French windows with sidelights - what blinds or curtains?

[ange8]

We have been having problems with a prowler who seems intent to get access to our back garden at night. I have two teenage daughters, and suspect he is a teenage peeping tom rather than a burglar. As well as improving our garden security, I need to get curtains or blinds for our kitchen/diner extension that we had built last year, but I'm not sure what 'window treatment' would work.

Obviously, I want to sort this out asap, so in one sense anything would do ... but I really like my new kitchen, and would rather have something that enhances it if possible.

I have put a couple of pics on my profile, and would be very grateful for any views on how I could cover the windows. The first picture shows the kitchen end of the room, which has two small windows. The second picture shows the dining end of the room, which has french windows with sidelights.

I think I would have liked roman blinds at the kitchen windows, and matching full length curtains at the french windows, but the sidelights get in the way of that. Instead, I think I will have to have 4 roller blinds at the french windows/sidelights, and the same in the kitchen.

I am not a big fan of pattern, and the room is decorated in quite a plain way - but with a red wall (more raspberry coloured in RL than in the pic). I thought maybe a neutral/red stripe, or spotty design could work?

Any comments very gratefully received!

I have a similar set up and put in the narrow slat venetian blinds. I used a cream with a wavey pattern on the slats. They can be wiped over easily, and don't retain the cooking smells in the fabric. The downside is that thay don't feel especially cosy in the winter.

jazzandh - that's an idea. How do the venetian blinds fix above the french doors - and do they pull up right out of the way so that you can walk through easily?

Couldn't you still have roman blinds? You would just need individual strips, one for each of the side windows and one for each door. Beige with raspberry spots - maybe this (spots atre bigger in RL) or a check is also nice for blinds - something like this?

BTW - the Roman blinds would fix to a betten on the wall above the doors/ windows and when pulled up, would not affect you opening or using the doors.

Dur - batten - sorry.

You have a gorgeous kitchen!

I'd recommend rollers for the 2 'kitchen' windows and curtains for the french doors. We have almost exactly the same door/sidelight combination in our lounge and just have extra wide curtains that cover both. It would also help with keeping things warmer in the winter months. If you go for patterns then I would choose something with a neutral background and a light/smallish pattern. You might find a darker block colour would cope better with wear/stains in such a high use area though.

Can't you do something about your prowler though? Definately have motion sensetive security lights. Also trellis fixed loosely (so that it wobbles) along the top of fencing is a good deterrent. A blunderbuss might give them the right message too ...

MrsSeanBean - yes, I do still hanker after the roman blinds, and if they were in the kitchen, I would ideally fit them outside the window recess, so the top of the blind was level with the top of my cupboards. That way, when drawn up, they would not block too much light. The problem is (as I see it, but I am going round in circles in my head...) that fitting outside the recess would not work at the diner end. But, if they were fitted inside the window recess, even when drawn up they would hang down quite a bit over the windows and doors, so would restrict light and head room. Or maybe I am making too much of that. I really like your fabric ideas - looks like Laura Ashley will have something to suit, in colours I like, whatever style of blinds/curtains I go for.

Lionstar - thank you! It was a pain having the building work but I'm really pleased we did. Anti-prowler security is top of my to do list - have been out this morning to get a motion sensing security light to fit at the side of the house, and padlocks for the side gate. The PCSO who came out to see me last night (after I was terrified to find someone looking in at me through a side window in our back room) also recommended 'prikka strip' for the top of fences, and anti-burglar paint. Money is tight at the moment, but they would be relatively low cost options. I do think curtains would be easiest in some ways for the french windows, as they are easy to open and close and can be drawn right back. I was just not sure that I had enough room at either side of the windows for the curtains to stay drawn back most of the time, so as not to restrict the light (you may have noticed I am a little obsessed with the light issue - it is quite a dark room). Maybe I'll try it out with some sheets and a long pole, just to check the effect.

Thanks everyone for your ideas - of course, any other comments and fabric ideas would be gratefully received!

If you go for curtains then you might be able to find some ready mades which should be cheaper - we got ours from M&S in the sale, and yes they were long enough to cover all the windows. Lined ones would help with the warmth, but make them thicker when pulled back. I think if you moved your chest to the right of the windows out a little then there should be plenty of room to tie back. Obviously a lighter colour curtain would help with the light issue.

How scary to have someone staring in through your window. I hate having windows without curtains for that very reason, I always imagine someone could be out there watching!

Ange8 - the Roman blinds could possibly work outside the recess at the diner end... what is the width of the bit of wall under the RSJ? My battens are only about 1in deep, and so is the velcro they stick to. Your only snag would be that you would probably have about 6in of folded fabric at the top of the window/doors when drawn up - would that be too much do you think?

There is room for a 1" batten above the door, but a 6" drop when drawn up is probably a bit too much unfortunately. The french doors are only 2m high, so there is already restricted head room when walking through the door.

So, I think it must be roller blinds everywhere, or roman blinds plus curtains. I was thinking about the curtains option, and it occurred to me that eyelet headed curtains would fold quite flat when drawn back, so possibly would not take up too much space either side of the window. Of couse, we would have to move the dog bowls, which live on the floor to the left of the window ...

I bet you can see why it's taken me so long to sort this out now! I am a bit indecisive..!

Hi, sorry for delay in replying. I have wooden french doors so the blinds fit to the top of each door itself and as they are tiny slats pull right up to the top of the door and don't cover the glass at all. They are very light and brilliant when it is sunny as you can just angle the sun out of the way without descending into gloom!

Yes eyelet curtains could work. It is a big decision, and quite expensive, I take ages with curtains as well. Hope you get something sorted soon.

examples here Sorry forgot link!

Oh jazzandh! I had never even thought of blinds fixed to the door itself! I bet that works really well (though I will need to find out if blinds could be fixed to upvc doors).

Many thanks to everyone for help, links and encouragement!