I would vote for white blinds. If you are going to have curtains, then I change my vote to bamboo shades.

I don't care for wood stained blinds except in a very masculine, library-type setting. My sister-in-law just had her stained blinds replaced with white shutters. Her rooms look 10 times brighter!

Are all of your windows included in the privacy issues? Do you have any public rooms that can do without window covers entirely and privacy still maintained??

I started with double layer of sheers/lined drapes in the the bedrooms. But then I got plantation shutters which are adjustable like blinds are, and there is no curtain in the house except for in the shower!

We are in the middle of a remodel that will add 300 sq ft to our house, giving us a space about the size of yours at 1300 sq ft. Our addition across the back will have two glass doors and 7 glass windows. We won't have curtains or blinds or shutters on them at all.

The rest of the house has all wood plantation shutters painted white. I am adding to the living room some elements for privacy though. My shutter man has some old shutters that I can get cheap from him (or from Restore for that matter they have some) to use as a screen divider to make a small entry at the front door to keep callers from having the long view through our newly opened up spaces.

I was looking for some such shutter screen ready made and found one at Pier1imports for about $359 plus tax, comprised of 3 panels. For that much money, I can go shopping at the used Restore or used furnishings stores and pick up some old closet shutters, some old window exterior shutters, fixed louvers or adjustable, or even solid panel (although I want open and adjustable preferably) for a mere pittance.

The shutter man here will put adjustable plantation shutters (4 panels) across the 60 inch wide cased opening between living room and dining room.) Why? Because our two bedroom house will use the living room as a guest room.
We'll also put shutters between the single door leading to the sunporch. Mostly they will stand open and frame that 32 inch wide opening, making it more ornamental. But when a guest is in the living room to sleep, they come together and can be turned as required to make the room private.

My DH will have his reading chair (now on order) in the living room, so closing off the doors for quiet reading may suit his fancy. Or, the can close off to keep solicitors from seeing beyond the front room.

Of the options you mention, the bamboo roll up blinds I like, but they will need some curtains over them to privide the privacy. My choice would be also the white blinds with or without curtains. But curtains will not be required for privacy. Save your money and spend it instead on a good vacuum cleaner to dust the blinds! :)

Do you need privacy during the day, too, or just at night? If only at night, provided the windows aren't too wide, I suggest something that can roll all the way up during the day, such as fiberglass roller shades with a matching valance at the top to hide the shade. This was in my last home, a contemporary, for many years and worked out great. In my current home the bedroom windows are wider and white faux wood blinds work well.

By the way, your new home sounds quite interesting. Please post photos after you move in and congrats on the new home!

When I had a very wide window I hung to blinds instead of just one so I did not have such a heavy shade to draw up and down. Worked great.

I vote the white blinds too Especially since your base boards are white. You can angle them just so you can slightly see out but passer by can not see it.

We still have the crappy plastic mini blinds and I have sheers in front of them. I love the long sheers and keep the blinds shut. Since they are white and thin the light still comes in. In summer I do the privacy opening. We are right on the road so very visible in the house. Fish bowl visible. We have 4 46 inch windows in the living room and one in the dinning room all facing the road. not to mention two glass doors.

I would love roll up bamboo but for now they are not in my budget. I would no longer worry about privacy if I had them. I am not one to run naked through the house. LOL

We have a sun porch on the street side of our house. It faces west. I leave a roll up match stick 8 foot wide blind always down on that west wall. Actually it is made of skinny bamboo strips. In the daytime, I can see out, folks walking by, cars driving by cannot see in. I cut the blind off so there is no roll up left and I COULD REMOVE all the cords but haven't done so YET.

Folks passing the house cannot see through the bamboo shade at all IN THE DAYTIME. At night, if we have the lamp on in the sun porch, they can see in. So next year that is where my Christmas tree will be. Viewed through the rollup blind, it will look better than without the blind.

This blind has been up for at least 5 years now. It has a couple of spots where the parrots took a chunk out of it, but not big and not bad. Not enough to make it unusable or shabby looking.

