That’s a pickle, and so, if this was my room, I’d do Roman shades on those two windows and curtains on the others but all the same fabric. Having rods different heights would only emphasize the difference instead of unite them. But having different types of window coverings but in the same fabric and you’d notice the coverings and not the ceiling

I would hang the curtains all at the same heights throughout the room regardless of dips in the ceiling or different window measurements.
To hang at the same height, you can measure from the floor up to the desired height, instead of measuring from the ceiling downward.

The higher you hang the curtain rods, the higher your ceiling feels.

Agree with Gen.

Donald has a great solution.

I think the Roman shades on those two windows will look great.

I like the Romans idea, but the blinds would have to go. If you must have curtains, you could have the rod butt up to the drop down (leave off the finial) on that left window, then just hang one panel on the right side. As for where to mount, it could be anywhere from 3" above the window to the ceiling. Purely preference. Doesn't have to be at the ceiling. They should all be at the same height tho.

Just a suggestion to improve your room, take down the mirror and put up artwork.

I know, you didn't ask but it needs to be addressed.

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Thank you all for the suggestions! When my parents passed away I inherited this house. I was a teenager when they built it in ’92’. I wish my teenage self would have stopped them from all the extravagant wallpaper and gold fixtures we are now taking down!🤣 We have been living here for a few years and are slowly trying to update it.

I also thought of just putting roman shades up, BUT the window frames are extremely shallow. The mini blinds up now are from the 90’s the ones with the box like inserts and they barely fit in the frame. My only option is to outside mount.

Angel, i have taken down that mirror before, and it makes the room appear very small, the mirror really makes the room appear bigger. I think i just need more of an up to date mirrror.

Do the six inches above the higher window and just carry the same level across even for the lower window, so that visually the rods are at the same height. It will give the illusion that both windows are hung at the same height.

Maybe curtains placed higher on the bank of windows and matching fabric cornices over the others.

You have a bulkhead that is so poorly placed you could only run the rod across the top window trim. If you do that the entire living room at that height would look bad. Removing a finial would still not allow the drape to hang along the side of the window when they are open.

Embrace the two narrow windows by inserting roman shades. If you are concerned with privacy you could even slightly frost the glass.

Going with @Donald for the win.

Forgot to mention: You mentioned being concerned about the millwork. That can always be changed at a later date. If you go with Donalds plan no one would notice it. You would have a gorgeous cohesive room.

Outside mount Romans or Cornices will leave you with the same problem. There are blinds available for shallow depth windows, including Romans, but would need to be custom. You'll need to go that route if you want to replace the mini blinds.

"Removing a finial would still not allow the drape to hang along the side of the window when they are open."

Why I said to just hang one panel on the right side.

Outside Roman mounts would work very well. There is enough clearance to mount them at the top of the window trim on the left window. Then repeat for the right window. Hang drapes at your desired height on the other windows. One panel hanging only on the right side of the left window would look weird, especially if you have 2 panels on the right window.

Yes there's enough room at the top for romans, but no room to the left of the window, so they won't work well at all. Looks like the ceiling drops down right over the left side of the window, if I'm seeing right. Where exactly would you put it? Yes, one panel won't look ideal, but there's no where to put a left one if they really want curtains.

I don't believe that is correct. When I blow the image up, it appears the ceiling doesn't go below the window. It appears there are at least a few inches before the window frame. Maybe the OP can clarify as that makes a big difference to the options.

No, it doesn't go below, yet it looks to sit almost on top and into the window. Guess we need the OP to clarify.

Not the greatest pic but could you hang the curtains that flank the fireplace at an angle with the top landing at the height you want for the widows on the opposite wall.

hang all curtain rods at ceiling height

TV takes over the whole room! Can you relocate it to the other side on a wall? I’d take everything out that doesn’t need to be in there. Agree with taking away mirror and hanging curtains high.

I agree with Gen. The drapes should all be hung at the same height. The drapes will add softness and color to the room.
Also, the tv seems to take over the corner and hide the window. Could you have it mounted over the fireplace?

I think a simple, practical and elegant solution is to hang the curtains at the ceiling height, visually it will look uniform, balanced and sleekὄDἿBtrust meὤ2

I would also hang the curtains at or just below the ceiling height. I don't think you'd even see the difference. My house has very sloped floors and the spaces above the doors and windows are very different, but they eye doesn't pick that up unless you really focus on it.

Also, I had the same problem with where to locate my TV because a mirror on the mantel is necessary to make the small room look bigger. I downsized my TV a bit and used a wall mount with an arm in one corner so that the space underneath it is now free.

