Blinds might not look good against the grids on the windows - all those horizontal lines, and they might look strange if not pulled all the way to the top. I agree with torreykm - traversing drapes only. Lined in white or cream so that the windows look uniform when the coverings are closed

Very pretty house. It looks like it has a fascinating floor plan!

Your house looks like it will be beautiful! Window treatments choices depend on where you live in some circumstances. When we vacation in the south we stay in a condo with white plantation shutters. They look beautiful....but by the end of the week I feel like ripping them down. I cannot stand to have the Windows covered all day long. I want to look outside! I understand their value in blocking heat/sunlight.

The current trend seems to be using shades/blinds alone at Windows. Ugh! I think that they have a function but should not be part of the decor. They at least need curtains/drapes of some type. Cafe shutters ( ones that open) look grand with either a topper or left alone. They are a classic look. Drapes and/or sheers are a classic look. Remember to think how they will look from the outside. Take a walk or drive through some beautiful neighborhoods and look at the Windows. Which ones do you find attractive?

You can go with both, or one of the other. I personally don't like seeing blinds w/o some sort of window treatment such as simple panels, because that's usually the norm in apartments these days. I have plantation shutters, w/o any window treatment, but have been considering panels as I like the cozyness/softness fabric can add to a room. It also seems more finished.

My choice is blinds with some valances on top. That's what I have in my house now. I like this because the valances at the top add I pattern that I like, making things more homey and comfortable. I think that blinds alone stark and look unfinished. I like the blinds though because of the light control, and the privacy that is present. A shade pulled down during the day is very dark and keeps any light from the area. With blinds there is always the option of partially open, pulled up, etc. we have composite blinds, and I like those because, they are not as prone to warping, swelling, from heat, moisture, etc.

A lot depends on what your decorating style is. A traditional look seems to demand drapes, unless your furniture is so antique and high-grade that it can stand alone. Most of us are not in that price bracket. It gives you the opportunity to add color, texture, pattern and coziness. A very modern interior might look wrong with drapes, but I think your personal wishes should always be the deciding factor. I really don't care what other people are doing because I'm the one who's going to live in that home, and with a certain style of decor. If it feels good then do that; it's the most important criterion.

Like Ingrid, I do what I want since I'm the one living with it :) My master suite is a total 180 from the rest of the house. It's lighter, brighter and more transitional. I have horizontal blinds in the bedroom and nothing else. I didn't want to cover up the beautiful trim work my DH did on the windows and I wanted a more open feel. The other bedroom has horizontal blinds with sheers (two alternating colors) tied back. The office has horizontal blinds with a valance. The dining room has horizontal blinds with drapes tied back. I know, I didn't want to cover the window trim in the other rooms either but I just felt like the room styles need it. Out in the den it's custom woven shades (they match the wall color). Nice home!

I would search photos for looks that you like and try to figure out how you can create the look in your house. One thing to consider is how the things you choose appear from the outside of the house. I like symmetry so I would make sure the windows looks balanced. I wouldn't do blinds on one window, curtains on another and a valance on another one. Other people would rather do whatever they want inside and don't care how it looks from the outside.

To me so long as everything facing the outside is white you can put whatever you want in each room. I dislike blinds and use cellular shades instead. I particularly like that they can have enough cells to be both room darkening and insulating. I have one room that even with added wall insulation and triple paned windows (with 2" separation between the first and second/third panes) it still seems like a blast furnace on hot summer mornings. The temp is so much better controlled when I leave the cellulars down in that room in the mornings.

With my windows, and I'm guessing most newish energy efficient windows, you can't see in during the day when the blinds would be open. My blinds are closed at night so no one can see me streaking thru the house nekkid! Hadn't thought about the sin of seeing one window with a valance and one with tied-back sheers ;)

I am coming to terms with the idea of just blinds on the majority of my windows in my new house. We have hard floors throughout the house due to my severe allergies, so it doesn't make sense to add more fabric in the form of drapes or curtains. I do have a tendency to like more minimal, clean lines in a home, both aesthetically and for easy maintenance, but it still took a while to be sure I'd be okay without fabric curtains. Like others have said, I do enjoy being able to see the trim around the windows.

'think just blinds or pull down shades would look ok from the interior point of view? or does one need curtains as well?'

That looks too bare to me but drapes also offer sound control and temperature/draft insulation.

I also grew up with both blinds and curtains on all the windows. (Picture windows alone lacked blinds.)

Currently, I just have blinds, but my new build will have a mix. Kitchen, pantry, master bath - blinds. Master and guest beds, and dining - curtains. At the moment I don't see the need for the windows beyond those to have either. I'm open to changing my mind down the road.

ETA: actually, where I say "blinds" for my current build, I mean "shades", which will be more useful to me.

I like shades if you roll them up and hide them. I have blinds and while effective they aren't as hideable.