It's all overwhelming and confusing, isn't it? I've been going through my own WT issues so I'm definitely not the one to be giving advice. But if you're looking for WT ideas, the site below is a good place to start. And, of course, looking through magazines. Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Pate Meadows patterns

Thanks meg711 for your reply. What are your issues? Maybe we can get through this together!

I guess I already have some definite ideas, just not a good working plan. Maybe I will have to try posting pics.

First, I need to try to figure out what length rod to get and how many panels I need? (Do they get sewn together, do they need to be lined)? What color is best with red walls?

I'm thinking khaki, feels like a safe choice. Anybody have pictures of drapes in their red rooms? Thanks again.

Wow, that is a wide set of windows! It is going to be tough to find a rod long enough. I saw one at Restoration Hardware that extended to 126". That would work, but won't give you much drapery hanging on either side. But given your windows are so wide you might not care about making them look wider. It might be nice to get the rod long enough that you could even out the wall space on either side of the window.

In your second post you asked about lining them. If at all possible I would get them lined. When they aren't lined they look flimsy, plus the lining will protect them. If you get multiple panels it's nice to sew them together so there won't be any gaps...especially if you are going to open and close them, then that would be a must. I would suggest you getting two panels on either side given the width of the windows.

Of course pictures of your space would help. For ideas, try looking at Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware. They have some nice things, and sometimes you can find them on sale. HTH

polkadots~I'm so glad you replied! I know you're working on your drapes too, maybe next time I'll be brave and try something a little different. I will take a pic in the morning.

Thanks for letting me know about RH. After looking at their prices, I think I'll go with Country Curtains, I've had good luck with them in the past. Here's what I'm looking at, what do you think? How many rings will I need for four panels?

I'm not sure I know what you mean about evening out the wall space on either side of the window, I mean, how would I do that exactly?

I've found drapes at Target online that I like, I can't tell if they're lined so I may just order them and see. If I keep them, I will have them sewn together. That is what I was thinking too.

They are $30 a panel, of course they're not on sale, and I'd have to pay for shipping. So it would cost quite a bit for what I need, more than $200. Including hardware, not including shades. I had no idea it would be that expensive, quite breathtaking.

I also still would like to know what you think of the London shades, possibly in a small print or floral, on the other windows. I would try to get the khaki in the print of course.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ball Finial Rod Set

A gal at my 2nd job mentioned that Ikea has great prices on drapes. Check them out!

Check out JCPenney drapes. Decent quality and great price.

How about posting a picture of your window that also shows your furnishings?

You start with your rod and clips. You want your rod mounted above your moulding so that when your clips attach to your drapes or panels you don't seen any window frame at the top. You obviously need to be concerned about width, as you will be pulling them shut. Buy your panels wide enough to cover your window; it's fine to have them extend beyond the sides if you like. Whatever appeals to your eye is just fine.
The length should go just a tad above the floor.
I would make the window shade to go inside the window. Otherwise you might have interference with the drapery rod and way too much aggravation for a first time WT.
I just finished curtains with rings/clips for my bathroom and working on grommet drapes now. Good luck and have fun. Just get the rod up first.

A picture would help a lot. If you are going to get shades, do you need to pull the drapes closed for privacy? If not, you might be able to get by with fewer side panels since you wouldn't need to cover the whole width of the window, and shorter rods.

Our house has a huge family room window - probably even longer than yours, and I'm trying to decide what to do with ours as well, but I am working on some kitchen ones first. You can buy rods that piece together for really long widths, but you'll probably need an extra support bracket or two to hold it up, especially if your drapes are heavy. I think I've seen rods that extend to 140" though.

A general rule of thumb is to extend the rod to about 3" on each side of the window. If you don't need to pull them closed, you could use very short rods on each side, to just hold the panels. I've seen this done in a lot of model homes. If you click on the bottom right picture on the Pate Meadows link that Meg gave you above, it brings a picture up of what I'm talking about. A decorative rod that long in itself will be pretty expensive.

