I'm not one for covering up extra natural light but I would probably see if the super can build coordinating covers for the opposite windows, with the dummy one acting as an extra storage area. Then get uniform Roman shades on the windows.

How about a hard valence, that comes out from the wall as much as the a/c units do? It's hard to tell just how far out that is, but that way the curtains would drape from the valence in one line (as long as the curtains were closed).

Don't know how you would feel about this when you wanted to open the curtains, though.

If you covered the lower part of the "longer" window you'd have two similar windows left. Furniture? Frost it? Build a wooden frame, cover with plywood, paint it, paper it, .....?

... ask the super to not only build something to cover the A/C, but another "box" to cover the other side - maybe you could use it for storage.

here is what I would do:
1. Build some sort of cover for the AC unit, or at the very least, build a small shelf on top of the unit to make it look a bit for finished.
2. Get a small bookcase or something the same height as the AC unit for in front of the other window.
3. Purchase (or better yet DIY) curtains that will hit at the top of both the AC unit and the bookcase, shelf, whathaveyou. Curtains can be made (Without a sewing machine) very easily! And Ikea has good options with iron-on hem tape included.

I would NOT suggest having curtains with two different lengths. I am suggesting curtains over blinds because you can then either leave them open (and they won't look silly covering the AC unit) or close them for less light/more privacy.

I like ErinC4's idea. Intall a wall mounted cabinet to match the AC enclosure but leave the back off the cabinet. That will give you daylight inside your display cabinet.

Follow up to my earlier post: you could mount a plexiglass box that could be illuminated by daylight by day or city lights by night. It would make a cool end table.

http://inhabitat.com/illuminated-tables-and-planters-made-from-100-recycled-plastics/

why can't you stick to your original plan? even if the a/c weren't there you would have the windows open during the day. so place the curtain rod the full width of the room instead of only across the windows. So one curtain sticks out a few inches when they're drawn? so what? and you can hang pale sheers when the drapes are pulled back that filters the light a bit and covers the a/c.

this is not big deal. live your dream.

I think the challenge is the assymetry caused by the A/C units. My suggestion is to solve that first. Maybe place a cabinet the same height as the A/C in front of the other unit.

You can then use either blinds or curtains, although I would suggest a wall of curtains might look nice too. Of course, you can also build out a valance so the curtains cover the A/C.

What I would do is put a rod all the way across the room about 5 inches or so away from the wall so that it didn't interfere with the a/c when you had the curtains closed. It would create a three dimensional kind of look... or like a floor to ceiling box window effect.

I think everybody is missing the point: in most of the models in the comments, you'd have to have the curtains pulled back to run the A/C. At night, that's a privacy issue.

I have a similar problem, although my AC unit is centered under two windows.

I think the person was asking for a solution that would allow the windows to be covered AND run the A/C. That does seem to suggest a blind over the two windows, so one could stop above the AC unit. I think there's a chance for some fun color on the blinds.

Everybody's ideas for covering the windows when the AC is NOT needed are dandy. But not practical.

Why not hang inside mount shades and then hang your beautiful curtains over them as a layered look? You would have the shade for privacy when you sweep the curtain to the side to run the air. You could get shades that let in a lot of light (NOT thermal) and then retain the benefit of having large beautiful windows.

I had this same problem in my DC apartment with an AC/heating unit in the living room under one window & in the bedroom under one window. I have two windows in the living room & two windows in the bedroom, & all four windows were equipped with mini blinds. However, I really wanted curtains. Also, I do not know how to sew & wanted to keep the cost reasonable.

Luckily, my mother does sew, & when I was still in law school, she made curtains for my former apartment bedroom. The curtains were not floor length but went just below the bottom of the window sill. They worked great for my current bedroom layout because my bed & a bedside table & lamp hide the fact that the curtains are not to the floor. Also, the curtains do not obstruct the AC/heating unit under the one window.

However, the living room was a challenge because it would have been much more noticeable if I had curtains that did not touch the floor. Also, I thought that short curtains would look weird even with the AC/heating unit. I found curtain panels that I loved & decided to purchase ones that were long enough to go ceiling to floor despite the AC/heating unit. However, to work around the unit, I purchased tie backs that matched the curtain rod & installed them. I leave the curtains pulled back in the tie backs when I'm in the room & control the amount of light I want/need in the apartment with the mini blinds depending on the time of day. So while I'm in the room, I can use the AC or heater without worrying about the curtains being in the way.

