I have the same window in my basement. I had honeycomb blinds put up. a sheer to keep the light coming in. it looks good.like you said better than looking at metal. good luck!

I have friends who landscaped the egress areas with steps surrounded by heavy beams. Each step had ground cover that draped over the front of the step and flowers that grew to cover the wood part. This area in turn was covered by either a clear plastic cover where security wasn't a problem and iron grills with a locking mechanism on the inside for those windows that needed the security, i.e., outside the backyard fencing. The "steps" really added to the open feeling of those downstairs bedrooms because even tho there was a ground level walkout from the family area down there, the bedrooms were a little dark and forboding without those areas.