Your panels should be about 2 times the width of the area they are covering for fullness. If you pull them closed they'd of course need to be wide enough to cover the whole rod, and if you want them to have some fullness when closed, even wider than that. I'm not sure how wide the panels are that you are looking at (I'm guessing maybe 40 or 50"), but I'm guessing you'd need at least 2 on each side to be able to pull them across the whole window, and then you may want to sew the two on each side together.

You'd probably need the 95ish inch long drapes. Your rod could be mounted just over the window moulding and you could hem the drapes or let them puddle on the floor (which may not be great if you want to pull them closed sometimes) or you could fold back the extra length at the top and tack, pin, or use something like Stich Witchery (an iron on glue) to secure.

Or, you may want to mount the rod up several inches above the moulding. If you do that, and you want the drapes to hang and inch or two above the floor, be sure to take into account that the rings and clips can hang down a little bit, so you may want to buy rod, rings, clips etc. first, clip on the drapes and then mark where the rod should be mounted.

Good luck finding something. You're right about curtains and rods being expensive even when you don't buy custom made!

I'm going to mount the rod above the molding, on the wall, so that should hide the frame. I figure four panels will be wide enough; a little puddling is fine with me, although my sister and BF think it's a horrible crime ha. I don't think I can do shades on the same windows, but that's okay. I wanted shades on the other set of windows. Here's a pic.

These are the panels I am considering.

http://s283.photobucket.com/albums/kk282/prairiegirl/

Here is a link that might be useful: Chenille Drapes

Hey prairiegirlz,

Beautiful room and windows! It sounds like you have it under control. The advice above was helpful for me, too, so I'm glad that you posted this question.

And thanks for the offer of working on this together but I think my issues will bog you down. I have some weird shaped arched windows, some with trim that is too close to the wall for a proper rod, and light issues to deal with. But it will get done . . . eventually.

Meg, we've been here 7 years and it still looks like we just moved in! Talk about issues, LOL.

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I wish I knew how to get the picture in my post, I'm not very good at that kind of thing.

I wanted to post more pictures, but my battery was low, memory card full, just not my day. The door to the kitchen is on the wall facing the windows, it's a swinging French door to the left of the window on the other side of the built-in. There are French doors in the LR, that lead to the front porch, and the LR faces the DR but the casing is open. I do not have the need or desire to dress the French doors.

Is it okay to have two separate WT for the two sets of windows in the DR? Since they're so close to one another, will it look strange if I have short shades and make no attempt to match them?

prairiegirlz, I was rethinking my point about evening out the wall space on either side of the window and I don't think it will work. I was just thining that if it bothers you that the space on either side is not the same, you could mount the rod so that it is a little longer on the side that is bigger. Then you could have more drape on that side making it look like the window came over further. But, in thinking about it, that is going to throw off where your WT actually hits on your window or the fullness on either side might be affected...sorry, I hope I didn't totally confuse you.

I don't think I fully understand your question about your dining room, but it doesn't seem like it will work to have non-matching shades...but if you can share a picture I'm sure that will help.

The rod you posted from CC looks nice. Good choice. The cost of these things is outrageous. I have to do custom because of the size of mine and it's totally crazy. :(

I'm second-guessing the rod now, it's not black but "dark gunmetal gray", OTOH, it may blend better with the antique brass hardware on the windows. I'm not a matchy-matchy type. Ack!

Can someone please help me post my picture, you have to copy and paste my link to view it?

What I meant is, the shades or whatever on either side of the built-in will not match the panels on the long window, but they will match each other.

I keep telling people that you REALLY cannot tell, once the "rods" are up, that you've used copper pipes. They come in different lengths and diameters; splurge for a pipe cutter 10- 20 dollars; pop on an end cap or use a finial on a cork. Spray paint the rod (be sure to match your finials, brackets and rings). Use the proper number of brackets to hold the weight. I did three rooms for $25. The best price I could find on continuous rods (not the telescoping kind) was $600. If you have to add a piece with your pipe cutter and a connector to get the right length, just be sure to put it in a place that will be obscured by your drapery treatment. Save your money for the fabric.

