Please help me dress my mullion windows

[geordiepidge]

We're about to move into our new house and I'm at a loss for how to dress the bedroom window. The house is 18th century and has very rustic mullion windows which I don't want to hide, but the bedroom faces south east so gets lots of light in the morning. Any ideas? Apart from eye masks

I would go for venetian blinds I think.

Why not curtains? They'll be pulled right back, during the day, when you're actually looking at the windows.

Anything inside the recess is going to obscure the shape.

I think curtains would look best re the era. Those windows, sometimes a segment needs to be replaced, so if you had something in the recess it would occasionally potentially need to be removed for access.

Thank you, I did think curtains but what about the radiator? Would short ones look ok so we still get the warmth when the curtains are shut?

I'd say some curtains. Set the rail a bit higher and wider than the window to 'frame' it and that should also help so the curtains don't cover the radiator.

Definitely curtains. Held back from the sides of the windows during the day and finishing above the radiator.

Curtains with a blackout lining.

Anything in on on the window would spoil the look of them whereas curtains can be pulled right back.

What about a roman blind fitted outside the recess and a few inches above the window? You then wouldn't block much, if any, of the window when the blinds up and it's above the radiator.

Personally I think if you go with curtains they should be floor length, window sill length looks a bit old fashioned.

The blind in the pic is fitted a few inches higher than the window, when up fully it skims the top of recess. As long as you take the blind a few inches past each side you can't tell it's fitted above the recess.

Full length dress curtains with a blind as suggested by Blackgrouse

Short curtains unless you move the radiator. I would get thermal lining if the window is draughty

Short curtains look great with wide, shallow windows. I know they get a bad rap from people who like long, flowy curtains but the proportions are so much better.

I have long flowy curtains with radiators under the windows. It's not practical.

I have mullioned windows and long curtains. Can't bring myself not to! We have such deep window sills that in the winter I roll the bottom of the curtains up and rest them on the windowsill as i close them! Depends how dedicated you are to curtains though...

Those mullion windows are themselves old fashioned, and lovely. Curtains longer than midway between the sill and the radiator are pointless imo.

Thanks all, I think we're going to go for Roman blinds mounted a bit higher than normal and falling to just below the window sill so I can tuck them up when it's really cold 🙂