Need some context: what is the room's style? Colors? Architecture? MOre details, please.

How you like this idea...Not quite close but..

or...

Inkwitch: The architecture in the room is Spanish Colonial - wrought iron rails, terra cotta and hardwood floor. Furnishings in the room are traditional in neutral colors. The walls are about to be painted in a very light taupe. The woodwork is stained in a dark walnut - the door, beams and bannister.

Carolyn Albert-Kincl Design: Thank you for the advice on the silk vs. linen. As for the plantation shutters, I don't think they would make them - it would be too heavy. The windows are 13' tall.

olgahoney: I like the look, but need something that provides more privacy and help with the sun exposure. Second photo could be an option.

I really appreciate the input. I don't know where to begin because they are so tall, yet I think they provide a great place to set the tone of the room and make a statement .

Hi elady333 , It looks as if your windows are 20' high , Roman Blinds will be a Good choice and why not split the window into two sections one upper and one lower , from the upper windows you will have light when you operate the blinds and lower ones can be closed to provide the Privacy from the busy street .

If privacy is an issue, but sunlight isn't, I would use a bottom-up shade, or a bottom-up roman shade. Have it end 6-8 feet from the bottom window sill.

Then I would hang a single curtain rod that would cover the expanse of both windows, with curtain panels to the left and right of both windows, in other words a total of 2 panels. Bring the ends of the panels to the inner ends of the windows. Beautiful tiebacks to keep the upper sections of the windows open. This will give you privacy and not block light.

If you sew this would be an affordable option. 13' is 4 1/3 yds of fabric not including seam allowances. The hardest part would be balancing on a ladder to hang the curtain rod.

Another alternative is to buy a couple of three-panel folding screens to place at the base of the windows behind the sofa, blocking the view from the busy street. If you choose to take down the honeycomb shades, please save them for the next owner as they are very expensive (and not an eyesore to everyone). You might also want to simply try taking them down for a few months.

Bobbi P's split solution is elegant and practical. Olgahoney's photo shows how the long single panels would look. On a west facing wall, you'll need to either accept fabric fading or have the single panels lined. For this 20' height, professional installation is a must for safety reasons.

I've done shutters on windows 5 ft. wide and 10 ft. high, so I think that 13' shutters are a possibility. They are held up by hinges, just as a door would be. You might want to inquire of your local shutter companies.

Is it possible to open the honeycomb blinds all the way and design a window treatment without removing them? That way, you can use them at night for insulation.
I would look into Sombraje shutters, which are traditional in northern New Mexico. You can see examples by entering "salt cedar shutters" on Google. I would suggest the "falling water" pattern. The twigs are set into the frame on the diagonal. Your left window would have the twigs slanting up from left to right, and the right window would have the twigs slanting up from right to left. This would give the impression that the two windows come to a peak in the center. Sombraje shutters can be made for tall windows like yours and can take intense heat. If you open the window and close the shutters, the breeze can flow through. The color of light that comes through depends on what kind of wood is used for the twigs (pale, reddish, etc.).

thank you everyone, i found all your suggestions helpfull

Great suggestions - just one more question. What fabric would you recommend? I'd like them to add softness to the otherwise hard surfaces. I'm leaning towards a solid vs print just to allow flexibility in changing out accents across seasons.

A textured solid or a tone-on-tone fabric in neutral would best match what furniture (sofa) I can see in your picture, if you want to change with the seasons.

Due to the narrowness of the windows, why not the old designer trick of treating them as one window? Use one rod, with drapes on either side. If desired, set a third drape in the center. You can untie them for privacy, when needed, or tie back/center tie when light is needed? If you do the top and bottom separation as suggested in other inputs here, I would still do one across the bottom, and one across the top (rather than 4 separate units).

Good Idea by ddelora , to treat the windows as One .

Solid color linen or faux silk.

I like Olgahoney's photo that divides the very tall windows with molding, then uses Roman-style blinds on the various parts. It turns plain old big windows into an elegant statement and allows for more adjustability. You could even leave the top half without any window treatments because no one could see in and only dress the bottom where privacy is an issue.

Given what you said about your style, the first thing that came to mind were "shutters" made of a Moorish filligree pattern in a light-weight wood painted to match or contrast with the walls. Staining it a wood tone would make them highly contrasted. This would be lighter in weight than plantation shutters, but would give you light and privacy.

Someone has suggested draperies.