Now you tell me, LOL. I ordered the set from Country Curtains, it cost $102.50 (with shipping)! But I may have ordered too many rings, I ordered four packages of ten. Maybe I only need 28 or 30?

Someone's gettin' rich.

I'm not sure I understand entirely. It's hard to visualize what you are talking about. Can you post more pictures? Are the other two windows in the same room or a different room but visible from the dining room? If theyr're in another room, I don't think they need to match but just look like the scheme goes from one room to the next. It would help to see a picture of the whole area, but if they are in the same room, I don't think they have to have the same treatment, but it would be nice if they tied together somehow. Maybe you could add a valance to the windows with the shades out of the same or coordinating fabric, or you could cover or trim the shade with some of the same fabric. If the windows are all in the dining room, and you want to keep it somewhat formal, you might even want to use the same window treatments on those other windows.

I'm not much help with the WT, but here's your picture.
{{!gwi}}

To post pictures within a post, just go to your photobucket account and under the picture you want to post you'll see the HTML link. Click on that and a little yellow word "copied" will appear. (or you can just highlight the whole link and copy it) Then go to the GW post and paste that link into your comments. When you hit preview, you should be able to see the picture. If not, go back and try again, before you hit submit. HTH Pretty windows!

Thank you so much sujafr! I am terrible when it comes to posting my own photos. I don't have any other pics available now, but as you can see, there are two sets of windows in one room. I am going to hang panels on the long set of four windows.

I was thinking of London shades for the other set of windows. There are two windows on the other wall, but you can only see one in this photo. There is an identical window on the other side of the china cabinet. As you can see, there used to be flat panels on flat rods top and bottom of all the windows, they're white sheers and they can be tied around the middle. Not my style.

The reason the bookcase looks like it's on an angle is because that wall is angled. PO had a grandfather clock there, but we don't have one. We read a lot, and that bookcase has held children's book for more than 15 years in our house, so that will stay. The loveseat belongs in another room, we have a matching sofa in the LR. I do intend to get DR furniture someday LOL. Not sure if the rug will stay or go. Opposite the loveseat is my desk, that I'm relocating to a bedroom/new home office!

You can also see in this photo that I was experimenting with hardware on the china cabinet drawers, I do not like the kitchen hardware that I currently have, but don't know where I would find old hardware. I found some that fit exactly on the upper cabinet at a garage sale, but that was pure luck.

I will also be replacing the cheap light fixture.

Thanks again for the help, I can sure use it!

Very pretty windows, prariegirlz. A picture makes a huge difference. It looks like the window frame on the bookcase wall is not the same height as the windows on the sofa wall. Is that right? It doesn't look like there's room for shades on the sofa windows, so you're not going to do that, right?. But you want to pull the drapery panels for privacy, right?
How about a panel on the little window (one on each end of the china cabinet windows); a panel meeting in the corner on the sofa window; and a panel in the center section, and a panel on the end. The panels on the ends can be drawn to the center section for privacy when you want it. Put your shades on each of the smaller windows as well, if you like, but I would probably make the drapery panels to draw right and left over the little windows for privacy and skip the shades. I really like those windows. I would do grommets, though. Sorry, I know you already ordered them and they are probably your preference, but I think clips and rings would add a little too much to the space, but I'm just throwing in my 2 cents worth. Actually, I've totally disregarded your question, I got so caught up in your window picture. When you've decided on the type of window treatment you want, we can help with the amount of fabric you need.
Annie

annie~You're right, the window frames are slightly different heights, there isn't room for shades on the long windows due to the window latches, and I do want to pull the drapery panels on the long windows for privacy.

I got the drapes today from Target. I hate them! They look like a couch fabric. So I ordered swatches from Pottery Barn for their Peyton Drapes. Maybe they will come before the sale is over. I didn't get the rod from CC yet, I hope it doesn't disappoint, I'm starting to second guess that decision too.

