nice light tone like white or soft tan for that airy and open feeling (or even have light silk or cotton sewn on the front of each thermal panel for a decorative look that means business).
There’s also good old fashioned weatherstripping tape, which also really comes in handy when you’re dealing with drafty old windows. Hope it helps!
xo,
Sherry
Eboness says
Yes, yes, yes! Love the way you did this….I have the same issue with a set of triple windows in my family room. They are less than 6 inches apart so I’ll have to treat them as one window. The ceiling slopes toward the wall with these windows making them look squatty. My family room has an asian/exotic feel to it so the bamboo shades will be perfect! (I love the ones that retract like roman blinds, instead of on a roll). Right now I have white wooden plantation blinds that fit inside the window and do absolutely nothing for the room. Designer fabulous!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Eboness,
So glad our bamboo blind idea works for you! We had a hard time finding a wide enough bamboo shade so we actually used two hung right next to each other and thanks to the texture you can’t even tell! It sure beat having to custom order something big and expensive. Hope it helps! Happy hanging…
xo,
Sherry
Julia says
I love the window treatment! We are renters (boo!) with terrible vertical blinds that we can’t remove and we have been looking for a way to cover them. Since the vertical blinds already have this skinny faux valance on top of them, I think the blinds could be used to cover them in the same way you covered the wall space under the curtain rod, adn the curtains would cover the blinds on the sides. Do you think this technique would work over the vertical blinds, or would there be too much going on underneath the blinds and curtains?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Julia, ‘
Good question! A great way to cover your vertical blinds completely is to open them so they’re gathered all on one side of the window and then hang curtain panels high and wide to hide the vertical blinds on the side of the window. Then you can use some bamboo roman shades above the window and under the high curtain rod to bridge the gap between the rod and the top of the window (and cover the vertical blind valance too). Hope it helps! Happy hanging…
xo,
Sherry
Whitney says
Hello Sherry and John!! I read your blog everyday and I love all your ideas and everything you have done with your house! My husband and I just recently bought a townhouse and in the master bedroom there are no blinds:( Right now we don’t have the money to go and buy nice plantation shutter like we want and I was thinking of using this idea that you have of roman shades and then curtains. I love roman shades and love the wood look of these. Can you please tell me where you bought them and if you think they are still available? Also when you put the wood shades down how much light do they block out in the living room? Our master has eastern exposure so on the weekends we would not like the light to shine in! Thanks so much!
P.S. I might be contacting you both for a design dilema in the near future for my living room!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Whitney,
The bamboo blinds are actually from Walmart! They come in a variety of sizes and they’re really inexpensive so they’re super convenient. We do recommend visiting the store to grab them (their online selection leaves a lot to be desired).
As for how much light they block, they do block a fair amount- but ours are just for looks so we don’t pull them up and down each day. We do pull the ones in our laundry room up and down regularly (we used the same blinds as “cabinet doors” to create some concealed storage for laundry stuff) and they seem to have held up extremely well. Even though they’re mounted right into the ceiling! Hope it helps.
xo,
Sherry
sarah says
Hi guys! Unfortunately, our Walmart doesn’t have them in stock (not that I could find). So I’m considering buying online. Do you know which color yours are? I’m guessing natural or pecan. Also, our front windows are such a bizarre size, we’ll be mounting them on the outside… should we try to match the oak trim around our windows so there’s not a lot of conflicting “wood color” or should we go with a lighter bamboo since eventually we’ll be painting all the trim in our house white? Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Sarah,
So sorry you couldn’t hunt them down in the flesh. We’re not sure of the color of ours other than to describe them as wheat colored with darker brown markings and brown stitching throughout (so they’re a nice neutral in a room without being too light or too dark). I’d definitely pick the color you like best instead of trying to match them to the trim that you’ll be painting down the line. You’ll be surprised how neutral all bamboo blinds can be, so I doubt they’ll look too clashy, even if you go for something lighter until you get around to painting that trim. Hope it helps!
xo,
Sherry
Tatiana says
#1 I’m addicted to your blog :)
#2 Where did you get the curtain rod? I’m having such a hard time picking rods and I like yours!
