Do you need shades for privacy/light control? I think of shades for their function ....not for their looks. Are you going to add curtains, too? I also think that it is important to consider how they look from the outside! So many times it looks like there are sheets at the Windows .....or black holes.

Couod you post pics of the Windows in question?

Yes, there are pictures there now. I was having technical difficulties, sorry. :-) The shades are for light control. Privacy isn't much of an issue. The curtains are stationary.

Here are mockups of the three I'm considering right now. Any votes?
1. Dark bamboo

2. Light bamboo

I don't have an opinion regarding style, but I wanted to let you know that I have 5% or 10% (can't remember which) openness factor solar shades on my west-facing windows and they block a good bit of the sun and part of the heat, too. I'll try to take pictures tomorrow to show you.

I usually like wooden shades but don't think they work with your windows and drapes. The valance flap looks a bit awkward. It you like the function of a shade perhaps a light or white roller shade would work. The kind that is used for outdoor patios, matchstick. I agree with the others that solar shades would also be a good choice. Good luck. You room is very welcoming. I love your knotty pine ceiling.

Definitely white. If you like bamboo shades, they can be found in white.

Have you considered two inch wood blinds in a color that coordinates with your other wood tones? I'm a fan of the options to raise or lower or just open the slats for light and privacy control. They come in a wide range of wood finishes and you can get decent quality online. I just bought some in white that I'm very happy with and they had a good promotional discount.

Thank you all!

Fun2Bhere, I would love to see your solar shades if you have a chance to take a picture. Thank you.

I'll abandon the bamboo shade idea, that's what I needed to hear. I was struggling with the awkward valance that they come with, too. I don't like that part, either, but they all seem to come with it to cover the workings.

We want as much glass showing as possible, without covering the molding. For this reason, I have not spent time looking for wide wooden slat shades, since they cover a lot of glass even when stacked up tight at the top.

I have tried to find shades that will cover all of the 113" wide by 54" tall picture window in one swoop, and that's not been easy. In order for it to be affordable, I think it's going to have to be split into 3 sections, one for each window portion. Even so, the large part in the middle is 63" wide, and the small ones are 19 1/2", which not all the manufacturers carry.

Thanks for the encouraging words about the space. It feels so good to have it all come together!

I'm going to check the Home Depot link again and see if I can make progress on the shades.

Laughable, another option might be these. I have them on the 5 windows in my office, and I love them. They look much better in person than they do in this site.Deluxe Woven Cane Paper Roller Shade by Green Mountain Vista

Although THIS isn't a great pic.

Those Green Mountain Vista woven cane shades are gorgeous! Definitely take a look at those. I think they'd be perfect in your room.

We have a chain pull on our bathroom shade, and I really prefer it over a rope-like cord.

3dogs, those are gorgeous shades and I just ordered three sets for windows in my house. Hope I got the right shade, however, I ordered the wicker. Is yours wicker or cocoa? Love how they look with your yummy drapes!

Mine are the wicker color, and I bought them a shop called 'The Curtain Shop' here in Maine, before I knew they were available online. I see that Laughable needs some that are only 19.5" wide and I know they don't come that narrow. The narrowest is 24" and they are not 'cut-able'. I'd have them in the bay window in the back of my LR, too, if I could get the right size. I LOVE them.

I love the simplicity of the roller shades for your living room.

Solar shades: Light or dark? My experience with these comes from seeing them in Tim Horton's and the local college. (Both were dark.) Does one color work better than the other for cutting glare? Would one color look better than the other in our space? Feeling clueless... but I think that if these would keep the glare out, it's a good direction to go since we really like our surrounding views. I know they don't give much privacy, but that's not really an issue out here in the country at the back of the house.

Those shades are pretty, My3dogs. I'll have to measure and see if they might work in our dining room. I'm glad Heidi was able to order some. : )

Wouldn't you know it, it's cloudy today. If it gets sunnier later, I'll take pictures. I really wanted to be able to show you the difference in sunlight between when the shades are raised or lowered.

If it's helps any, it's cloudy here, too. :) I have some sample swatches of solar fabric on order that should come tomorrow. The sunshine might not be as predictable.

Fun2BHere, can you tell me how it is to look directly at the solar shade when the sun is shining right at it? That's the condition we're most concerned about, since the late afternoon sun is blinding to anyone that's across from the window at that time of the day. It also shines down the hall at certain times of year (now) and the reflection off the hardwood floor is painful to those sitting across from it at the supper table, too. (Um, that'd be me.)

You can look directly at the window with no problem.

Wow, that's amazing! Thank you. Now I'm reeeally looking forward to pictures. What color shades did you use?

I know you said you didn't want remote controlled anything, but I am totally crazy about my outdoor mounted solar shade. We mounted it up high under the eaves (which still left it long enough to cover to the bottom of the window) so it's not at all visible except when lowered. There is a tiny little remote that raises and lowers it seamlessly. My window is facing west and in the summer the sun seemed to hit the dining room right at dinner, blinding us. I don't have any kind of window coverings anywhere except the bathroom, and just need sun control certain months and times of day.

I love it because it filters the sun perfectly and yet you can still see out and it doesn't darken the room too much. I got the desert sand color. I can't take a pic of how it looks with the sun shining through it until at least June the way things are going here with the rain!

Plus they come in widths up to 12'. Be sure to check out the video on their website. Just another option:

https://www.costco.com/SunSetter-EasyShades-.product.11653949.html

Those look really cool. I'm not sure how something like that would hold up here. We are in an exposed, windy, and snowy locale. A few weeks ago the winds were clocked at 80+miles per hour! It's not always that windy, but for the past few years every time the temperature rises or falls dramatically, the wind gusts can be 40-60 miles per hour (usually on the nights we have to take the trash to the curb, coincidentally.)

I don't remember the color, but it's light, not dark. I think the dark leaves the view more visible, but I think the light blocks heat better.

laughable, they are very substantial and installed properly, I can't imagine they would be a problem. Assuming that you are not going to have them lowered on a stormy night! The bottom isn't secured, of course, since it needs to be free to raise and lower, but when it is raised it would be similar in its attachment to your house as a gutter....secured to the outside of your house. There is really nothing for the wind to affect. The blind itself is encased in a metal housing.

Finally got a good picture. Composite with no shade on left and shade down on right.

Thanks for explaining the install, olychick. It sounds like a great option for other folks. We get wind even on sunny days. When I read the reviews, several customers in colder climates had problems with the motors freezing and icing, rendering the shades inoperable until the sun had a chance to defrost the units. That's a no-go. I could see those being awesome in other locations, though! Maybe someone else will be inspired. : )

Thank you so much fun2Bhere for posting those pictures and for the explanations! That's very helpful. You have a beautiful location, too. : ) Wait a minute, where's the other picture? I wanted to show DH what was visible through the shade in that one. Is there any chance you can add it back?? It showed more of your landscape than the sunny pictures. We aren't on water, but we have lots of landscape to enjoy, so that picture might help him, too.

I'm pretty sure we're going to go for solar shades in 5%. I just have to make up my mind which color to get. I like how the white shades would blend into the molding when rolled up, but it looks like the white has the poorest view of all the samples I got. But, the dark roll might really bug me. Hrmmmm...

For me, the need to block as much sun and heat as possible as well as liking the color match with my moldings made my choice of the lighter color easy. I only roll them down during the summer afternoons when the sun is painfully bright.

Yes, good point, they'll be up against the molding a lot. I just ordered the Signature series Monterey cloud white solar shades from blinds.com. I'll try to post an update and reveal once we're done.

Thank you for your helful insights, everyone!

...and we just might get the shades my3dogs suggested for the dining room, too!