I saw these shades on clearance at PB. I was thinking they might look nice on the short windows, with some panels in the tan color, or maybe dark brown? They don't send swatches for the shades. Since my window is 27" wide, I would get the 32" wide shade, right?

Here is a link that might be useful: Pottery Barn Shade

Prairie:
I like those shades for the little windows. I think you can still do side panels with them, as you'll be connecting with the other windows with panels. Make certain that you like the look of the tan or beige background with your white woodwork. The red is great with the walls; the tan is probably good with your sofa. But consider a fabric with white in it that will look like it belongs with the house (woodwork color) and isn't necessarily dictated by your upholstery and current decor. That way you can always change your furniture, and you can always blend your furniture to the window coverings with pillows and other accessories.
And please, if there is any advice I can give it's don't be pressured by sale prices and opportunities. There will always be another sale and a good price again. Take your time and be sure of what you want. Have a plan and let it evolve over time. I think you will be happier in the end.

Prairie: Sorry, I didn't answer your question. If your window is 27" wide you want a shade that covers the window glass area, OR covers the entire wood frame and glass. I would mount the shade inside the woodwork. Whatever that measures, that's the width you want.
I think I might have to re-think my wish to see a side panel with the shades; looks like there isn't enough room. But, if you want a shade there and not drapery panels to pull across the window, put the shade inside the wood frame, covering only the glass area. Don't put a 32" shade on a 27" window (that's where window treatments get tricky -- you might need to customize). Your cheaper alternative just might be to do drapery panels all around as I suggested earlier. Pull for privacy over the little windows from the left and right sides and connect with panels over the sofa. That would be my choice and I think it would be clean and sophisticated. You have a complicated window area to deal with, for sure. It's worth a few nail-biting sessions to get it right to achieve your personal look.

gosh annie~Thanks for taking the time to reply. I guess patience isn't my strong suit, I get that I should've waited to be sure before ordering, now I'm out shipping charges at least, to return the rod and drapes I don't like. But I DID learn something, so I suppose there's that, LOL.

Yeah, I don't think I can do panels on the short windows, custom may be my only option. I'm going to consult with my girlfriend that sews, throw myself at her feet, LOL.

In any case, I need to step back and take my time, because this is a big expense for us. I'll post more when I get it sorted out.

I realize that you don't have too much space by the little windows, but what if you buy another two panels (same as for the big window) and put one on each window and gathered at the side. The right window draped to the right and ofcourse the left to the left. All hung at the same height. If you need privacy, you just leave them hanging.

I changed my mind about the dark gray color and the acrylic ball finials. It looked like the 96" panel length was just long enough. I will definitely need more than 4 panels, unless I want to barely cover the windows, otherwise they look a little skimpy to me. I guess I really need 5 panels.

I have decided that what I really want is lined, linen drapes. I am sure of that one thing.

I'm still not sure of the color, have been trying to decide between ivory, sage and tan. I want something neutral, that I can possibly use with warm or cool colors. My brother told me to use sage. He's an artist with got a great eye, what do you guys think?

I think you're both saying to use panels on all the windows, right? I have considered that, but...I don't know about panels on the short windows. Since the molding goes across the entire built-in, I think that would obscure the great architecture of that wall.

Maybe a Roman shade in the same fabric as the panels would be the way to go. Or using a patterned shade (my heart is still leaning that way) with the pattern sewn on the leading edge of the panels as well? And making a cornice to top the wide windows? Since a rod that is long enough to support the drapes might make way too much of a statement, and there wouldn't be a rod on the short windows. I think, how DO you mount a Roman shade?

I got this idea from BHG, October 2007 issue, so I can't take full credit for it. But they never addressed the short windows in that room, the ones over the built in bookcases that flank the fireplace. I just realized that it's a similar problem, if anyone has ideas I can use. Thanks!