Thank you so much!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Tatiana,
We got the rod at Target (surprise!). It’s a deep brown oil-rubbed bronze color which really disappears since we have so many other dark wood pieces in the space. Sometimes a stainless steel rod attracts more attention than the curtains (never a good thing!) so we stuck with something neutral that lets the curtains shine. Hope it helps! So glad you’re enjoying the blog!
xo,
Sherry
Kelleigh says
I’m LOVING this idea. Do you think it would be terribly tacky for us to copy your idea of having those bamboo blinds, except keeping our current window shades underneath? We have some expensive and very practical top-down-bottom-up honeycomb shades in a light cream color, but they are so BLAH (and not intended for creating “style”).
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Kelleigh,
Go for it! Just keep those honeycomb shades raised and out of view when you’re entertaining so people don’t notice the whole two-blind scenario! This way you can totally use them when you’d like and hide them when company comes over- it’s the best of both worlds!
xo,
Sherry
Cindy says
I love this blog! How wide are the blinds? I couldn’t tell from the photo if they are the same width as the the high and wide placement of the rod.
I’ve read every post since I discovered your blog in Dec. Thanks so much for your (and John’s) hard work. You youngsters are amazing!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Cindy,
Our big secret is that they’re actually two sets of blinds hung next to each other to create the look of one long blind (which would have been a lot more moolah, and you can’t even tell the difference). They are hung about an inch below the rod but aren’t nearly as wide as the rod since we cheated the rod about a foot wider than the window on either side so the window would look nice and big. But thanks to the curtains you can’t tell that the blinds are a good deal shorter than the curtain rod, and they frame the window nicely. Hope it helps! Happy hanging…
xo,
Sherry
lisa says
I’ve been struggling with how to dress my 101″ picture window for quite some time and this is the perfect match! Thanks for sharing it!
For anyone else out there looking to do this idea anytime soon, Target has 52″ wide bamboo shades in Natural on sale for $18.40! I just bought 2. Steal!
Cindy says
Lisa, thanks for the heads up. My window is 120″ but I can use those at my side by side sliding glass doors. I’m out the door to Target!
Summer Tannhauser says
My husband and I have decided to try to duplicate the 2 bamboo blinds idea in our living room. We’ve already found the blinds from Lowe’s that fit our window perfectly. Now the question is how do you deal with the cords to pull up the blinds and put down the blinds? I noticed in your picture you do not have a ugly cord hanging in the center of your window! Is there some easy fix?? Thanks for any ideas!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Summer,
Good question! All we did was tuck up the string that would otherwise have hung down the middle of the window (we looped it around itself and tucked it around the back of the curtain against the wall so it wasn’t visible from outside the window either). Since we never raise or lower the blinds, it’s not really a problem. Hope it helps!
xoxo,
Sherry
Barb says
My situation is sort of like Kelleigh’s, except we haven’t bought the honeycomb shades yet. We want to have the top-down capability so the light isn’t so bright, and we also want the insulation properties of the honeycomb on our single-pane windows. So this would have to be mounted inside the window, right? Would it look totally stupid to cheat curtains with an inside mount shade? I doubt I can talk my husband into adding the bamboo blinds for looks alone. I was thinking of a creamy neutral for the shades and white gauze for the curtains.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Barb,
Your honeycomb shades would have to be inside mount, but many people still cheat their rod about 6-8 inches higher than the window frame just so it has some breathing room and doesn’t feel crowded or top heavy. The bamboo blinds are also extremely affordable at places like Walmart and Target so if you hang the curtain high and think it still needs blinds for the full layered and large effect, they don’t have to break the bank. Hope it helps! Happy hanging…
xo,
Sherry
jamie eads says
Hi, I just “somehow” discovered your blog. I am interested in locating the Ikea “Vivan” curtains. I have an Ikea catalog, but am not finding them at all. Is this something that can only be purchased in the store? (not online)
I am also going to show a contracter a picture of the front of your house. We have a hip roof and I would like to have a covered front porch. I really like the look of yours.
thanks for any suggestions…..
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Jamie,
Until very recently Vivan panels were available for purchase both on ikea.com and in stores. Lately we’ve heard that they’ve been out of stock but we’re hoping that they’re back in stores and online soon. Just keep an eye out of check out Bed Bath & Beyond or Target for something similar. They’re just floor length simple white curtains that aren’t too heavy (not too sheer but not too opaque either) for a breezy year-round look. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Teesha says
Hi Sherry,
I have a 2 part question that I’d like to get your thoughts (sorry if it’s long): I have an open great room (LR/DR) where the LR window faces the DR sliding door.
