It’s Gettin Hot In Hur, So Add Some Bamboo Blinds. I am, getting so hot, I’m gonna put some blinds uuup. Picture me singing that while installing each of these four blinds. On repeat. While John rolled his eyes.
Actually it was less about heat and more about that ever-elusive p word: privacy. Just during the day (we don’t use the sunroom at night) but it’s hard to make a room with an entire wall of windows feel private and cozy. So we reasoned that bamboo blinds + the fence that we added outside for our patio (which you can see through the windows here thanks to this photography trick from Kate) just might do the trick.
We opted to go with the same bamboo blinds that we got from Home Depot for the office (they’re called Mirada if that helps anyone find them). This time we needed four 30″ bamboo blinds (which were $19 per shade) but they didn’t sell them in the store, so we ordered them online (yay for free shipping).
Once they showed up, it was on. Cue me singing and drilling until these babies were up (using the same hanging-method that we detailed here). And just like that, our sunroom was hot. Not temperature wise, attractive wise. I mean come on, if you were a sunroom looking for love, wouldn’t you want to get to know our sunroom? She’s PHAT (pretty hot and tempting).
Aaaaand now that I’ve successfully managed to out-nerd my dad (didn’t think I could and then my fingers just went rogue) I’ll just share the other after pics:
The cool thing is that the blinds + the patio fence do sort of “meet in the middle” to provide some privacy from the house next door (the fence blocks the bottom 2/3 of the window from view, and the blinds handle the top 1/3). Daytime privacy goal: achieved.
Not to mention that we love the texture and the warm tones that they bring into to the room. They balance other wood items, like the side table…
… and the wooden doily stretcher on the wall (a $4 thrift store score)…
…along with the homemade bike print frames on the other side of the room…
Hubba hubba.
In short, this was the view of the room from the sliding door in the living room before:
And now it looks like this:
And a crazy chopped-up room that looked like this when we moved in…
… now looks like this.
I’m itching to paint the dainty legs of that round table next to the egg chair a nice dark tone. Maybe chocolate or charcoal? I think it’ll set off the granite top just right. And see that orange strip of wood under the sliding door? Gotta go white with that to match the trim.
Is any window-rectifying-action going on in your house? Let’s talk about blinds bay-bee, let’s talk about you and me…
Lauren says
Could you roll the blinds all the way down if you wanted to?
YoungHouseLove says
Yes they go all the way down, we just like them open :)
xo,
s
Krystle @ Color Transformed Family says
Definitely warms up the room. I would like to see more wood tones in there as the room progresses. It would totally be one of my favorite places to hang out in your house.
Ellen says
I think those “dainty legs ” should be painted that lime green color that is all over the room. Except that side of the room… take a look…. :)
YoungHouseLove says
That’s fun too!
xo,
s
Ashley@AttemptsAtDomestication says
Love the contrast of the bamboo blinds with the white! I really want to get a set for our master bath because I think it’ll look great against the white curtains in there!
And now you’ve inspired me for another area in the house…
Jess @ Little House. Big Heart. says
Your sunroom is really coming together! I love how the blinds pull in the natural tones from the rug and side table and add some texture to that side of the room (since the brick wall is extra texture-y)!
Allie ~ This Yellow House says
I love the blinds! It’s always so cool to me to see ya’lls rooms come together like this. It looks awesome!
Gabriella @ Our Life In Action says
I love bamboo – something about it warms up the room. Great job…now I can’t wait to see what you decide to do with that little table. :-)
Randi says
I really just love your sunroom and the blinds are kind of like the icing on the cake! I can’t believe the difference between when you moved in and how it looks now. Keep up the great work – it’s inspiring!
Michelle says
you mentioned that the blinds block the top third and the fence blocks the bottom two thirds…are you able to pull the blinds completely down? or are they stationary?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes they close all the way, we just chose this height.
xo,
s
Mary Ostyn (Owlhaven) says
I have one of those shades in a bathroom, and love it. Thinking of doing more elsewhere in the house. The price is right and the look is really nice. Good job!
Mary, momma to many
bridget b. says
Your sunroom looks so good! And you killed me with the Money Talks reference. That movie had so many great one-liners that we still use (Same time man, I don’t know you. Same time!)LOL.
Question: Where did you get that round side table from? I love it! Is that a marble top? Is it really heavy? I’ve been searching for one like it forever! I ever find one, I want to paint the legs gold.
YoungHouseLove says
It’s from a thrift store in Delaware. Got it so cheap! It is pretty heavy though!
xo,
s
Christie says
Sometime in the 70s the previous owners to our house added a large 17’x15’ addition. The room is all windows – 17 in fact. The carpet was olive green and the room had matching curtains that stretched across all three sides of the room. With no overhead light and rich brown wood from floor to ceiling the room felt like a dungeon. We replaced the carpet with Cork flooring, painted the walls a soft blue – leaving the ceiling the stained wood. The biggest transformation was replacing the 17 windows with 7. It feels like a completely different room! Only problem now is we have absolutely no privacy! I was nervous that we wouldn’t be able to afford shades since our windows are about 52” x 72” but yours look awesome and are totally affordable! Your post made my day!
