apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Are the vertical blinds the kind where you could remove individual blind blades without removing the track? If so, you could store the blades safely until you move out, and hang pressure rods with your sheer 'window' treatment of choice.

Vertical blinds are so gross! Honestly, it wouldn't be hard at all to just remove them track and all and store them until you move out. I also love kimg924's idea about the pressure rods but I don't think you can get the normal ones to span a 7' space. Perhaps you can use a pressure shower curtain rod?

Can you make holes? If you'd like to have an urban garden, you could use L-brackets to run shelving across that space (you'd probably need to build braces in the middle) and then put plants there. If it's getting good light, that solution would still pass the light through, and give you something green to look at/eat.

Shower curtain rod is a great idea. If you have a funky (not big-box) hardware store near you, you can check there and see if they have any funky colored plastic sheets -- you know, the kind that were used in doors in the '70s, printed with geometric designs? We found some at McClendon Hardware in Seattle that were just $2 each! I think they were clearing out a 1970s storeroom. We're going to use them as some kind of room divider or window block. You could also try a building/decor salvage place and see if they have anything like that.

I once rented a place that had a similar hideous folding door between two rooms -- I stored it and then put it up when I moved out.

PS

Good point about the 7' width a pressure rod. Monica. I wonder if you could remove the blades and attach curtain ring clips to the track somehow, without damaging the track of course.

http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=1285&f=9537

Maybe something along the lines of a Shoji screen? Simple, elegant, and a nice way to filter yet allow light to pass through.

What about going above it and putting a curtain (sheer?) across the entire wall (so not just the window part) in either (or both) room(s) that hangs floor to cieling......the curtain is then the focus of the room, and not the gap, though light still comes through. I'm thinking of the look of the curtain in todays earlier post of a floating headboard - http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/how-to/how-to-make-a-floating-headboard-043144

(funky frame on invisible wire optional!)

Kimg924 - I did exactly that. I took the blades down from their clips and stored them in the closet. I left the track up and used florist wire to tie on those curtain ring clips to the top of the blade clips. (there are little holes up there on each blade clip). I then used the drapery rings to attach fabric. Now my curtains slide on the same track and look much better! When I move out, I can just re-attach the blades and no one will ever know. :)

post a picture of the "after"!!

how about stretching a cheap sheer curtain on 1x2"s just the size of the inside of the window and painting (with water-based acrylic) a simple design, like a singlebranch? Then you could make it decorative and organic, but still let some light through.

Taking a hint from ApartmentTherapy's "lighted closets" article....

I'd remove the blinds, and hang some sort of curtain (or a shoji screen) on EACH side of the window. Then install some sort of lighting BETWEEN the curtains, within the window itself. You could run tube lighting along the inside perimeter, or stand a series of small skinny lamps on the ledge.

This would make the opening seem more like a window, would visually enlarge the livingroom, and would also prevent people from seeing shadows from one room to the next (like if you're in the bedroom changing clothes, etc).

thanks for all your input, everyone! i appreciate every single person for taking the time and making the effort to help me out. having said that, there's a few ideas that kinda intrigue me...

1. pressure shower curtain rod — excellent suggestion. i hadn't thought of that initially. i could then hem any curtain i like to fit the space exactly.

2. the urban garden — what a creative way to separate the spaces. even if i didn't necessarily fill it all with plants, shelving would look great regardless...it could potentially store lighter books, picture frames, etc. i only have 2 reservations about this plan of action...one is where i would find shelves narrow enough for the space (depth-wise). the second would be, living in the land of earthquakes, how practical it would be for california...

3. funky colored plastic sheets — these sure do sound interesting. i can't seem to picture them, however. any image links would be greatly appreciated!

3. curtain across the entire wall — this was actually my initial plan, as well. i have high, vaulted ceilings which slope and hit a peak right above that wall, so i have about 14 feet or so to work with. with the right curtain, it could have a nice dramatic effect. i'd love to experiment with a color for the curtain if possible. feel free to throw out suggestions!

thanks again everyone, this is really helping.

Skin it with polycarbonate and put a light around the perimeter. Sunny all day and super cool at night - albeit not really on the cheap.

make a psuedo fish tank!

Use that corrogated plastic materials they use for the walls of green houses:

http://www.greenhousecatalog.com/solexx_faq.php

I love ohjodi's idea!

Use glass bricks to fill the space.