How to dress barn windows

[dottygamekeeper]

Does anyone live in a converted barn with huge windows (where the original barn doors were)? If so, how have you dressed your windows? We have 2 sets of windows,each in total 3 metres wide (divided into 3 panes)by 3.40 metres high (double height - two panes high)) on either side of our dining hall. At the moment they are covered by cream cotton roman blinds for the full width, with one blind for the top half of the window and one for the bottom half, but they are disintegrating (were put in by the original owners 12 years ago) and are very heavy to lift. Any suggestions?

If I do blinds again, would it be very expensive to get motorised ones? I like the simplicity of the blinds, and the fact that they do not take any space at the side of the windows (one set of windows is sliding doors so useful not to obstruct)- but I have wondered about curtains, but the weight would be considerably more than the blinds and don't know what sort of pole you would have to use, nor how easy it would be to pull them shut.

Just bumping this up again, and to say I measured the height wrong - it is 4.40metres (so overall the windowws are quite large). Any suggestions please?

I think this is too big an area for standard Roman blinds, tho you could split the window into 3 and have 3 long ones. I don't do motorised ones so not sure whether the fittings would work with the length you need.

You could do curtains, obviously you would need a pole that is suitable for heavy curtains, and very secure fixings into the wall. You can get poles that have the gliders inserted in the underneath so the functionality of track (can be corded making it easy to draw etc) plus the look of a pole. If keeping heat in and light out is a big issue and you need them to be interlined they will be very heavy indeed so that would add to your problems - if you can manage with a lightweight linen or similar then you may be OK.

My mates in this situ installed wooden shutters btw!

HTH x

Thanks Sinclair, luckily the barn is relatively warm so interlining not required on curtains, blinds etc - it is more to keep out sunlight when very bright, or just to alter the mood at night time.

Other barn dwellers, how have you dealt with this issue?