YoungHouseLove says
That sounds awesome! Congrats on all the work!
xo,
s
Melinda says
Love the privacy and the texture, but I think I would have looked for similar shades in white. The wood tone in the blinds and the side tables feels off balance to me, but then again, I have a thing for light white sunrooms Lol!
Johanna says
Thought you guys may want to know, there is an ad on here on the top right, above your family picture… With a girl who doesnt look much older than 14 in a bikini and its titled HELP:TOO MANY WOMEN… No credit card required… view more pics.
Johanna says
Ok its gone now! Lol
YoungHouseLove says
So glad!
xo,
s
YoungHouseLove says
Ack, that’s definitely not sanctioned. Off to try to block that! Thanks for the tip :)
xo,
s
Lisa E says
The look nice. It’s really looking cozy in there! Not that you asked, but I vote for charcoal gray legs for that table. ;)
Laura McClellan says
All these years claiming to be a 90’s kid, and I never knew “phat” was an acronym. Thank you, Sherry, for enlightening me. This blog really does change lives. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Hahahaha!
xo,
s
Tyra says
Random questions- how did you decide which daubed went in here and which one went in Clara’s room? Are they different sizes? Maybe one is safer (I don’t have kids so I have no clue), or just the lines/design of them?
Keep doing what y’all are doing! Love it all!
YoungHouseLove says
We chose the more closed one for her room and the one with more open framing for the sunroom (less chance of rolling out the back while she sleeps, haha!)
xo,
s
Megan @ Rappsody in Rooms says
And that is how you do grey and brown together! I love it! The sunroom is such a cute space now!
Kat says
Oh my word…you’re crazy. But I love it. And I’m lovin’ the blinds too. They do add warmth and texture…good call. And that picture of John is ridic. Gets me every time. Oh and I’m diggin’ the charcoal legs thought. Who wouldn’t want a pair of charcoal legs in their sun room, I mean really.
Katie says
Thanks Sher, now I’ll be humming that song all day.
Also, I know you said granite or charcoal, but what about giving the legs on the table a little “teal” lovin. Ya know, to make that teal pillow not feel so lonely? I think those legs are just begging to be color-fied.
YoungHouseLove says
That would be fun!
xo,
s
Jen says
I have the same blinds in my kitchen and breakfast nook ~love~ But I’m wondering where the strings are on your blinds? I trimmed mine so that they wouldn’t hang quite so low when they are open, but I don’t see yours at all. What am I missing???
YoungHouseLove says
I just tucked them up behind, so I can pull them down to adjust them.
xo,
s
Ashli @ The Sweat Revolution says
Love it! I loved your sunroom before, but I did think it looked kinda “cold”. This has definitely done the trick! And I think charcoal would be good for those table legs :)
Stephanie says
That looks really great. It definitely warms up the room.
It’s like you’re trying to make me stop being lazy and get a new blind for my living room window. :)
I will now be singing both those songs. all. day.
Leslie says
Hi there, the blinds look great. Just noticed that your old house is for sale! Realtor.com has it as “creme puff, fabulous renovation”!
bonitiful says
YES! that’s the way I envision my sun room…looks amazing.
P.S: funny hubba!
xoxo
http:/bonitiful.com/
christina @ homemade ocean says
I was so amazed by Kate’s trick….and now I am even more impressed seeing it in action (again).
Looks awesome, always a sucker for bamboo!
Wendy says
Whoa Sherry! I dare you to go Oz on the round table and paint that base emerald.
Charcoal or brown? Maybe for some other blog! THIS is YHL! Hit it with some color!
It’s just paint, right?
GEAUX FOR IT.
PS Does John serenade you with “Oh Sherry, our love holds on!”
Wendy says
PPS Is the bike frame in John’s famous picture emerald? I like that green, green is my favorite. What makes green “emerald”? Is it a green blue? Or a blue green?
Discuss.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha I’d call it emerald, and I’d say emerald is 80% green and 20% blue. Maybe that’s too much blue. Ack, I choked at the emerald quiz.
xo,
s
YoungHouseLove says
Hahahahaha!
xo,
s
Krista says
We’ve been looking at those exact blinds for our rec room windows! I’m thrilled to see how awesome they look installed.
Our only glitch at this point is that our windows are 6 ft wide so we’re not sure if we can a) order them to fit or b) need 2 blinds per window….
Melissa @ Loving Here says
I love this post so much! You guys are the king and queen of awesome song references. As for the blinds, I do like these a whole lot, but our whole house came with white, wide-slat blinds (not the skinny plastic cheap ones)so I’m having a hard time convincing myself to take those out and replace them since I know they were expensive…
Amanda says
Oh no, I’m going to have Nelly and Salt-n-Pepa stuck in my head all day! lol Kinda funny when you realize that I work in a library. Pretty racy lyrics for a timid librarian- in-training. ha!