My home had all 14 windows replaced in 2014. They are now failing. I’m obsessed with clean windows and it drives me nuts. I have been told that the only remedy would be to replace all of the windows. I’m wondering why the windows couldn’t be removed, cleaned and then resealed. Is there anyone that can do this?

@Mary Baley You should probably repost your question as a new thread in the Windows category.

I retract my first comment. I did not look at pic in enough detail. obviously cannot hang curtain from window left of fireplace as ceiling meets window at trim. therefore Id go with suggestion to use roman shades on windows on either side of fireplace. TV is in worst possible place. it dominates room. I think if you replaced mirror over fireplace with tv, the room will actually look larger. glass top coffee table n side table(s) in metal finish will also give illusion of more space. Hand a large mirror on another wall as in rectangular mirror between other two windows. or you can use circular shaped mirror tiles in a pattern. To open up space further, paint walls in an off white and paint oak mantel in a light neutral color

I would bite the bullet and pay for plantation shutters if you are planning to stay there! You could get rid of the blinds and still have privacy.

Hang them all the same height - based on the height of the window to the left of the fireplace. A couple of questions, please - ? What is the gizmo to the left of the fireplace - ? Is that an electrical cord running in front of the fireplace - ? Mirror is too formal and too big for this room - guessing it's the family room - ? Find some original art with brighter colors for over the fireplace. Put the TV on a lower base to the left of the fireplace, better viewing angle from the sofa. Keep the cat.

Measure the length of the curtain panels - they need to touch the floor when hung. Ready-made curtain panels are 84 inches. So, measure 84 inches up from floor - allow for hooks, and that's the right spot.

Hi Kathy,

After having read through all the comments so far I tend to agree with Donald about using Roman shades or Cornice Boards for the two windows either side of the fireplace, and then hang your curtains for the large and small window on the long wall at a height so that the curtains hang to just above the floor. My first question would be…

1) Have you already purchased the curtains you plan to hang? If not, what type of curtain do you have in mind to use in this room? Is there fabric to match whatever you purchase, so that shades or cornices can be matched? Enough fabric perhaps to make a matching pillow or two for the couch or a side chair.

2) Your photo does not show the floor in the room, but assuming hardwood. Try to find a large rug to match/compliment the colors in your curtains.

3) I also agree with comments that the TV tends to dominate the room and makes that end of the room seem too heavy and therefore the whole room unbalanced. Question: what is beyond the support beam to the left of the small window near the fireplace? Is it possible to flip your couch placement opposite of where it is now and move the TV to be centered on the long wall (in front of the windows)? Assuming there would be an outlet on the long wall that the TV could be plugged into and therefore not stretched in front of the fireplace. I understand that the mini-blinds help to keep glare off the TV screen, but that way most of the light coming into the room would be behind the TV.

4) As for the mirror over the mantel, I agree it does not do justice to the fireplace mantel. From the photo of your room if you notice most items are squared and/or have sharp edges, i.e., window frames, TV screen, fireplace and mantel. I understand your concern for having the mirror to reflect light into the room, but how about a round, oblong, octagon or hexagon-shaped mirror with perhaps a sconce on either side? Look at photos on Houzz, in decorating magazines, etc. for how to arrange decorative items on a fireplace mantel.

5) If the couch can be moved and the TV slid down onto the long wall, then put the end table with the lamp near the window to the left of the fireplace and move the cat tower to in front of the window where the TV now stands.

6) It’s difficult to tell from your photo if there is an exterior door into this room (maybe on the long wall just outside of the photo frame). Or if you have other furniture besides the couch in this room.

Hope you find these suggestions helpful. Again to reiterate, I agree that your curtains on the long wall could hang higher than the two windows on either side of the fireplace, especially if you use Roman shades or cornice boards/valances. Another suggestion, if you’ve not purchased the curtains already, I would suggest you do not purchase a solid color. With the solid color walls and solid color neutral couch, find something with a pattern, stripe or paisley that you like and then use accent décor and rug to compliment the colors and/or pattern in the curtains.

Good luck and let us know what you decide and follow up with photos of the finished room.

Thank you all for your suggestions! I will try to answer some of your questions. First off, the pic i uploaded is not a good shot. I will try to take a better picture this weekend. The ceiling is about 1 1/2 inches above the left window. As far as the huge TV…thats my husbands doing.🙄 We had a very large great room in our previous house, and it fit the room perfectly. We were not planning to move, but when my dad passd away, I wasn‘t ready to sell his house, so we moved in, and the TV had to come to. haha! The cord in the picture going across the fireplace is to my daughters ninetendo switch. It is normally not hooked up to the tv. When I took the picture I wasn’t paying attention to anything else in the room, I was just trying to get a good shot of the top of the windows and ceiling since my main concern was the placement height of the curtain rods since that left window has that bulkhead so low. The wall to the left is kinda a broken wall, meaning there is about 4ft of wall then a 5ft opening into the room behind, then another 5-6ft of wall and then a walkway. The wall to the right is full of windows i think you can see in the picture. On the left wall we have a loveseat facing the TV. I really dislike the whole lay out and find it very difficult to figure it out. I do not wish to live in this house longterm, just until my daughter is out of school… shes 10, so i have awhile but i don‘t want to put alot of money into it, and I do not have the finances to go crazy anway. I honestly feel the room decor and furniture setup deserves a whole new conversation.😂