You need both curtains and blinds. Binds for privacy and to block out light, curtains for decor. Blinds can be miniblinds, honeycomb, wood slats, whatever you like. If you want to let light in, get the kind with the top down, bottom up option...that way, you can let some light in at the top only. That costs more. The budget option is a roll up shade - in a fabric, not plastic, hopefully one on a clutch, the kind with the plastic bead loop cord, not the old spring-loaded kind. You can order these custom sized at smith and noble for not that nuch. Or roman, though those tend to get thick when you pull them up, and may interfere with your curtains. Bamboo is lousy for light control and privacy. You can order them with a privacy liner from smith and noble, probably other places as well...and that might work.

Then, if you want your place to look good, hang one long curtain rod, wall to wall. Use supports in the middle. Hang it far enough out from your box so curtains can be opened and closed in front of the box. If you need to use the space right in front of the non ac unit window for a desk or anything else you want to not have the curtain away from the window, then hang two curtain rods...one close to the window, one further out to clear the ac box. Make the rod above the ac window stick out across the wall beetween the windows so that it goes as far as it can to reach the other curtain rod. Then you will have space on the rod to pull the curtain away from the ac unit when heat or ac is on. It will look like one long curtain. Use ikea ones...they are cheap and come extra long, which you need here. Wash them in warm water first, 'cause they shrink in length, then shorten with the iron on tape. Use fairly thin metal rods, about an inch around or slightly less, not those big clunky wood ones..wait, you don't have room for the clunky ones anyway. Use curtain rings over the rods, the kind with a little tiny metal ring attached to them. Use curtain pins..the kind you stick into the top of the curtains...you can just fold down the tabs on the cheap ikea ones to the back and put the pins through them...One at each tab works well. I did this with the ikea Lenda cotton ones..then you hook the pin though the little tiny ring attached to the ring that goes on the rod...they will move much easier on the rod when opening and closing if you do this than if you put the fabric tabs directly on the curtain rod. Have the rods go basically fom wall to wall, even if you hang two. Curtains should always go right to the floor, a fraction or an inch shorter or longer...anything else looks odd.

I would do a "faux" built-in around the a/c unit with a hinged top to access the controls. This could double as a place for setting plants or anything. Then I would suggest drapes in the living room area to let in the natural light. As for the bedroom I would recommend if the roman shade, but make sure you go with a flat loop and a room darkening material. Unless of course you are up before the sun is every day.

I vote for 4 steps:

--Faux built-in around A/C unit for when it' s not being used, as others have suggested above.

--In front of 2nd window, put bookcase of same "height" and similar material (or finish color) as AC unit/built-in in front of the 2nd window.

--Buy the kind of roller fabric blinds that allow you to roll them up or down in a way that allows you to have various sections of the windows exposed (not just from the bottom of the shade down); I have to admit this suggestion would be more helpful if I could recall the manufacturer name! ;) ... If these are too pricey, get inexpensive one-direction stick-blinds from Cost Plus or similar place.

--For continuity, you could do the additional option that others have suggested of having one long curtain rod above both windows, either with some fun prints or some nice billowy sheer white curtains, which would typically be left open (since you'd have the blinds for privacy) but would frame the windows nicely and add some softness to balance out the hard edges of the A/C and the bookcase.

Urgh, I just went through this with my windows. Keep looking for Roman blinds that will fit -- I just found some on Overstock.com that were long enough, and just an inch narrower than my window frames. Pearl River Mart also has some good bamboo options. They won't block the light *completely*, but they did the trick for me on their own in my last apartment.

1. Run a narrow shelf/ ledge / countertop / across the window wall, at the height of the top of the AC and the top of the lower window panel of the other window. Rest one end on top of the AC unit, and use legs for the other. (Or not...just giving a general idea here.) Find a solution you like for the lower window panel (cover, frost, curtain that can be pulled aside, etc.)

2. Mount the curtain rod away from the windows, in front of the ledge.

3. Add roman or cellular shades to each window. If the windows are non-standard sizes, there are not-expensive shades you can cut to size.

