This is beautiful. I wouldn't do cafes. They would hide the scenery. Could you maybe drape something above the windows?

Buy yards of fabric in an off-white color. Like an organza or a silk or something comparable. Then drape it across these windows. Start at the ceiling height, way above windows. Let the fabric drape down just a little over the windows.
Then have it floor lenght at each side of the windows. you know what I mean?

Thanks Trisha, I only need the bottom of the window covered for privacy on occasion.

To me, these windows look modern and cafe curtains seem not modern:) Just my opinion.

This is maybe way out there. What about that reflective film. A person can see out but not in. Might not work at night.

The windows and view are so pretty would be a shame to cover them.

How do those bottom up curtains /shades work?

okay, when I saw the forest in the background, I didn't think privacy was a requirement. I just think it would be a shame to cover up these windows.
If you really need privacy (are you sure? -- can anyone standing from the outside be able to see in?) then, you are right.
So, getting back to your original question, yes, semi-sheers would be fine.

has to be tasteful. reflective film will not do in this classy bathroom.

Wow, that's some bathroom! Any chance we could see the rest of it? I agree the cafe curtains don't go. I hate the thought of putting anything on them, but if I had to do something, I might do wood blinds to match the trim.

Laurie

Never mind! I just saw the pictures of your bathroom on the other post. Very nice!

Laurie

I think cafe curtains can be sweet and traditional or sleek and modern - just depends on what material you use.

First thing that comes to me is a slim, black rod with black clips holding a woven table runner with black accents (or 2 or 3 depending on the length you need and whether you want it flat or not) horizontally. Haven't looked at the rest of your pictures so don't know if that will work with the rest of the bath materials. The placement of the rod is going to be tough, though because you don't want it to line up with those beautiful sconces - it needs to be lower so it doesn't compete. You can do the same kind of thing with fabric. Do you want them to be a major design element or simple and unobtrusive?

Here is a link that might be useful: Woven Runner Idea

I have seen cafe curtains done in a way that is more contemporary and not so traditional. I wish I had a scanner so I could show you the photo I have, but I don't. Just think black metal clean-lined rods with a curtain that doesn't have any gathers. So basically the fabric would only be the width of the window, not the "1-1/2 to 2 times the width of the window" that we usually use to determine the width of curtain fabric. I hope that makes sense. I'd just use a very basic rod so as not to compete with those cool sconces. Or no visible rod? Just use tension rods? If you have the depth inside the window for that.

Okay, just now read the post right above mine and what I'm suggesting is similar!

What about bottom up sheer blinds?
What a fantastic space!

Love the windows and the view!

I also think a bottom up shade might look nice:

In those windows, in your good strong scheme, plain white semi-sheer cafe curtains could look too insubstantial; in any case, if they cover half the window, they will intensify a horizontal effect along your wall. Bottom-up shades are difficult with casement windows, since they will likely interfere with your crank mechanism.

If it were my bath, I would make simple flat cotton panels of narrow vertical stripes in camel and cream (the proportion of French ticking), a little less than 2/3 of the window height, so that they would hang to just above the sill, and use small black rings on slender black tension rods mounted inside each frame at the height of the top of the base plate of the wall sconces.
(So you'd mount the rods with a ring on them, and then measure from the attachment point to the sill to get the finished length.)

You'd get your tree view, create some privacy, mitigate the horizontal effect with the narrow vertical stripes and the slightly higher midpoint, repeat the colors in your tiles, add the bit of black that ties them into the other wall elements, and keep the effect visually interesting but quiet.

I LOVE some of these suggestions. Thank you!! And for the compliments, too. Unfortunately, tension rods wont work because of the 9' span (detailed too completely in my other post).

But Igloochic's suggestion of hanging glass panels got me thinking. I have some beautiful window film with a subtle leaf pattern that I was going to use temporarily. I might look for inexpensive frames the width of the windows (3 for the 9') put the film on the glass, hang from wire with little hooks, put up and take down as needed.

Think that might work? Here's the rest of the bath:

Here is a link that might be useful: Olychick's bathroom

Where would you put the panels when they were not up, so that they'd be out of the way?
One way to hang them would be with small right-angle screw-in hooks (they're like cup hooks, only a single right angle; no curve) in the window frames, and corresponding screw-eyes on the sides of the panels. The trick would be to clear the crank mechanisms. But the upping and downing would be simpler than wires or fishing line.
Frosted acrylic would weigh less than glass, and be unbreakable.
If weight and breakage isn't an issue, what about more of what's in your pocket door?

