Thanks for all the suggestions. The width of the area I'm working with makes things very challenging, doesn't it? val -- the advantage to your idea of roller shades is not having to worry about any cords hanging down. I did look at something called a solar shade at one time, but I think I may want a softer look. les -- one of my first thoughts was to use some type of pleated or honeycomb shade (because they are available without cords) along with a valance to hide them, just as you suggested, but somewhere along my thought process, I thought it would be nice to have some kind of single-panel panels to soften that side of the room. I probably should let that idea go because it may not be the best solution for the area, especially considering the limited amount of clearance I have to the right. We have Silhouettes in the LR, which I love, so if I have the Luminettes in the FR, that may flow nicely thru the house. One of my concerns about the Luminettes, tho, is when they're open, I wonder how much space I would have to allow for them to stack. deborah -- maybe you can answer my question about how tightly the Luminettes stack when open. sally -- do you also have the Luminettes? parma -- thanks for the pictures. We don't get The Sun Times, we get The Tribune. I looked at the paper's website, but couldn't find the article. I'll try the Divine Design website. The thing is I don't really want a lot at the windows and after having nothing there for such a long time, anything will seem like a lot to me, I think. I still want to have them very open during the day, especially on a day like today with all the snow we're getting. We have some very large pine trees in our yard that look so pretty in the snow. I hope to head out to a local drapery store on Monday to at least get some suggestions there.

Do you have photos? Its easier for me to make a recommendation after seeing the area. I don't know much about solar shades but I like the idea! I've never seen them in person though.

Take down the curtain rod and remove the painters tape. Since you don't need privacy, find some art that will fit on the wall by the light switch and the wall at right angles to the right side of the door.

Have you thought about bottom up top down pleated blinds or honeycomb shades? Minimal in design and able to install as inside mount to a shallow depth of only 1/2 inch. Here are some client pictures and how they solved their bay window challenge.