sooz, Thanks so much. Would you hang the curtain rod directly above the casing or a few inches to each side to allow the curtains to run close to the full length of the wall? I've been kicking around the idea of finial-less curtain rods but it is technically a more formal space and there is plenty of height for pretty finials.

Hi! Cute house, congratulations on your new purchase, that's exciting!! Only on rare situations would I mount the window treatments on the trim.

Here I wrote about my breakfast room in our 100 year old house that I recently put window treatments in, and they were mounted on the trim, but that's a rarity: breakfast room window treatments mounted on trim

Here are the window treatments in our former house's master bedroom, you can see the rod is mounted just below the crown molding: master bedroom window treatments mounted just below crown molding

Hope these two links will help you out a bit.

I think that hanging them near the ceiling would be lovely but remember what sooz says about the crown moulding. I would take the curtains all the way to the side wall so that when you open them up you don't block any light from the windows. If you keep the rod in line with the side of the windows you will lose a lot of light from the room. As for the paint I might do either of two things, 1) keep it as it is now but with a crown the same colour as the trim , this is the traditional option, or 2) paint the ceiling crown and top part of the wall one colour and the lower part of the wall a different colour , that is a more trendy option. Both are fine so it is whatever you prefer.

Johanne, I have to admit, I do not like fussy but I tend to gravitate towards the traditional. The idea of the cream crown and trim really speaks to me. Thank you. I'm thinking that a double rod window treatment will allow me to hang some sort of patterned sheer for privacy from looky-loo's during the day, but allow the drama of full wall of window treatments at night. In addition, it will cut down on the noise from the street, and help insulate my 1920's windows in the winter.

Hometocottage, I'm not a huge fan of mounting the window treatments to the trim either. I have 95 year old casings and glass and want to let that stuff shine! As it is, there are some rather distressed Levolor blinds attached to the inside of the casings. If I didn't need them so desperately at the moment for privacy and winterizing, I would rip them out completely.
Starting the window treatment below the crown is what I had in mind from the beginning and your comments helped to confirm that is the direction to go. However, it is going to take some time before I can get the crown going. That being said, do you think it would look "off" to have the drapery start about 7 inches from the ceiling or do you think I should just hang right under the ceiling until I am able to get the crown installed?

No, hang the draperies at the same height as in the adjoining room that already has the crown. Check Ikea for grommet top drapes. They even have insulating & velvet, great prices & they price their drapes by the pair rather than by the panel as so many places do. After getting settled keep your eyes open for a small chandelier you can use in this room to replace the ceiling mounted one. You already have 3 lamps in there, so you probably don't really need it. It would be so pretty with a chandelier with maybe a ceiling medallion. Do not even think about painting until you have lived there quite a while. It looks lovely as it is.

Also, for drapes, you have such high ceilings you may want to hang them a ways below the crown if you use ready mades as you will want to bring them down to the floor. They will still look lovely hung lower. Most people need to hang at the ceiling in order to make the ceilings look higher, but you will not have that problem. Enjoy your beautiful new /old home.

First, that's not a plate rail; it's a picture rail. Second--and I will admit I'm biased from living in a 105-year-old home with almost exactly the same detailing as yours--I would not cover one inch of those window casings. I would use Romans or cellulars or anything else that is inside mount.

Thank you, sandradclark! I would love to wait to paint but the paint that is here needs to be refreshed SOOOO badly. The family that I bought the house from included two lovely but rather muddy little boys and the paint... well... it suffices to say that it "looks good in pictures". ;)
The current table lamps are on their way out. I am not exactly sure with what I will use to replace them but I was thinking possibly Pottery Barn's Gillian Candlestick Bedside Lamp. They are similar to what I have but mine are actually some sort of plastic and resin torchiere lamp with a plastic (not glass) hurricane shade. I think they look like something out of a funeral home so I disguised them by resting a lampshade on top.

Oh what I wouldn't give for a silk velvet, or Dupioni, or linen or frankly, any combination of the aforementioned. The windows are southern facing and I feel that the the ever so budget friendly poly blend (made to look like linen or silk of course) has to rule the roost due to fading. Thanks a million for pointing me to Ikea. Who would have thought that you could do velvet on a budget?!?

Groveraxle, Thanks for catching my architectural faux pas. Doh... Silly me... :/ I actually know it is a picture rail.
I'm not one for cellulars nor am I one for the Levolor blinds that I inherited with the purchase of this home. Roman shades could be a viable possibility but I really want something grand that will soften the look, muffle the noise from the street, and maintain some privacy. I know that the casings are a super star but it is doubtful that anybody would overlook them especially considering they are not limited to the windows alone. Perhaps my feeling is that the sum of the rooms parts is far greater than the window casings alone.

I know you didn't ask, but that's never stopped me before. I think the space is very busy. I would remove the ottoman and all or most of the plants. I would replace the end tables with something more substantial. And, as I already said, I'd use inside-mount shades.

I think drapes would look lovely Jessica and add a real elegance to the room, keeping away from silk on a south facing window is probably a wise choice because the sun will burn through the fabric in time. You can get all sorts of lovely inexpensive drapes at Pottery Barn that would look lovely in your room. I look forward to seeing the finished product!

I agree that the tables should be a bit more substantial. I'm holding onto the current ones until spring then I hope to move them out to the back porch. It's hard to tell from my pics but the rug needs to be a bit bigger as well. The plants stay until we thaw out... sorry, grover... it's still winter here. :) The roman shades are far and away better than the cheap broken down Levolor blinds but I would be inclined to use them in our kitchen where it is a necessity to have something super clean-lined and tidy. I suppose it's a personal preference but I feel the roman shades are just a bit too sterile for my liking. I tend to gravitate to something softer. I'm not saying garish and gaudy... just softer. BTW... under that slip cover hides a beautiful Empire Revival sofa waiting to be re-upholstered. It has a very heavily carved mahogany frame and I feel that maybe the chests would be too much wood but maybe not. With the light rug it my help anchor the space. I like the possibility though. It's a good idea to ponder.

Aha. I wondered about the slipcover. If you reupholster the sofa, that will probably change the choice of end tables, then.