I was going to suggest this last night but had too much fun with the other threads.

I love your raku triptych and since you mentioned your appreciation for shojii, perhaps you can find some art on rice paper or even burn-out fabric panels in a similar theme to your triptych. I've seen some hand designed wallpaper that has the burnout effect also. Have some lightweight art frames made to match your window frames that go to your desired privacy height of around 16" or as high as the pendant bottoms as BM suggested and insert the panels. Hang or take down as you wish. If you wanted a permanent installation, consider sandwiching some art between museum quality glass. The other concept of decorative glass is fine also, but I think I'd prefer the softer filtering of paper or fabric in your space.

Whatever you decide, please post pictures as you have wonderful taste IMO.

PS, Don't hesitate to post your questions, lengthy or not. Most want to help.

Bronwynsmom, I have a cabinet planned for under the windows, long and narrow, maybe for shoe storage, but not attached to the wall. I was imagining just slipping panels back behind it. I really do not need them except if I will be showering or bathing at night, which isn't too often.

I will look for the hooks you described. I also thought I'd see if I could find frames that have plexiglass instead of glass to attach the film to, for expense and weight considerations. Don't know if they are readily available.

The glass in door came from from Simpson, don't know if I could find it elsewhere, but the window film I have mimics the tile listello, so I think will coordinate okay.

I still like your fabric panel idea, too. Maybe I could look at canvas stretchers or some such thing. might be a fright to try to get stripes straight, tho.

ablessings: This is also a fabulous idea!! There is a paper store in my town with many fabulous rice paper sheets to choose from. Even if I sandwiched between acrylic panels with no frame (they used to make frames like that many years ago - wonder if they still do?), they would be easy to hang, light and storable. I feel a winter project coming on!!!

Thank you all...I just knew some folks here would have ideas I hadn't thought of!!

Don't have anything to offer, but I wonder what the architect was thinking when he designed that room with those windows.

Graywings, it was my doing. I could go into it but would require another one of those looooong posts to have it make sense, but....it was a remodel, combining 2 rooms and so to balance with the rest of that side of the house...

The only large window area that faces East
I live in forest, in the NW where it is gloomy 8 mo of the year
love the view
every room has a large wall of windows, so it is consistent.

I think your windows are lovely.

The stripes I had in mind were for curtain panels that you could push aside, but that were not pleated, and the same width as the window section, so that they gave a simple flat effect when closed. A sewn panel is easy to make straight, but you have to be very precise about cutting them square so they will hang correctly. (Do you know about pulling a thread across a width of fabric to establish square?) Once you've done that, it's easy. (I use a 48" metal carpenter's ruler, a metal carpenter's square from the hardware store, and a pencil. Very low tech...)

Why don't you get one frame, and try a variety of things? You can buy single sheets of handmade paper in the craft store, and their frame shops often have stock panels of acrylic to fit stock frames...you could choose one ready-made that is close to the right dimensions just to try things out? Look on the remnant table at the fabric store for other things to try. You can also see easily with a sample whether or not you are adding just one too many patterns in your lovely, almost zen room.

And for the panels, I would still suggest making them taller than half the window height, depending on how they fit behind your cabinet, and how much window you really need to cover. (I have an unreasonable horror of the racing stripe effect...!)

How about the IKEA sliding fabric panels. Or one of the cable systems.

I was going to suggest the same thing as lazygardens. How about these?

Here is a link that might be useful: ikea panel

Bronwynsmom, It sounds lovely, until you get to the part of pulling a thread and sewing something...in my 20's, when my husband ripped his work jeans for the umpteenth time and i begrudgingly (because I hated mending and he didn't know how to run the machine) repaired them with the smallest stitch possible on my machine, back and forth, back and forth, reverse, etc. so they would STAY fixed (too poor to buy more) and he got up at 5 a.m to go to work and discovered I'd sewed the leg shut on his jeans and i had to wake up (Ugh) and rip out all those stitches and resew it, I threw the machine away and swore I'd never use one again. Oops that was way too stream of consciousness and long.

Anyway, I do hear what you said about too many patterns, so I'll keep it simple. I found some acrylic poster hangers that you just slip paper in a tiny top frame and bottom frame (no sides) that can be hung with filament. they were pretty tacky, but small invisible tacky that I don't think I'd even notice once the paper was in them. I might send for them and try that first.

