Good Morning. Hopefully you all enjoyed family, friends, loved ones for your particular holiday. We celebrated Easter here at our home with family including 4 grandchildren. So I am happily recuperating today. I wish you all well. It has been a while since I have been on Houzz. Home is never done.

I would appreciate your advice on the following issue. I made a mistake 4 years ago covering the window and sliding glass doors to patio. Now that the shade we purchased for the patio door is inoperable I need to find a solution. Originally, the drapes on either side of the sliding door were hung too low; especially in comparison to the window opposite it which is higher. The sliding door and window are both different heights. This always caused a problem for me.

I need to find a solution that is attractive yet not so, so, expensive. We are considering only hanging drapes in front of the sliding doors and omitting a shade. This would mean parting the drapes daily to either side of the doors or sliding the drapes over to the right to exit. The drapes stay as shown because we had the shade. We are considering the same drapes from Ikea in longer length and wider width. Open to suggestions otherwise.

Also, would a wood cornice/moulding over the window opposite, placed at the same height as drapery rod create harmony? I'm open to thoughts of changing or removing this shade if there is a more attractive and not too expensive solution. Would love to keep the cost to $1,000.

I would prefer not to move the art and shelves on either side of the window, but let me know your thoughts. Thank you as always.

Personally, I would leave the rod where it is so as not to draw attention to the vent that would be next to the rod. Then I would just buy new drapes, and draw them to the right. As to the side window, it is fine the way it is. 🙂

I would remove the shade from the door and have drapes that are pulled to the side just as you have them now. We used to have drapes for each window and we would pull them to the side during the day and close them at night. If you like to have a shade, you could have cornices for the window and the door, installed at the same height to hide the difference in height. That would be probably too expensive since they would need to be custom

I seen a patio sliding doors that had a blind solution they were vertical but it was something different than those old vertical ones but I was under some stress for the last 2 days and I can't remember maybe you could Google it sliding door solution to having blinds it really looked really nice whatever it was

There are panel track blinds that look beautiful. I was considering that for my patio doors..haven't decided on it yet..

Hi printesa, and happy leg. I too have seen patio sliding doors with a blind solution as you have both said. Very expensive. Looks very pretty though. Sorry you have been under stress happyleg. Hope you will feel better soon. Printesa, my hubby and I have been mulling it over and seem to think that unless we come up with a better, and affordable solution, we may just keep these drapes, and open them in the morning and close them at night. We'll see how that works out. I do appreciate your advice.

Maybe you can buy a hunter glass one where they have a motor on it and you use a remote I think and it comes open

Agree… remove the shade and just have drapes. I have drapes on my patio door and open and close them and it’s fine. Not only are blinds expensive, for something that size they don’t necessarily have a long life either.

Hi liasch, You are right. The shade I had lasted not even 3 years. We removed the shade and are going to keep the drapes. Thank you. :))

Transverse rod?

Possibly a traverse rod happy 😊.

If you’re keeping the shade at the window on the right, you might entertain a lighter colored drape at the slider to match the white shade on the window. No shade at slider will be nice :). You could then have a simple straight cornice made for the window covered with same fabric of new lighter curtains. It would only take one more panel to cover a cornice piece making them the same height and give the window a bit more dressing.

Raising the curtain rod at slider of course to same height as window. That’s only my opinion :).

Thank you Alice. I do like your suggestions. 😊

Lizzie sometimes I get carried away with window treatments but those were what was coming off the top of my head last night :).

Hi Lizzie! If you have drapes only on the slider, I can't help but feel the shade window needs something to tie in since they are so close together. It appears the slider faces the street-will the drapes only give you enough privacy? Did you always have the shade up during the day?

I think Lizzie wants to have a shade only on the window bc she has art and shelves there that she would like to keep? I may have read that wrong but why she’s only keeping a shade on the window?

Yes, I wasn't suggesting drapes. I was thinking maybe something really simple on the top along the lines you were suggesting. It was tied together before because both had shades.

Hi Alice, thank you for your comments. I didn't think you got carried away :)) I appreciate the time you took to post your comments.

kcooz07, Hi. I understand what you mean about having the sliders and window tie in together. I wish they were both the same height. I had considered a small valance on the window, leaving the shade; and on the sliders, raising the rod. So far, I am takiong it slow and considering everything. I have always loved the look of woven shades with drapes. With this house, things are a little harder because the ceilings are so high and I know hubby prefers not to do it. I have to ask my son in law who has done so much for us since we moved here. So, I will think about it for a bit and see what I come up with. Thank you! :))

I hope they still make those Corner rods where they have a brace in the corner so one window on one side comes clear over and Drake comes over the other way to the other window

But you could have a shade on the window and on the slider have something else like a drape

Love this look

Yes & everything is soft & easy!

Lizzie I love love that too! You could easily have that. Maybe the art can go on another wall and the shelf scooted to the right? Is there room?