The sun porch has 3 walls totally see through, made of Lexan panels not glass. On the wall facing east, I have a simple 90% shade cloth 6 feet wide that I tacked to the top of the window framing. I then roll it up by hand (it is heavy stuff) and clip it at both ends with clothes pins....not very formal.....and when hot weather arrives, I let it fall to shield the room from the hot sun. On the south facing wall of windows, I have nothing at all. It faces our driveway. In winter we get some heat from the low sun. In summer, the sun is too high overhead to be a problem with the heat. It is bright, but not a problem. My parrot loves to watch the birds at the feeder nearby. This sun porch has been our favorite room in the whole house, and it is only 10 x 10.

May I also suggest that you take a run through a local Restore looking for the old style adjustable shutters. Take your window measurements with you when you go. You might like the look of shutters across the bottom half of your windows for privacy and the sheers over them for diffusing the light.

I love that I can come here with my questions & get such lengthy detailed answers! So much to think about!

I do like the looks of the plantation style shutters but I don't think my husband will like them. Worth a try at asking if I can find them cheap enough at our local Restore.

To the one who said 'fishbowl visible', that is exactly how I feel! This is the first time I will have ever lived in town like this and am used to not having to worry if the blinds are closed or open. But, one of the bedrooms face the front of the house and then the living room of course at the front end and there is 1 large double window there and 2 tallish (36" wide) windows on the side (but still highly visible, especially at night to a passerby). The front door also has a window but it is up high and more on the small side. I may end up putting some type of film over the door window so that light can still flow in easily but the inside of the house won't be clearly visible. Some of you who are a little more accustomed to in-town living may think I'm a little crazy but I strongly like my privacy when I'm inside with my family and don't really want random strangers being able to see inside. Seems like that is the norm around here since the majority of my neighbors have window coverings up.

Right now I'm leaning towards the white faux wood blinds because I'm just doubtful that my husband will get on board with the shutters. 2nd choice is a roll-up blind of some sort because I can see that working visually, too.

Decisions, decisions!

Concrete on the driveway was poured last week and we are working on the master bathroom tile work in the shower (DIY project). Next week, granite countertops are going in, final plumbing will be done, and we'll be down to getting our privacy fence up. And, finishing the kitchen backsplash. That one is a DIY'er so while I'd like it done before move-in, I'd also be fine with us working on it after move-in since it isn't a must right away. Things are getting so close now and I'm sure looking forward to moving in!

One thing I did when I was so broke was to buy a load of the lightly frosted shower curtain liners. I know YUCK plastic curtains.

BUT I sewed a wide stitch hem on the top after trimming off the strip with the holes in it for shower curtain loops. Put them on tension rods and you can just use the light weight cheep ones for this. This gave me time to decide and find the curtains I wanted to use. Once in the windows they look fine. Total privacy quick.

Now I use those shower curtains on tension rods in the winter as an extra layer adding an air chamber to help keep out the cold. The light comes through well. I take them down in the spring and back to my sheers and crappy mini blinds. I usually raise the mini blinds all the way up in the spring summer and leave them up unless the sun interferes with the TV. The sheers are full enough to provide privacy. I have 6 on each 46 inch window.

don't forget to check the goodwill. In my last place I bought drapes there. The LR had 3 HUGE windows, front, back and side. I found 3 pr of cream antique satin pinch pleated drapes. They served me well for the about 10.00 a pr I paid! They kept most of the Az sun out May - Oct. They were really nice drapes and since I didn't really care what they were as long as they did their 'job'. I was happy they were not red, or dark purple or something like that. They didn't make it look dark on the inside.

In my new place I'm putting up some old ones from my old bedroom (for now) in the tv room. I have a pr of light color curtains from my mom's apt I put up in my bdroom (again til I take the time to decide/look for what I really want). I also bought some mini blinds at W (to block the summer sun) for 4.50 each.
My patio doors have flowered curtains my sister gave me. and 2 back rooms still have old sheets hanging from the rods. I have another pr or 2 of the curtains from my old bdrm for those back rooms as soon as I get them washed and put up. I bought rods at the GW also. I think they were 1.00 each.

Eventually I 'spect I'll replace most window coverings with something I like... lol! but for now, anything helps cut down on the hot Az sun.

The window I think about most is the kitchen window... probably cause I stand in front of it thru out the day - and night. I think I might just put a shade up there. One I can pull down part way to cut out the early morning summer sun. Then put up again for the rest of the day.

How exciting for you with the new house! Keep us posted on it.