We had the same dlimma-it took me three years to choose fabric for window coverings, though i knew i wanted romans. we just got them installed this week! here are pics.

And, bedroom.

You've got a lot going on inside the room you showed - and I love it. However, b/c of this, maybe something like in mount plantation shutters? Simple.

I agree with threers, above. 2” wide white wood blinds on all your windows, up and down. They will provide a uniform look from the street. Then, if you want to tart them up with draperies, valances, etc. inside, patterns won’t be visible from the front. They will be less pricey than plantation shutters, also a lovely option.

i just installed bottom up/top down bamboo and love them. Modern, neat and able to place the block out where ever I choose. ... and no fussy fabric to worry about or worry about furniture touching. Blinds.com

While plantation shutters are lovely, they block the window some and obstruct the amount of light.

Thanks all! @dreamsofashopping, wow - your romans look beautiful. And absolutely worth the wait! I'm very tempted by roman shades...

@tfitz1006, @ptreckel, @threers, I'm really hoping to get a window treatment that can be inside mounted and largely disappear when not in use. We have 2" white wood blinds at a summer house but they're super heavy to manipulate so we don't really use them much. That's why I've been focusing on either roller shades (with a nice valance-like cartridge) or honeycomb. But maybe I'm hopelessly outdated!

This image (from PB's website) was what had me thinking about roller shades:

We got roller blinds from Budget Blinds. Here's one with the valance, and 2 without, one rolled up and one rolled down. Showing you so you can see what the mechanism looks like, and how much light gets through at the top when they're open or closed. I wanted a really clean look, which is why we didn't get a valance on the main set of windows -- but you *can* see the mechanism, and it isn't as clean as I was expecting.

What a lovely home you have. I don't blame you for wanting to get this right....everything else is so perfect! I just wanted to add that we just installed plantation shutters in our traditional home after hesitating for years, and we absolutely love them. They are ideal for privacy concerns, and we especially love the way the top slats can be opened to let light in while the bottom can provide all the privacy we need. I also think traditional shutters could be beautiful in your home and can fold in half for opening, thereby taking up a small amount of wall/window space if you want the whole window uncovered. For the record, we got the wide louver shutters and see absolutely no darkening or loss of light. Your house looks so solid, sturdy, and such a classic style, I think the shutters would give your rooms an additional architectural element that would be stunning. Good Luck!

I like sheers with drapery for the lower level. Sheers give you a certain amount of privacy even at night, but still let the light in during the day. You could do roman blinds on some windows.

I use café curtains with roller blinds for the upper level. Café curtains give you all the privacy you need in the daytime and allow light in. At night use the roller.

To Small Old House,

I keep my blinds down most of the time but I keep the slats open flat ,,,so I have light and view and privacy all at the same time. Your house is lovely; trust your gut.