1. For curtains/panels, do you suggest that I use the same pattern/color for both the LR and DR since they are technically all in one room, facing each other….or, use different patterns/colors to “separate” the rooms?
2. My LR window is not spaced on the wall evenly – I have 24″ on the left side (trim to the wall) and 55″ on the right side (trim to the door). What is your suggestion on spacing the rod on each side of the trim?
Thanks in advance for your suggestions! Much appreciated!
Teesha ;-)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Teesha,
I would use the same curtains and blinds in both spaces. We actually use the same few treatments in our entire house and the flow and cohesive feeling throughout is serene and inviting. As for the living room window, I would do my best to cheat it as close to being centered as possible with curtains hung high and wide (paired with blinds to bridge the gap to the rod). Just hang them at least 25″ wide on one side while only going about 5″ wide on the other side for more of a balanced look without losing much window light. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Ashley says
I LOVED what you did with the living room window!
I have sliding glass doors right beside a large window similar to the one in your living room. I have no idea what to put next to a window that already has curtains. Any suggestions?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Ashley,
We would try using one long rod to go over the large window and the sliding door (JC Penney sells rod extenders) and then using curtains around both the window and the door to soften them for a wall of glass look. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Christa says
Wow!!!! All I can say after finding this site is that if I can do even a fraction of what you’ve done to the 1932 all brick house my fiance and I just purchased, the house will look amazing!
I love the shade addition! We have a large window in our living room that I was planning to hang curtains from just below the ceiling to frame. It has a semi-circle window at the top of the larger rectangular window. Could a shade still work with this or would it look weird since the window top is circular?
Thanks in advance for any advice. You guys are fantastic!
Christa
Christie says
This looks so fabulous!! We are going to be repainting our living room soon and changing out the window coverings. Right now there are some old, ratty, very heavy curtains. We do want to block light (it comes it pretty harshly in the late afternoon)… does the bamboo shade do a good job of that?
I love this look and would love to re-create it. Could you possibly tell me exactly which white IKEA curtains you have used? We don’t have an IKEA here in Denver and I would need to order online. Also, is there any trick to hanging the two bamboo shades side by side? How did you get them to match up perfectly?
Thank you in advance for taking time to consider my questions!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Christie,
The bamboo shades are not the best light blockers out there since there are slivers of space between the reeds. They certainly majorly cut down on light coming into the room, but not like your heavy curtains. If you’re set on the look, you may want to consider installing a simple rolling blind behind the bamboo to help keep the sunlight out.
But as for hanging them side by side, it’s pretty simple. We just figured out how far we wanted one shade above the window frame, marked the spot with a pencil, used a ruler to measure the distance from the window frame (or the ceiling, if you’d prefer) and then repeated it. Once they’re hung evenly, it just becomes a matter of locking the rolling part of the blinds in place at the same height – but that’s a cinch.
Oh, and the IKEA curtains are called “Vivan” but we’ve heard that they’re hard to find these days (they might be out of stock for now but Bed Bath & Beyond and Target have very similar options). Good luck!
-John
Mary says
I LOVE this treatment. My windows are arched, though, and I cannot figure out what to do for them. The last owners put vertical blinds starting about 1/5th of the down the window – oh yuck! Plus, the arches aren’t cute and expensive so you want to just hide them. Some of the windows are actually arched with small side windows within the arch…hard to describe, but harder to look at! Do I sound desperate? -mary
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Mary,
If you’d like to hide the arch you can just use the bamboo blinds/curtain method pictured above to cover the arched part of the windows and just toss up some white panels on either side to soften things up for the effect of a big rectangular window! Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Michelle says
I just bought my first house…we have a 128 inch wide picture window and like the idea of the bamboo and blinds… but I need something that will close easily at night for privacy. Any ideas?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Michelle,
Check out this post for a ton more curtain info: https://www.younghouselove.com/2009/06/email-answer-its-curtains-for-you/
In your case I would suggest mounting roller shades or venetian blinds inside the frame of your windows behind the bamboo blinds so they can be closed for privacy at night, but opened to let the light in when you’re entertaining or during the day (they’ll be completely invisible when they’re not down thanks to the bamboo blinds in front of them). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Beth says
You guys ROCK! I stumbled upon your site this morning when researching the steps to refinish a thrift store armoire I picked up this week. I am so totally doing this bamboo blind with roller shade behind trick throughout our house!
