This gets asked all the time.

1. Dont fake it. Oh, its done already...

2. Paint it black. On the inside.

3. Hang a blackout curtain behind it.

If it's a ranch I would have opted for clerestory windows in a vaulted ceiling instead of a dormer in an attic. This would provide more light and no added heat load to your home..

This is the curtain I recommend:

If you're not going to use the attic, then I see no reason for a window treatment. Just leave it be, but if you ever finish the attic choose a window treatment for your needs: light control, privacy, decor, etc.

We typically paint the dormer cheek walls black on the interior so you can't tell the dormer is in an unfinished attic space.

Thank you for your suggestions. I just searched faux dormers on this site and discovered there are a lot of strong opinions on the subject.

Tint the windows with 35%-50% film you get privacy and heat reflection at the same time. $10-13 a roll. We have been doing that all the time in these cases. Just wet the glass and apply the tint, use a blade to trim the edges, and squeegee to get the air out (takes less than 5 min) the same way you do phone screens.

Even painted side walls you can see it when the sun hits it especially on the one-story house with 3 windows, you will see the entire attic, it will look like crap.

When finishing the attic, you peel the paper off.

Good luck

Be sure not to create a space that will build up heat and break the glass.

Standard window glass is good to about 250 F. Even here in the southern U.S. attic temps should top out around 160 F on a hot summer day. I can't comment on freezing problems, thankfully.

I recently bought a house with two dormer windows in the attic. The previous owner/builder wallpapered the inside walls of the dormer, hung a piece of black fabric from the top to the bottom of the opening, behind the wallpapered section, and placed a small lamp in each of the windows. The lamps and front entry lighting are on a switch which comes on from dusk to dawn. I think it looks great!

I need to see the plan but usually a black piece in a fake window maybe you don’t need such a big attic space in your plan.

I drive by a newer house that you can see all the trusses up in the attic through the dormer window. Makes the house look cheap.

This might be crazy but what about frosting the window?

Not crazy, just not as fun.

:)

I visited a friend who had two false dormers, the one above the living room was similar to a skylight. It was pretty neat! Similar idea to this photo, but she had a flat ceiling, not vaulted.

A "false" dormer opens to an attic space (or other confined space) and can not be experienced from any other space within the house.

@Mark Bischak,

I guess it's false to call it a false dormer....

Either one can utilize my curtain.

My house has two dormer windows in the unfinished attic. Th previous homeowner had wide slat Venetian blinds installed the same as those in the other windows in the house. The blinds are closed so no one from outside even at night could tell it's unfinished behind the window.