Hi Erin -

You have lots of beautiful windows! It's a little tough just looking at snapshots to tell if a suggestion can work.....but instead of hanging panels between each window, consider a single rod over the three windows and a single rod over the pair of windows, then only have stacks of sheers at each end. The stacks in the corner will meet each other.

This will create softness, but won't be overly busy or reduce the light in the room.

I do a small iron/black rod with a diameter of 1" or 1.5"and small finials or a cap on the end (just something simple). I'd measure the distance between the top of the window and the bottom of the crown and hang the rods at the halfway point.

It's hard to tell you what to do in the dining room - I can't see the ceiling or what the relationship of that space is to the family room.

Best of luck!

-Christine