Looking good blinds!
heyruthie says
I think i’m suddenly dying to see you guys experiment with that yellow (guest room) rug in there……
Linette says
I never knew what phat stood for! I love learning random things like that. :-) Oh – and the blinds look great! ;-)
Kristin says
I am actually impressed at your ability to turn a simple hanging of cheap blinds and turn it into a super long post. Some days I think readers would understand no post rather than crazy filler post like this.
Jennifer says
We have those exact same blinds that we originally bought for privacy on our front windows.
http://www.jjmodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/tour-living-1.jpg
While they aren’t the best for privacy at night, they really do the job during the day but still allow light in. The wood also really helps pick up the other wood tones in the room. Looks great guys!
Care says
It’s a 90’s throwback day!
Have not heard “pretty hot and tempting” (phat) in quite a while – got a good laugh outta that one lol!
Necole @seriouslysassymama says
We have horrible vertical blinds all over the house except the kitchen. We rent, but have placed curtains in one of the rooms. We are planning on just putting blinds in the bedrooms, but I really like your idea.
Jen@The Decor Scene says
I love how this room is turning out. Gives me hope for our Sunroom. I just love bamboo blinds. They really do add great warmth and texture to a room. :)
Meredith says
I know this is off topic, but have you considered sharing what some of your paint colors look like at other times of the day?
We are looking to paint our living room light gray, and I LOVE how Moonshine looks in several of your rooms (our LR is super sunny as well)! I was curious as to how it looks when it’s dark outside. Does it darken a lot for you?
YoungHouseLove says
Honestly I would bring home a test pot of paint and try it at home since paint reads differently in every room depending on the light, etc. Good luck!
xo,
s
Lynn @ Our Useful Hands says
Awww they look so nice and give off a beachy vibe out there. Question: do they make lighter colored bamboo blinds and if not what do you think about whitewashing (or any other color washing) them? I think that would look FAAAABULOOOOUS!!
My best, Lynn
*no windows being cared for here today. I’m off to plant me some strawberry bushes!
YoungHouseLove says
They sell lighter colored ones too, we just love this color to tie into the side table and the art and even the ones in the office :)
xo,
s
Kay says
Ooh I love this. It really does warm up the room!
Kristin from the ATL says
This post was great, but I was far more preoccupied with the Nelly reference…and the use of PHAT. You’re definitely giving home decorating some serious street cred :)
YoungHouseLove says
Holla!
xo,
$
Sassy Apple says
We have those blinds on a bay window at the front of our house. The best part is that they let in light, but they give privacy. (Yes, we went outside at night to see if we could see inside). Enjoy!
Kate F. says
Been trying to convince my husband that bamboo blinds are the way to go on a couple of windows in our house. His concern is their durability since they aren’t expensive. Anyone had ones that the literally pull up and down every day without issue? Also, anyone have a link to good lined ones?
YoungHouseLove says
Anyone have tips for Kate?
xo,
s
Pamela says
Hey Kate,
I have these same-type blinds (but in very dark mocha – Allen & Roth brand from Lowe’s) in my master bathroom that I pull up & down every morning to open & close the window before & after a shower (no exhaust fan). They’re fabulous & haven’t had any problems for 3 yrs. so far. Mine were only $15 (smaller 24″ width) so the inexpensive factor hasn’t made a difference in the durability. Good luck!
Jennifer says
Wow, this is such an improvement!! The sunroom was kind of looking like a big grey and white box, a little cool and unnatural…the addition of blinds makes it look SO much warmer, cozier, and earthy! I think the addition of more plants/greenery would be wonderful – it would help to bring the outdoors in :) The blinds really draw your eyes to the windows – I love it!
Mel says
I normally love your color choices but I’m not feeling the gray walls in the sunroom – are you happy with them? Just looks a bit cold / concretey, especially on the brick work!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes we’re really happy with it with the light floor and white trim. It’s a really sunny room so it’s a nice mix of moody and airy :)
xo,
s
Heather says
You might have already answered this, but where did you get the rug in the sun room? Is it an outdoor rug? How big is it? We are looking for one for our patio.
thanks!!
YoungHouseLove says
It’s from World Market a really long time ago!
xo,
s
Jennifer says
You two love your bamboo!
Centsational Girl says
I love the warmth (and privacy) of woven shades! Thanks for the shout out friends, I can seeeeeeeeee your fence!
xo
Kate
Betsy says
Love the bamboo shades! We recently moved and all of our trim & floors are dark wood, so bamboo blinds would feel too heavy. Any ideas on what we shoud use instead? Cloth roman shades are so pricy!
YoungHouseLove says
Ikea used to sell affordable white roman shades, maybe they still do?
xo,
s
Lisa E says
If you do a search, there’s a blog out there with instructions to convert a simple mini blind with some fabric to a roman shade. Cost efficient!
Abigail says
For the round table – have you considered the “leg dip” that is all the rage right now in a bright color (like pink to match the Berger picture, or green to match the flower pot)!
YoungHouseLove says
That would be fun too!
xo,
s