Hello again, Kathy. Thanks for the explanations to my questions. They prompt some other questions/suggestions, but I'll wait to see the photos you upload this weekend. :-)

I'm still not clear on how close that drop ceiling is to the side of the window. If it's slightly over it or right next to it, then you only have that inch and a half to work with.

The ceiling covers about 4 inches across the window.

Here are more photos.

looking at all pics of room , furniture needs to be rearranged. suggestion: put tv where sofa is on left wall, place that sofa on end opposite fireplace making a separation between seating area and kitchen/ eating area. place chair diagonally where tv is now, but expose window more. reposition sofa on window walls so it is centred between windows taking in equal amount of each window on either side a rectangular coffee table will go nicely in front of sofa backing onto kitchen area. place side tables on either side of sofa on windows. they do not have to be matching and can be small so as not to take up much space. A floor lamp in corner behind repositioned chair will give reading light in this area. the room needs to be livened up choose patterned material for curtains n roman shades in light/bright multicolors. a coupla matching cushions and some contrasting cushions will brighten room. keep wall color in mind when picking material to tie everything together. id some greenery in room will make it more cozy and inviting. Add a floor plant in corner to left of fireplace. remove dark items from mantel and replace with a pot of greenery and one or two bright colored items. id still go with roman shades or straight topper on windows on fireplace wall and go with long side curtains that hang from ceiling or coupla inches from ceiling. Remember the closer to ceiling curtains are hung, the bigger the room will appear. Use Side panels only as they appear more streamlined and less bulky in a smaller room than full curtains yet they add a touch of elegance and pop of color needed in this room and you can leave up blinds for privacy when necessary. id also add a pic to wall behind repositioned chair and a pic on wall between door and kitchen opening that is seen in mirror

Thank you for all your suggestions! I truly appreciate it!

Hello Kathy,

Thanks for the photos of your family room. Much more helpful to understand the complete layout of the space. As for your original question regarding the hanging of curtains in the room I found ideas that might work and offer uniformity of all the windows in the room. BTW it’s wonderful there’s so much light coming into the room. The photo below, as an example, is one way to tackle the dilemma of the bulkhead above the smaller window to the left of the fireplace. You could then use one long, matching cornice board above the windows on the long wall to bring them all together. Hang a panel or more of curtains at the ends of the cornice boards or use with no curtains, just the blinds (as in the photo).

Google “wooden cornice boards for windows” and there’s 100’s of ideas for you to view. To take the eye up, try adding crown molding around the ceiling.

As for the furniture arrangement in the room, I like the suggestion that marhop provided, however it may not be feasible if the hookup for the TV isn’t available on that wall or there’s no outlet. Also if watching TV during the day the blinds would have to be shut so there’s no glare on the TV screen. Therefore, I suggest something similar. Move the long couch where the loveseat is now except keep pulled away from the wall to allow a walkway to either door (about 3’ away from wall). Move the loveseat to where the chair is now (sort of like a sectional couch arrangement) and angle the chair to the left of the fireplace. Move the TV to being centered on the 3-windows. Place the cat tower at the window where the TV was (I noticed in one of your photos that the cat likes to perch on the middle section and watch out the window). With this placement no one needs to strain their neck to view the TV and the majority of the light will be at the back of the TV (reduced glare).

Suggestion: the mirror over the mantel would look nice on the wall between the doors making sure the top of the mirror is even with the top of the doors (or slightly lower, but not above). Will still reflect light into the room. Could possibly put a sofa table on the wall beneath the mirror since it appears there’s a door from one room to the other without having to walk behind the couch. Then find some colorful artwork to place on the mantel (not hang) and use pillows and throws on the couch/chair to bring out the colors and/or to match the curtain panels. I also like marhop’s idea of having a floor lamp near the chair for reading light.

Hope these suggestions are helpful.

Thank you so much Sharma for your ideas! i didn’t however see a photo. Maybe it didn’t upload? Thank you so much, I appreciate all your suggestions! 😊

Nevermind, I just saw the photo. Thank you for that suggestion!

I wouldn’t put drapes in the windows that flank the fireplace. It would make it all seem too claustrophobic