This window ....

[photoposternamechanger]

I keep toying with blinds or something at this big window/door in my kitchen. I love sitting there, lovely view of my garden. It is overlooked but not massively/too close but there is a big tree that blocks some of it for some of the year.

DD hates sitting there in the dark because she thinks the world is looking at her. Not the case at all but it has made me think about it again.

I thought I could have a roller blind made that would sit out of sight at the top but when I ordered one I actually got my measurements wrong and have never got round to cutting it down.

I have considered, Roman blind - too big and heavy.

Venetians -definitely not.

Shutters, height of french doors only - favourite option so far but expensive and I am not 100%.

Those perfect rise things that fit to the windows of the door only - not sure if I would like them as they block part of the view even when raised.

Vertical blinds - I think they might offer a reasonable solution but I dislike them.

Problem is that I don’t want anything that interrupts my view or blocks the window when not in use.

Has anyone got any fab ideas?

[Rubytinsleslippers]

Curtain? Single one which hooks to side when not in use. You have a curtain rail with frilly pelmet thing already.

[photoposternamechanger]

Sorry didn’t say I don’t want a curtain. I had curtains, too big and too hard to keep clean at the bottom with a dog.

[HeronLanyon]

If it were mine I would -
Remove the existing ‘pelmet’ - can’t understand what it is doing there alone? If needed for privacy from a high neighbour window then replace with shallow plain roller blind which comes Only to top of french doors.

Hang simple semi opaque curtain of some kind from top of french doors. Linen or thickish Muslin or similar. Thin enough when pulled to right it doesn’t instruct window. Thick enough to give some feeling of privacy at night.

[Daffodil101]

We have perfect fit blinds in our study and you don’t notice them after a while. I wouldn’t think they’d obscure much of your view - however I don’t think they’re robust enough to pull up/down every day. We open and close ours with the pole so most of the time we are looking through slats.

I have shutters in my sitting room and they are lovely but you need room for them to open into the room or fold back. The right hand side of the door in your photo could be a problem?

No perfect solution!

[photoposternamechanger]

Curtains of any sort won’t be happening, I don’t want them at all.

Thanks Daffodil, that’s really useful to know. Perhaps I should email the photo to a shutter company. There is plenty of room at the right hand side it just has my bin and a bird food container. I had thought that the left hand side might be more of a problem because that’s the door that opens.

I can see myself doing nothing again, or maybe having another roller blind made to be hidden at the top of the window when not in use.

[Rubytinsleslippers]

Integral blinds? Ones that are inside the glazing frame?

[photoposternamechanger]

They are just Venetians though aren’t they which I don’t want.

[Rubytinsleslippers]

You can get roller style too

[Rubytinsleslippers]

These are hideous but inside the door frame.

[Velveteenfruitbowl]

I like shutters best. Worth the investment imo.

[TreePeepingWatcher]

We have the "hideous" ones linked above (perfect fit) because I can open the French doors without a blind flapping about.

Ours are slightly cream to match our walls (Dulux Jasmine White) and are great for when the sun is beaming in, I can close them without losing light.

The case inside which the blind fits at the top of the window is probably about 8cm in height so it doesn't remove much of the window. Either blinds2go or blinds 247 do made to measure if you wanted a roller that fits the space. All our blinds, both blackout roller for the children's bedrooms or Roman blinds etc have come from Blinds2Go.

And I know you don't think that people look in but I guarantee you they do.

[Rubytinsleslippers]

Sorry @treepeepingwatcher I meant the pattern ( not my taste ) but the roller inside the frame I like as very neat and not flapping / banging if doors are opened and closed.

[TreePeepingWatcher]

@Rubytinsleslippers no worries, the pattern is bold!

I didn't have a lot of blind choice options, I have a French door bay window, so the doors and 2 windows either side but the side windows are set back for the sides, recessed, so I couldn't do shutters or curtains, hence Perfect Fit blinds. I really don't even notice the blind cartridge at the top anymore

[photoposternamechanger]

tree I have used Blinds2Go since before they were Blinds2Go (Tuiss) and find them fairly straightforward and reliable. However, I stupidly ordered a blind in the wrong size for this doorway. Not sure how I got it wrong but I did! So I need something else, if I am going to put something else up. I don’t think the blind is the right option though.

And I know you don't think that people look in but I guarantee you they do. I am not sure we are that interesting tbh and the people who overlook us are not that close. There is a massive beech tree that shields us most of the year and it doesn’t bother me that much .... which is why I haven’t done anything other than take the inherited curtains down in eighteen months. My teenager thinks differently!

It’s the far end of the kitchen where I sit with a garden view when it’s too cold to sit in the garden in the mornings and evenings.

I am leaning towards shutters if they fold back enough, that way I can have the top window completely uncovered and just block out the windows in the doors.

[photoposternamechanger]

Tree, are your doors wood? I have looked to see where something like that would fit and I am pretty sure I could squash the bracket things in between the wood, putty and glass if I went that route.

I had a look this morning and my neighbours have got naked french doors/windows.

[StatisticallyChallenged]

I know you've ruled it out but I'd personally go for a roman blind on that, possibly mounted outside the recess (where your pelmet is) if you wanted to reduce light loss when it's open (as most of the stacked blind would sit above the window.

[photoposternamechanger]

I don’t want a blind that big.

The ceiling is ten foot high, the blind would be huge, even when folded and I really don’t want a ‘wall’ of fabric in the kitchen which is why I took the curtains down.

[Heronwatcher]

I wondered when I looked at the picture if you got a carpenter in whether you could get a single folding shutter which would pull over the whole window width at night but then in the day folds back against the wall on the left. Personally I would remove the pelmet as well and have the shutter 3/4 height. But might be quite expensive. A cheaper option might be a screen of some sort which would fold back in the day.