That is beautiful! I love everything about it

Lizzie you can have a shade on the slider just to cover the transoms above perhaps just for aesthetics to window. You don’t have to raise or lower that to operate the slider. Then you’ll have shades on both and panels on both like your inspiration. Have both shades and panels at same height of each other. We have two windows on each wall beside each other like your two openings in our master bedroom at different heights and I hung the curtains at same height and I think it looks great like that to be even heights.

Hi LIzzie!

I'm not sure if I'm understanding all the needs, but yes I love the inspiration pic you just posted... are you wanting the curtains to be at the ceiling line for both ( as in the photo)?

As I look at your actual photo, there is that vent..

I'm not very good at visualizing but I do have sliders in my kitchen that have the vertical blinds the previous owner left- so 'm following for solutions.

-- I hate them and rarely close them but honestly nothing else seems to work for a sliding patio door which we do use ( our grill is through there)

I love your inspo pic, but that vent!

Hi salonva. I just love the look. I won't be able to replicate it. Just wanted to post what I would have liked to have had. If there was some way I could do it, I would. Yes, that vent! This is why I have shutters in the family room and bedroom without the warmth of drapes on either side. The vents are near every window like that. 🤷

Hi Lizzie…for your slider yes do a traverse rod..but you will need drapes that cover the width of the slider.

Hello Julie, I can do a traverse rod. The slider itself is about 71" wide. The wall is 128" wide. The ceiling is 10' high. Questions: Should the rod be hung at the same height as the window across from it, or is the height now ok? How wide should the drapes be? Just to cover the slider or a few inches more on either side? Should I go with a simple traverse rod or fancy?

It looks like these rods all open center. I am sure I can find one that opens to the right if I keep looking.

Thank you for your time Julie.

Lizzie looking at the original picture you posted of the two openings, I’m thinking you can put the rod directly under the air vent then both at same height. Traverse can work on both butted up together in the corner or french return rods to meet in that corner. Look for panels that are 50” inch each or close? If your inspiration is to have them meet in the corner and be the same thickness on all four sides when they are drawn open. Traverse rods will open to left or right or divide in the middle. Let me see who sells ones with all options. I would have the same width rod over both spaces. Your window looks to be 50” to 60” wide? If you have room over that window for the same width moving the shelves and cabinet that’s on the right elsewhere or more to the right?

Corner rods or two french rods might look better aesthetically than a traverse imo. Traverse that big might look bulky up there?

Alice, I love the inspiration pic I posted, but I really cannot make that happen in this space. So sweet of you to find and post this information for me.

Because of the a/c vent up top and the heat vent below I knew couldn't put a drape there. So I decided to at least put photos on one side and shelves on the other to make up for a dreary looking shade.

I need to have privacy on the window because it faces my neighbors bedroom.

The slider issue is that it's height is lower than the window. The a/c vent is also not in line with the height of the window.

Since the slider shade broke I removed it and I am hoping for a solution.

Thank you Alice.

Ok understand where you’re at. Maybe just raise the rod for the slider, then longer and whiter panels to match the shade on window. Not sure what you think but maybe a voile swag on the window in a light color to match shade and new whiter curtains. Not too fluffy but a bit of movement up/over there?

The voiles I’m seeing are quite long on the sides :( perhaps back to a narrow fabric covered crown/valance on the window covered in same fabric of the whiter panels as the slider. If OH and yourself are any but handy, not very difficult to make one.

You could actually crown/valance both if not too much up there for you? There is room up there for both, I believe. A way to have balance and a beautiful look in that space.

Oh :), then at the same time, paint your vent the wall color 👍

Thank you Alice for all the ideas. I really appreciate your time and thoughtfulness that went into my dilemma. 🤗

Oh Lizzie, I guess the more I can think of, just tossing it your way for better or for worse 💗

On another note, I’ve just had so many dilemmas here on houzz and some huge, some tiny and always always everyone that drops in has been more than helpful! I just want to try to help too. I’ll never be a pro, but cherish everyone on here and appreciate options to give or take when the final comes about :).

Lizzie if possible I would hang the traverse rod halfway between the celing and top of slider top window…that way if you hang anything on the window you have some wiggle room for a rod…with pinch pleat you want the width when pleated to cover the slider and whatever additional rod that goes beyond each side…what is the width of the rod you have now?

Julie, the rod I am using now is open to 102”.

Julie, The rod I am using now is open to 102”

Can it go any wider than 102

You are very sweet Alice. I agree that people on Houzz are so helpful and kind. I rarely ever give advice but I do like to follow along. Thank you 🤗

I love the online twopages drapes..they are amazing quality and very reasonable price..very easy to hang!

Julie, I will check the rod now to see how much further it opens. I too love the look of two pages drapes.

I will check in tomorrow

Good Morning. Julie, you asked if the rod can go wider than 102". It is a telescopic rod. I think it may open to 120".