Need your decorating help......

**SewCrafty** · 06-15-2003, 01:56 PM

with my living room windows.

Okay, first of all this is a very old farmhouse, built between 1830 (the back of the house with the kitchen) and 1860 the front of the house with the living room. I have 6 windows, the front door, closet door, staircase and a set of french doors in my living room. The windows are what are giving me problems. Everything else in how to move the furniture around. But I'll get to that later.

The living room measures 12' x 24' has a standard window (35" x 57" including casings) on each end and 2 more windows on each side of the front door. The 2 on each side of the front door have a section of wall between them about 9-10" wide.

I want to make new crutains/drapes for the living room and have had the fabric for over 2 years! But I want to make those windows at the front of the house to appear as ONE large window to hopefully make the room look more airy (wider) and can't figure out how to do it.

I have bleached muslin for the lining and sheers (about 30 yards) and a gingham type fabric in light sage green (loose weave, 1/2" checks) about 25 yards.

I've been toying with the idea of making roman shades (and get rid of those hated mini blinds!) and adding a topper?

Anyone have any ideas how to make those windows appear as one?????

**heavensent_7** · 06-15-2003, 02:03 PM

I'm a bit lost

(it's hot here and I'm especially slow today lol) But couldn't you just put up ONE pole, therefore treating the windows as if they were one window and make curtains for each end as normal?

Are you with me?

**SewCrafty** · 06-15-2003, 04:21 PM

Yes Bev, I could and did think of that, but I still have that section of wall between the 2 windows to disguise. If I put a longer curtain on each end of each window and in the middle (to cover up the wall section) it still looks like 2 windows.

I can't figure out how to make it look like it is there by design and not 2 seperate windows!

Maybe something in how I make a tie back????

That is why I was thinking of roman shades, I could make one large one, although it might be kind of heavy or make 2, but have them meet in the middle of the wall section and make a topper to cover the entire length of the 2 windows. This would work (I think) when the blinds are down, when they are up is another matter. I really am trying to make the room airy and brighter, it is pretty dark now even with white walls (which dh wants to paint, at least the bottom half).

Did I mention that the ceilings are very low in the house too? I am 5'2" and if I step on my tippy toes I can just touch the ceiling!

And of course NOTHING is level, but I have learned how to fix that problem!

**Darlene** · 06-15-2003, 04:32 PM

Wish I could help you Dee, but this is out of my league.
I can however, cheer you on. Go Dee Go!

**SewCrafty** · 06-15-2003, 04:37 PM

Thanks Darlene!

**sixfreds** · 06-15-2003, 08:27 PM

you can make 2 curtains and tie them together at both ends and in the middle (wherer there in no window) or add a roman shade to go across the whole space or 3 roman shade, 2 for each window and then one for the wall so it looks the same across (know what I am saying) you could add a mirror on the wall and get some molding that matches what you have trim the mirror with that and it will look like a window...at least it will give you the feeling of a window..

Good luck!
Eileen
p.s. I did the mirror with curtain slooks I had a blank wall and wanted the room to look bigger so I added mirror tiles and put up around it the same curtains I have on the other ones in that room and it does look like a window..

**SewCrafty** · 06-15-2003, 08:47 PM

Thanks Eileen, I never thought of a mirror.

**Ellise** · 06-16-2003, 10:53 AM

Deed, Can you tell they are different from the outside?
AT any rate this is what I do for a living. How much of a return do you have? (from front of blinds to the wall) or are these all inside mounts?

YES a Roman shade should do the trick! I would make 2 of them meet them in the center of the wall you wish to conceal. Using a decorative pole to place your Valance above (make sure you mount it at least 2 inches above your Roman shade if doing an outside mount) to insure easy movement.

My next question is what about when they (roman shades) are lifted? You can also hang sheers to in a straight line to conceal the wood work.

Hope this helps.

**SewCrafty** · 06-16-2003, 11:45 AM

Thanks Ellise!

I thought it may work, but had never seen it done. Yes the mini blinds are mounted on the outside casing of the windows but I already bought the new poles and made sure they came out far enough to not interfere with the mini blinds or shades whichever way I went. I would prefer not to have either up there, but my dh had this thing about covering windows.

You can tell it is 2 seperate windows from outside but it goes onto my enclosed front porch (hence even with so many windows in the room, it is still dark). I am not too concerned with this as no one comes up here very much and we are set back in from the road. So it is just to please me!

Thanks again!