The sofa and tree are not staying. We will be purchasing new furniture.

do the verticals have to stay?

I am guessing the former owners liked these for light control as well as privacy, and your opinions vary. I would want to start over, but I am not sure about your budget, either. Even going to Lowe's or Home Depot and buying wooden type blinds that are horizontal would be a major improvement, for MY opinion. OR covering the blinds on the windows with a sheer curtain.

I would replace all the verticals with 2" faux wood blinds. They are reasonable and stylish as well as control the light. I personally can't stand verticals.

You can of course add draperies over the vertical blinds. I personally don't like them. If privacy is a concern (especially at night) you could have panels on a rod that could be closed in the evening or have a shade behind stationary panels.

I have never had vertical blinds before. I really do not care for them and would love to replace them eventually. However, we are repainting the entire house inside, removing popcorn ceilings, wallpaper and remodeling the kitchen. That leaves little in the budget for window treatments at this time. Most homes in mu neighborhood have these blinds. Orangecamera, you are probably correct about the AZ sun.i had not thought about pulling the blinds to one side and hiding them behind drapes. That may very well be what people do here.

Maybe when you get to know your new neighbors, you can take a peek inside their homes and see what they do to decorate with these blinds. Or if they stop by with some homemade goodies, ask them about their own and for some suggestions.

@nazy1955, since you're not familiar with vertical blinds, know that the slats are curved a little bit, and you'll get different amounts of light filtering depending on which way you twist them. Play around with them a bit when you get there, you'll see what I mean. Also, if you decide you want to keep verticals but don't like the exact ones you have, you can buy replacement slats in different colors and materials that might fit your decor better. It's a lot easier and cheaper than replacing the whole thing - just pop off the old slats and pop on the new ones!

Enjoy your new home, how exciting!