PPS and Lazygardens, thanks for the Ikea idea, too. I was actually considering those for the walk in closet until I can afford to have cabinet doors made. I just don't have room at the ends of the walls to stack them and don't want to cover any part of the windows except the bottom 16" or so.It's a 2nd story so no one can see in except at night when it's lighted. To get a look up higher, someone would have to climb a tree and I'm not worth climbing a tree to look at!

Where is the tub/shower in relation to those windows? Can you give us some more pix of the space?

I guess I am wondering if there is another option for getting some privacy for bathing. Perhaps a panel that pulls in front of the bath or shower area, ceiling mounted. Or floor planters with bamboo or other taller vertical greenery. Or planters on that half wall with plants to create a screen. Just hard to know without knowing what the total layout is.

Frankly, I would not want anything that I constantly had to put up and take down to use my own bathroom. Raising or lowering a shade or opening/closing curtains is one thing - hanging window panels is another.

les917, thanks for sticking with me on this. I put the link to the bathroom below. The tub is right under the window furthest right. The shower is immediately inside the door, to the left as you enter, across from the vanity. the tub is at the far left end of the vanity.

I know what you are saying about putting up, taking down. I don't need to do that for the shower, ever. It is far enough away from the windows. But the dressing area/closet is at the far end of the windows, all the way to the left so I have to pass in front of them. BUT, no one can see into the rooms in the daylight. Because of the angles and reflections, that's not the problem. The only time I need to block the windows is when bathing at night, which isn't all that often.

But if I can figure out something that looks great and only blocks the bottom 1/3 of the window, then I might leave them up most of the time and only remove say the one by the tub when I bathe (in the daylight) so I can see out the window fully.

Here's the link again:

Here is a link that might be useful: Olychick's bathroom

If bathing at night is the issue, then I would think the view is a moot point, since I would guess that what you have is a black hole out there at night.

My inclination is to build a wood cornice that goes to the ceiling and runs the width of the window wall, finished in the same wood tones as the trim, and hide cellular blinds behind them. There are ones that stack almost invisibly at the top, and do not have to have cords.. Then pull them closed the few times you are bathing at night. The rest of the time you have a wonderful wood accent that unifies and finishes the windows.

Because of the nature of your windows, I am thinking the side ones are casements, and the screens are on the inside. Hard to apply window film to those and have a uniform look, and also split the film on the windows without any panes or inside trim to make it seem logical.

But the other thing I would do, seriously, is have someone stand outside at night while you walk through the bathroom and see how much is really visible. The height and angle of the windows may actually block the area of concern (bottom third).

Hmmm...
You said there will be a cabinet under those windows...what if you had planter boxes built of the same wood, with plastic liners and drains, and filled them with simple grassy green plants whose height covered the crucial parts of the window?
No moving and shifting, no loss of green view, and a strip of life in the winter months...right by the water supply for their care, plenty of humidity, plus the air cleaning effect of live greenery?
And no sewing.
I laughed out loud about your husband's jeans. Better than short-sheeting the bed!

You can get top down bottom up cellular shades that are cordless and wide enough so that one shade will cover the three pane center window. Your sills are deep enough so that you can have an inside mount and still clear the casement window hardware.

Les and Brmom, Thank you for more intriguing ideas!

I have done the view test and in my yard isn't a problem, but when the leaves are off the trees, way down our country road you can look directly into the bathroom. Don't remember geometry well enough to understand, but it's true (must have something to do with curvature of the earth). In one of the window photos you can see the neighbor's underground/bermed house roof (red metal) but they have no windows on my side, and only when they are on the roof cleaning it, could they really see much.

Suero, thank you for the info about the shades. I think I will have to go look; I'd looked online and just cruised through hd but thought I couldn't get anything 9' across. they might be the best answer, especially if I can find some without that huge plastic bottom rail that I saw on some at hd.

I'll post photos of whatever I end up with. Thanks again for all the great ideas!

I can see cafe type curtains there if you use at least semi-sheer material (you do what a little privacy, right?) and edge them in black. Even if you don't sew you can make them if you buy a good pair of scissors and some fabric glue. A fabric store could help you select the best trim to use with the glue.
I'd then hang them on a black rod with black rings.

The link below shows the escutcheon brackets that you would need to inside mount the rods.

Here is a link that might be useful: brackets

My husband made the same brackets for 60 cents and a little work. Plumbing parts and hack saw. These are not as refined but could be made so with a little more effort. Where we were using them they did not need to be nice like in your windows.

They could be sprayed black.

Here is a link that might be useful: Inexpensive brackets.