We have small children and wanted to get natural CORDLESS shades (behind curtains) for our many windows to get the natural look while preventing the choking hazard presented by the cords…but what average families can afford that price tag times 14 windows? Having the bamboo romans up for looks only with roller shade behind to protect furniture is the perfect solution. THANKS!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Beth,
So excited you found us! Good luck with your new bamboo blinds and thanks so much for leaving such a sweet note.
xo,
s
Melissa says
Hey Youngsters! I LOVE this look! Just measured my window to copy cat and its 81 inches, which after a bit of research isn’t the perfect number for doing blinds…or 3! Do you recommend going really wide (96 inches) in this scenario? I’ve never worked with this type of blind, can you cut it? Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Melissa,
If you’ll be hanging curtains on either side of the window the blinds don’t have to fit perfectly, for example they can be 5″ too long on both sides and the curtains panels will obscure that fact so everything looks perfectly polished and no one’s the wiser. We actually used two blinds hung next to each other to get the perfect length on the cheap (and they were a bit too long on both sides but the curtains hid that) so that’s always an option. Places like Lowe’s and Home Depot also do custom cuts for you on blinds so that’s another idea, although snagging them in premade sizes at Target and Walmart is the cheapest option around. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Alyzande says
Hi Sherry and John,
I had this window dressing combination in my previous house about 5 years ago. It never dates. I’m recreating it in my bedroom for a very delicate, natural look. Over here in the UK I found a black metal curtain rod for £11, and floor length floaty curtains from IKEA brand new on ebay for mere pennies. Perfect. Now to find bamboo blinds in the UK for my lovely big window. I’m already looking forward to the summer sunlight filtering through those floaty white curtains and reflecting off my £35 chandelier. I’m a single mum, so I can make my bedroom as girly as I like!
Alyzande
suzanne says
Hi Sherry,
I have hung my bamboo blinds up in my rec room downstairs. I hung them as high as possible to make the ceiling look higher. The window is 6 feet long by 3 feet high. It is only 8″ from the ceiling. The wall is only 9’7″ long. You mentioned it might look good to put a wall of curtains around the window. The problem is that the window is off centre. There is 2’8″ of wall on one side and only 12″ on the other side. Is this too much to cheat? I’m having trouble visualizing how that would look. I would appreciate any suggestions! Thanks for your excellent website. You guys are so inspiring! – Suzanne
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Suzanne,
You can totally cheat that window by hanging sheers “wall to wall” in there. Just get a super long rod (JC Penney sells extenders) and let curtains hang down on each side so the window feels more centered and grand at the same time. It might not look completely centered when you stare at it for ten minutes, but it will feel a ton more balanced and 9 out of 10 people won’t even notice that it’s not totally symmetric. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
suzanne says
Thanks so much Sherry. I’m blown away by how quickly you responded!! Should I put finials on the ends of the rods or just butt the rods up to the wall…since its such a narrow wall?
Thanks again for all your help – Suzanne
YoungHouseLove says
I would do minimally invasive finials for a soft wall-of-curtains effect. Definitely send us before and after pics!
xo,
s
Santhi says
Hi,
My family has just bought a new house. In our living room, we have a high ceiling, we are not sure what to do with it. The window is 15 feet hight and 10 feet wide.The color scheme of the house is brown and blue. What would you recomend????
YoungHouseLove says
I would go with long floor length curtains hung high and wide on either side of the window with bamboo blinds going across the top if you’d like (just like we have in this post above). You can find extra long curtain rods at JC Penney and brown, blue or even fresh white curtains at Ikea (they sell them extra long for your tall ceilings). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Diane says
I found your website a few weeks ago and have been having a great time reading all your archived information – love it! You use lots of Ikea items and I especially like the curtains with the iron hem line. How I wish there were an Ikea anywhere near here but there’s not…I tried to find Ikea curtains on their website but they seem to be available only in stores. Do you know of other stores that sell a similar curtain with the adjustable length – still at a reasonable price? Thanks a bunch!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Diane,
I have an idea! Check out sites like ebay.com for “ikea curtains” so you can get them new and in their packages (complete with iron-on hem tape!) without needing an ikea nearby. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Jana says
hello! i just bought my first house a few months ago and am slowly decorating it how i want it to be. the windows in my living room have 2″ faux wood blinds. i’ve been told they cost a lot and are very nice, but the color is almost an orange-brown and i want to get that color out of the room! i’d love to use your idea of the bamboo shades and curtains, but do the shades close all the way? i live in arizona and during the summer months it is absolutely necessary that the windows can be covered. i was just wondering why one person kept blinds hidden under the shades. thanks so much!
