I have conventional ( non sliding ) solar shades on a 20’ wide expanse of glass facing west in my Palm Springs area home. Of course it gets LOTS of sun year around, no smell at all. Wish I knew the brand ….. that’s odd that yours does that, have you talked to whatever business installed them?

I have talked to the (online store). I got it from North Solar Screen. I did once reach out to them, also to see whether I could simply get replacement panels. But apparently no longer made. Finding replacement panels woudl be easiest.

@oncape now that is an interesting thought.

Function:

• how woudl such a curtain perform for UV and heat protection (reflection) compared tot he solar material I have?
• Probably woudl need a motorized solution?

Design:

- this is a rowhome. Not that big/wide. I am adding some more pictures of the space below.

And thank you for the tip with the picture. I always tend to hand too high... But making progress :-)

Also, I want to replace the ceiling fan. Not sure what design yet. I thought possible a white modern fan with some gold to fit with kitchen?

One option might be install window films to help with UV and heat.

Really like the curtain idea.

Install the drapery panels but at the same height for both doors. Leave the transom window without.

You place the wall art in relation to the furnishings, NOT the wall size.

You can just use a baton to move the drapery panels if you want something simple. It's what they use in hotels to minimize problems.

Read the link. As to uv protection, your choice of fabric would determine it. You say you want to see through it a bit. Google a fabric which can do all you want and have it made into the window treatment I suggest. UV also is coming in from the transom windows. You want to cover it all. And UV light is coming into the area from the other slider. Do you want to deal with that, as well?

I just feel that adding window treatment on the right (kitchen) area woudl not look right and might not be practical with food and so close to cooking odor. That side is somewhat protected by porch. If I decide on window film I would do that side as well.

I like the see though aspect of the linen you suggested. Based on my research it will have limited UV protection and less heat insulation than my current setup. That is why I am thinking about adding window film.

Adding window film would not hurt!

We have UV protection window film on all of our windows, they come in different % of UV protection & colors. We have them in both homes here in sunny So Cal, to protect

both art & furniture, ours aren’t dark, you wouldn’t even know it’s on them.

I am in in Illinois but south facing with lots of sun. 25 year old Pella...

Does your look act like a mirror at night when trying to look outside? I have seen some installs with that effect, but I imagine products have advanced....

Do you happen to know the product you used?

The wrong window film could damage the window seals and void any warranty on the windows. Just be careful on what you select.

yes, will go with the most transparent and lowest heat absorption. My windows are all long out of warranty. I found out the hard way that Pella window warranty is not great. Labor is only two years. My cladding started to rot. in 2-10 year window. Got the cladding for free, but labor cost I had to pay was significant.

As part of this project I want to replace my current ceiling fan. It is a 52".

Would something like this fit (style) This one is 56", pushing size a bit to be safe not to be touched from loft.

So, made some progress. Grey solar shades are gone (top roller will be removed when we do install curtains). Outside window film is installed. Next is to get the full height linen style curtains.

Got a ton of curtain samples and could use some guidance on strategy to select curtain color. I started to go down the road to make it match with floor, rug etc. Not sure whether it will be too much beige or not. On the other hand I am thinking to make it a bit of a statement to define the room.

Thank you all for your help. After some time I have an update. I ended up with full height linen curtains with motorized track. I like everything about it. With one small exception. I do not like to look at the track when curtain is open.

Does anyone have an idea on how to cover the track? My ceiling is sloped, roughly 30 degrees.

One idea I had is to take a simple rectangular trim board, cut it one one side at an angle. Fasten "somehow" to the ceiling. So, that the board might cover about 1/2" - 1" of the top of the curtain. But looking for ideas....

Cover with a cornice.

@Emily. Thanks. How woudl I deal with the 30 degree ceiling slope?

This is just a suggestion, but consider incorporating some red from the artwork and outside umbrella into some of your accessories. Into the rest of the space in the living room area. Your draperies look nice!

You could have the board cut at that angle at the top and then mount it to the wall with L bracers

My current L brackets (for curtain track) are right on the edge between wall and ceiling. So, there is no more room above for L -bracket to attach to the wall.

But yes, I could cut a 30 degree on top of whatever cornice. However, it seems that many cornice are nut full 90 degree pieces, are hollow. I can't picture how a 30 degree cut woudl look/work. I was even thinking just to use a simple white rectangular board. Perhaps I could fasten it with bendable L- brackets to ceiling. Not sure whether bendable L-brackets exist...

Also, need to figure out how low the cornice would need to be. If it covers the curtain, i needs to be more out from wall. Therefore, woudl need to be taller as compared to covering just the space from track start to ceiling.

I am thinking now just to install a simple rectangular lattice (edge cut at an angle). Paint it same color as wall color. About 7" tall, 1/2" poplar lattice.

Would that look ok?

Yes, as long as it’s long enough to cover the track and the pleats that should work.

thanks. Would 5 1/2" look appropriate?

Also, how much clearance should there be between inside of cornice and curtain? I figured I woudl measure about a 1/2" when curtain is stacked on one side. That woudl result in more space when curtain is open

I'd go with sheer curtains and a separate roller shade behind them. Layers let you control light and privacy separately. And no smell if you choose cotton or linen.

Go at least 8”, so the pleats are covered.

I agree the track isn't pretty, but unfortunate that you didn't anticipate this, as you paid for pleats and now you are going to cover them up.

Yes, I am almost finished with the custom cornice that I built I made a mistake and only have about 7 1/2". It is on a 30 degree slope, so this reduces its covering ability somewhat.

My key learnings from the project:

• Overall, I’m very happy with the change. Expensive, even from a discounter.

• Adding 3M solar film to the exterior of the window has been excellent. Noticeable comfort improvement and no downside so far.

• Avoid wall brackets for full‑height curtain tracks. I originally thought wall brackets made sense because of the 30‑degree sloped ceiling. In hindsight, I would instead cut a 30‑degree wedge, mount it to the ceiling, and install the curtain track underneath.

• Eliminates the bulky, unattractive wall brackets

• Provides a cleaner, more integrated look

• Makes it easy to attach a cornice directly to the wedge, instead of fabricating a cornice with a 30‑degree slope

• Stack size: all estimates were wrong. Every guideline about fabric type, pleats, fullness, etc., turned out to matter less than expected. The real limiting factor is the track runners. In my case, the fabric could compress further, but the runners set the minimum stack width. Fortunately, my measurements ended up correct.

• Motorized is absolutely worth it. Smooth, quiet, and genuinely improves daily use.

Thanks for sharing that info. That’s helpful to know for future projects.

Thank you everyone guiding me on this project.

Here is the finished product:

The cornice is too short: