How can I cover a cheap window?

Curtains can go very, very wrong. If you go overboard, you end up with something heavy and expensive and claustrophobic, like one of those getups Sally Field wore in Lincoln. On the other hand, don’t ignore them until too late, after all the remodel money has been spent. Like I did. With my husband threatening to thumbtack a bed sheet over the beautiful new windows “to stop the spying,” I faced a desperate situation.

“Let’s review,” said my husband, who likes his privacy. “How exactly did we end up adding only two new rooms but 21 new windows?”

Um, the architect likes “light?” At least that’s what he said when he showed me the plans. It looked like a good idea on paper, too. All that light. Of course, now that we’ve moved in we practically have to walk around in sunglasses. So what’s the solution (and how much did I end up spending)?

Photographs by Mimi Giboin.

Strategy No. 2: Hang simple solid-color curtain panels.

Why choose curtains (instead of blinds, say, or shades) for some windows? Says Tang, “It is a classic trick to use curtains to enlarge the visual effect of window. Often people will place them bunched up a foot or two off to the side of window, so will look as if a window is bigger.”

To get the most visual impact, “curtains look nicest when they go from the floor all the way to the ceiling, even if the window is not full height,” says Tang.

Above: No need to sew a rod pocket. I attached clips to the top of each panel.

Cost of the living room curtain hardware: one Cambria Oil Rubbed Bronze Curtain Rod ($49.99) and four packages of Cambria Oil Rubbed Bronze Curtains Rings (currently on sale for $4.99 per package) at Bed Bath and Beyond, $90.

Strategy No. 4: Use the money you saved in other rooms to splurge on custom shades or blinds for the bedroom.

In the bedroom you don’t want to skimp. You spend at least one-third of your life in this room, so you want good coverage: for privacy and to block the sunlight on Saturday morning when your husband takes the dogs out and lets you sleep in.

In my bedroom (above) are custom Roman Shades from The Shade Store. You can save money here by measuring your windows yourself and installing your own shades after they arrive (they’re shipped in long cardboard boxes to your house).

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