YoungHouseLove says
Yup the bamboo blinds close all the way for privacy but to make the room extra dark, rolling shades block even more light. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
julia says
Would it work to use cordless shades hung higher than the window instead of bamboo shades?
YoungHouseLove says
Good question! You’d have to hold them up and eye them. Some cordless shades look better when they’re inside mounted so trust your eye. And you can even still go high and wide with the curtains with inside mounted blinds, so that’s also a solution. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Michelle says
First off, I just stumbled upon your site while surfing and have been looking around on it for the past 3 hours! I am so INSPIRED! Thank you!!!
I am renting a room in a house with 3 other girls…the room is EXTREMELY small with one small off set window. I was going to hang the rod higher and wider to make the window look bigger. The walls are white and the furniture will be mostly antiqued black. I liked the idea of bringing color in with the curtains…could I do one thick, colored, floorlength curtain pulled off to the side or will that be too much for a small room? Should I go for something lighter, in color and texture? Thank you so much!
YoungHouseLove says
You can definitely introduce some color in the curtains (hung high and wide) to give the small window more presence. I would actually do one panel on each side of the window (as opposed to one on only one side) for balance and also to add to the taller/wider illusion. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Veronica says
We bought our house a year ago and are finally replacing the vinyl blinds in our bedroom. In our bedroom we have a window on each side of our bed (the bed is centered between) and another window on another wall. The problem with the one window is that the ceiling coves in there and so the window is lower on the wall than it is on the other wall. I hung the rod higher on that wall and now I have about 4 inches in between the rod and the top of the window casing. On the other wall I only went about 2 inches above the frame because it is naturally higher. I want to use your idea of hanging bamboo roman shades but I’m not sure if I should mount inside the window or above the window. On the wall that has the 4 inch gap I feel like I need to mount above the window to hide the gap (just as you did). Does it have to be the same on all of the windows?? I might not have as much space on the two around the bed.
Thanks! I love your site and can’t get enough of it! You have inspired me :)
YoungHouseLove says
The idea is to create a look that appears as though all of the windows in the entire space are all the same extra tall height. So if windows are at different heights, mounting rods almost near the ceiling around the room (at a consistent height from the ceiling, like five inches) and then using bamboo blinds hung at the rod height to cheat the windows to look even more tall and balanced is the key. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Jana says
thanks so much sherry! can’t wait to try it out. :)
Nicola says
Hi guys,
Absolutely love your website, so many great ideas!! I like the look of the curtains and was wondering which curtain from Ikea you recommend? It is hard to see which of them is a shear/voile type fabric for slight privacy rather than blocking the view out a window as would happen with a cotton fabric?
There is now an Ikea in my area so will be able to check it out soon. Oh the fun!!
YoungHouseLove says
Nicola- We love the Vivan panels from Ikea. They’re the ones you see all over our house. They’re semi-sheer so light streams through them but they still look great hung high and wide (whereas super sheer curtains would look weird because you’d clearly see that they were cheated wider and higher than the window, which ruins the expansive and gorgeous effect). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Eva says
Hi there!
I am redoing our living room and love the idea of bamboo blinds with white side curtain panels. I was hoping to hang the bamboo blinds high above my window as well, I like that look. However, the directions on the bamboo blind package recommends attaching the screws right into the wooden moulding framing the window. I am worried about hanging the blinds high as there are no studs where the screws should go. How did you go about doing this? Are drywall anchors sturdy enough?
Thanks!! Your site has given me so many ideas.:)
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah, even little plastic anchors will do the trick! We used that method all over our house and three years later everything is still hanging in there. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Tara says
Hi, Do you remember what the name of the color is that you painted this room?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Tara,
It’s Sand White by Glidden, but some stores don’t carry that color anymore so you’ll have to ask them to look up the formula online for you to whip up a gallon for ya. Hope it helps!
xo,
s