You can make one (either the shades or the curtain) light-blocking and the other light-filtering (for privacy), as you prefer.

4. Alternative solution: Instead of a ledge, make a window seat.

Overstock.com has a million different widths of bamboo and traditional blinds that aren't too pricey (especially if you only have four windows). We bought some blinds from there that fit our oddly shaped windows and it was a great deal. You can also mount them on the inside or outside of the window frame, depending on the depth of the windows and the look that you're going for.

This suggestion will probably be seen as heresy, but I was thinking a pull up/down blind on the side with the a/c unit and floor to ceiling curtains/drapes on the other.

I like the idea of building a second box to match the box over the AC unit, for symmetry. Then I would put up some window film and valances across the top.

Check out sheer shades - they are great for cities because when in the open position they still filter light, and can close for privacy. Your windows are off-center to the wall, so curtains might look strange and not be operational with the a/c anyway.

You don't say the height of the windows, but I have large odd-height windows in my apartment (Seattle, built in 1930's, great view) and they have baseboard heaters on the floor so you can't do floor-length curtains, but the shorter length is too short. I have bought fabric shower curtains for almost all of my windows - they are usually around 72" x 72" so you get lots of yardage width-wise and they don't reach the floor. There are some very elegant ones nowadays, and elegant hooks to put them up with on a normal curtain rod. You could get some basic blackout shades to pull down underneath if light coming in is a problem.

I've got a kitten that loves putting her claws into my pretty sheer curtains so I've been considering switching over to the roman style. My windows are also taller than average, so I've been considering getting a shorter sheer white curtain to layer under the roman style to cover up the remaining gap? I'm not sure how it would look, could be potentially very cute and funky, or awkward. I like the idea of long, floor-sweeping curtains in your place, in which case I would arrange my couch or a chair and table opposite the AC unit, and then put a beautiful throw blanket/sheet over the unit and use as a shelf or display. These in gray would look lovely in your place too: http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=22534044

Why not both? Full length decorative-only curtains at the sides of each window, with a simple roller blind also on each window, to be used for practical purposes. Inexpensive and easy to cut to custom size.

Looking at those pictures I would go for roman blinds as the recess would restrict the fitting of the pole if you went for curtains
. Also be careful when choosing your fabric and linings as a heavy fabric would block a lot of that natural light you have shining through, and a simple budget 50/50 polycotton lining would be best to allow more of the light through. Whether you go for made to measure or ready made depends on the overall drop, but there are many roman shades available that have a flexible drop and therefore will fit all window sizes. Hope this helps out.

Roman shades.....with curtains over maybe?

Roman shades.....with curtains over maybe?

I have, essentially, the exact same window/AC unit setup in my NY apartment - two windows in the living room, two in the bedroom, all completely different sizes.

We wound up going with custom roller shades from Blinds to Go - simple, off-white backed linen - resistant to the constant spray of dirt coming in from NY streets (they also had blackout shades if you're into that). They were a grand total of about $400 and arrived about two days later. Not exactly cheap, but we had thought custom was completely out of reach. I was hesitant to order custom blinds online, sight unseen (impossible to return them), and most of the brick and mortar places quoted us upwards of $1000 and told us they would take weeks to arrive.

Enjoy your new place!

Shades.

Curtains would be hard to operate because of the A/C. If installed over the ac they will not fall nicely. I also see that it is a lower floor (looks like a Brooklyn brownstone) so maybe bottom up shades would work better.

If the choice is between Roman Shades and Curtains I would say roman shades and maybe think of bottom up ones.

The price for those shades is comprised of the labor and fabric, to save the cost you can recycle old curtains or find an out of stock fabric that is sold by the yard at a deep discount. Then find a custom curtain store in manhattan or brooklyn area and and have them make and install it.

I found this article whilst looking for other information on roman blinds however I have to say the question in this article is a good one. Personally I would have to say I would prefer blinds as these are more contemporary and easy to clean!

I would make you custom roman shades from a beautiful linen, it could be lined with light lining for privacy and they look very elegant. I do this for a living in NJ and NY for over 15 years, have a lot fabric experience and excellent resources. Let me know if you are still in need. I also install them in the city. Let me know.
dorita_b@hotmail.com.