I suggest talking to the AirBnB owner: ask them to get sheer curtain panels for their second story windows that look directly into your kitchen. They should be the "shirr on the rod" type, not grommet curtains because they should not be easily moved aside by the renters. Show them your photo. Send them a link to washable white curtains at Target or Amazon.

Then buy your own cafe curtains for top and bottom levels. Try sheers on both top and bottom.

Thank you! I am not sure I can influence the owner, but I appreciate the idea. To clarify, you suggest using another row of cafe curtains, along the top?

I suggest a roman shade with café curtains. Choose a fabric in the same colour/tone as the café curtains.

Thank you! I appreciate the image--very helpful.

Are people really looking in? They may look out the window to see the view but I doubt guests are dying to see what’s going on in your kitchen

Likely they're not looking, but I live here alone and prefer to ensure that no one can see in, should they want to, particularly at night. Logical or not, I'll feel better for the guaranteed privacy.

Fair. Roman shades would be my vote

Agree with chispa

Please post an update when you are ready.

Thanks so much, everyone. I'm leaning toward the cellular shades that chispa described. They offer insulation--a nice feature in our very cold climate--and I think they would take the least space when I open them, and block less of the view of the sky than Roman shades would. My only concern is whether they are easy to clean. I have a feeling not. For that reason, another layer of cafe-length curtains sounds appealing, but I wonder if that would look a bit odd.

Remove the cafe curtains for sure they do not mix with other window coverings and I agree top down bottom up makes the most sense .