Annz, that was my original thought, but black trim is a new idea...hmmm...wonder if I couldn't find something ready made? I hadn't seen those brackets before...do you think a rod could span that 9'?

Shades, well, I think you have to send him over..

Thank you both.

I have a 1 5/8" diameter wood rod spanning 8', holding up pinch-pleat drapes and showing no signs of bowing. That's a lot more weight than you'll be dealing with so I don't think you'd have a problem with that span if you use a wider diameter rod.

If you want to use a smaller diameter metal rod, then you could always add one small support bracket on one of the window frames to make the overall span shorter.

One more little thing. NOT that you want mini blinds. I just want to add. We had a 9 foot window a few houses ago. No way to span that with any kind of one piece shade for the kind of shade we needed because we were at street level and needed sun blocking and privacy. I bought three, three foot mini blinds and mounted to the top of the casing inside.

So you might consider three separate treatments within your window space and not just one.

OK one more thing I do here. I do not really want anything blocking the window in our master bath. I do have lace now but at night a person outside can see right in if the room light is on. I leave a very dim light on when I am in the bathroom at night showering. I do not really need to see to shower and brush my teeth. Besides with glasses off I am almost blind anyway so light will not help. LOL The dim light is enough for me but not enough for outsiders to see in. I think it is a 25 watt bulb. I have gone outside and checked it out. Until I found some really pretty lace curtains I just had a valance for over a year. The dim light really worked. Also with the light so dim no one would expect to see some one in the room so would not be looking. Consider it romantic too.

Chris

Thanks Chris, if you're not going to send your guy to rig the hardware for cafe curtains, I may have to look at other options. The thing that's hard about this is on the 9'span, the wood partitions are flat to the wood screens (interior) so there is really no place to hang anything but on the outside frame - 9'.

That also was the problem I ran into thinking of cafe curtains. The wood verticals are set back into the frame; it's not 3 windows, but one big one faking it as 3. So to put any kind of brace anywhere along the 9', it would have to be one big honkin bracket (or two, actually) that sticks out far enough to meet the wall depth - plus the depth of wall brackets on the ends.

It's so hard to explain, but say I had a bracket attached to the wall between the 9' and one of the 3' windows and it stuck out 3". To span the 9', I would put a bracket on each of the wood verticals. But those brackets would have to be 3" to match the wall brackets, PLUS about 4 more inches to be able to be attached to the wood uprights...that's 7" of bracket. Big.

So your end bracket holders were of interest because all could be attached inside the 9' window frame at the same depth. But it doesn't follow my vision of a curtain rod the whole length of the wall, with the cafe curtains pushed all the way to the corners when the curtains are opened. Which would be most of the time.

Yes, I do use a dim light now at night. I know what you mean, I don't really need a bright light to shower and brush teeth. It does seem romantic, but alas, no romance here these days.

Thank you!

OHHHHHH LOL I actually shopped for ideas for you today and I am NOT a shopper. We just happened to go to town.

Another idea just popped into my brain. I know you want Black or it was suggested black so after all explained consider painting it black. Now my turn to try to explain.

Picture a T with the top of it the 9 foot across your window width. The bottom leg the height you want your curtains to be. Three little brackets to hold it in place.One each end one on bottom of T leg. This would put a center post in your view all of the time but it would support your rod easily.

NOW you can make this of copper pipe and fittings to make your T and YOU can do this so easily. Buy a T fitting for the top attach leg in place and each side of T.

You might not be able to solder it so use some glue. Maybe epoxy. Or beg neighbor to solder for you. Or even hardware store some one will do it. Then the end caps can also be the copper. Spray paint it black. Use those cafe curtain loops to slide on your pipe.

Draw back is the center post. I do not think it would bother me. I think the actual copper would be lovely with your wood but I do not remember what your other bath fittings are.Spray it to match whatever you need it to.

Chris

Chris, copper would look great in the room; the sink is washed inside with copper and the triptych has copper accents, but I don't think I could live with the post in the middle of the window. But I hadn't thought of copper tubing as a curtain rod. So thanks for planting that seed. I've got lots of fodder now for coming up with window treatments and will let you all know how they come out, or will post in process to see what folks think.

Thank you all, again.

pps7 - Is that your bathroom or just a picture you found?

Laurie

Well if copper will work the you can get large enough size to span that 9 foot and use light enough curtains to not make it sag. I think it would be lovely with the way your wood shows up on my monitor.

Copper is at all home improvement stores in the plumbing department. There is usually writing on it but you can clean that off.

Chris