I work in a Home Decor department and deal with window treatments. There are several options and it will depend on your design style. I understand that the taller the window the more expensive it will be, but if you go to www.lowes.com you can find some longer panels that you will not find at the store itself. As long as the rods you choose are not too ornate I think you can get away with some really nice curtains. You may want to check at Bed Bath & Beyond they carry long window treatments as well as Pottery Barn. Plantation shutters are always a good option when it comes to resale etc. but yes are very expensive (good investment in the long run.) Check your local Lowes for sales on Plantation Shutters. Another option could be Roman shades, your windows dont look too wide...there are some available at Lowes the longest they carry is 72 in length, anything longer would be a special order.
Hope these tips help:-)

Hi, I have 12 foot x 48" windows in the southeast by the ocean.
You have sea grass so if you are talking hot here are the 3 ways I worked with 38 windows.
A. All hot facing windows afternoon or morning sun sometimes high noon and on is hard have Hunter Douglas Top down, bottom up. They are honeycomb and the top which can come all the way down has a silk that shows and just gives the window some fun, each room matches the walls so they do not pop out at you.
The french door or other tall windows have curtains, however, they are all custom made and cost a fortune. 800 a window however, they are up forever and have saved me a small fortune-The backs are black out thermal and the fronts are simple beautiful silk. Where they do not join perfect, even though made there were some issues with transoms and rod we did a trick I love, I had a valance in coordinating color or opposite color or sometimes I go out and buy a new valance at bed bath and beyond. In the living room, they are closed if it is really cold out, or a rain storm comes through. They are closed every night.
As a result of paying very good attention. to the windows I heat and cool a 14 foot 4,000 sq. ft house year round for 356.00 per month.
It is well worth the time to do this.
On some french doors I keep sheers down all the time and close them at sunset. It is almost a mantra moment of peace at 5-6 curtains get closed.
And this way I have different styles to keep with a 100 year old restored home and save money.
Hope this helps you.
PS I did them over two years, steered with the hottest room and moved on.
C

Elady - One of my great-aunts had windows like that, in an almost virginal 1930s Spanish Colonial she had built for herself. She had sheers gathered on rods in each window and long posh embroidered panels between the windows and on each side. It was much like today's embroidered Indian Cottons, but more intense colors.

The idea of having a double Roman shade so you can have light coming in and still have privacy is excellent.

Another way to do it is to have bottom-up roller blinds you pull up to shoulder height when you need privacy.

1 - The afternoon sun will rot almost anything you have there, so make sure you have sun-resistant fabric and consider putting UV-filtering film on the glass to protect your furniture and floors.

2 - Put the money into the fabric that will be hit by the sun - Sunbrella makes some nice sheer fabrics in a pale cream and other neutrals.

3 - The long side panels can be almost anything, even dress-weight materials if you use rods and clips. This might be a place to save money and use interesting cheap fabrics. Just hem and hang long strips of it on the clips.

Due to the height of the windows., use tall, large scale furniture and art to decrease the scale of the windows. Treat only the lower half or use shutters left shut on the upper half. Good luck. This is a challenging problem.

Gah! Yes, get rid of the shades! I would go for a long sheer drape like in the photo from Olgahoney. Why have these huge windows if you are going to cover them up? Was the sun too hot, was the view too eyesore? These are things to consider.

those are HUGE windows! Plantation shutters are a good option but they are gonna be pricey...... I would go with a light-textured linen type material for a covering---it will be 'light and airy' but still block the light when needed. Floor to ceiling it the new style now anyway. You could do a solid but, a small print would be nice (could add texture)....

Here in Austin, installed plantation shutters are costing under $30 per sq. ft. They add value to your home and are a great insulation material.

Plantation shutters are more rare in the northeast thus far in my experience...

That surprises me. What experience are other designers in the northeast having with plantation shutters. By plantation shutters, I mean 3.5" louvers.

They are hugely popular in Canada, Carolyn, and have been for years.

And I would have no worries about the large size--they'd just have more hinges to support them. Shutter suppliers will certainly confirm whether they'll make them in the size required and will give you a quote so you know exactly what it will cost.

I would use long draperies that added texture; crewel with neutral tones. You can get them on Ebay and pay a fraction of the retail.

Plantation shutters.

I have Hunter Douglas Duet blinds on my windows (the western of which get a lot of strong sun in the afternoon), and find them ideal, both for controlling the sun and heat in the summer and keeping the windows insulated in the winter. I think you should keep your blinds, which look neutral and nice, and pair them with curtains. I agree with the writer who would treat the two windows as one, since they are close together. Since it's a Spanish Colonial house, I recommend a wrought iron rod (Pottery Barn has good ones) and linen or sheer curtains for summer. In winter, you can use velvet or crewel. I change my curtains twice a year, which gives my rooms a variety of colors as well as seasonally appropriate fabrics.

Whatever you do, if you use panels, have them "puddle" some. Anything that is that long is going to stretch! If they puddle, you will never have a problem. (The voice of experience here!)