We hung regular curtains on our sliding glass door - but chose ones with grommets so that they can slide easily out of the way to open and close the door.

When I lived in an apartment, we replaced the vertical blinds with floor-length curtains. You could do a sheer curtain under an opaque one to control how much light is let in.

I think they are probably too big for roman blinds, if you could even find them in that size.

I agree with the curtain suggestion, I feel like 2 sets of blinds (which you'd probably need) on a sliding glass door appears too busy.

I usually go with Ikea curtains on my sliding glass doors, they are affordable, stylish and functional! Their grommet Merete curtains are great!

In my last apartment, I also put up regular, floor length curtains. They were on rings so they slid out of the way easily. Looked amazingly better than the dreadful vertical blinds that came with the place.

We are in the process of doing the same as jme718, although I have also considered something like this, but were afraid it would make our living room too dark. I don't think a traditional roman shade would work since the shade maintains its width and only the length is adjustable. If you actually use your sliding glass doors you might have a hard time getting around that.

I have three layers of curtains: sheers, a translucent layer halfway between sheer and opaque, and velvet panels. This gives me a great deal of control over light, heat, and view. Three layers, even though two are sheer, create a lot of insulation. This past winter was quite cold for Santa Monica, but my living room has never been warmer. The velvet panels block out all the light and heat when it's high summer.

Excellent question, Jamie.

I just bought a house and I have the same dilemma. Can't wait to see some of the suggestions.

Contrary to the other comments, I would use roman shades. Mounted high enough above the door so that they stack completely out of the way. You won't lose any of your light and can freely use the door. You can make your own fabric shades if you don't want to buy them or buy woven woods. There are several sites online with reasonable prices. If you decide on curtains, I would extend the rod enough so that the curtains stack to the outside so they don't intrude on your light and easy passage through the door. Whatever you do, make them work with your other window treatments.

I don't see the problem w/ Roman Shades -
Rather than a pair, a single long shade would be appropriate.

I like panels hung from a ceiling track, that stack one way. I've also done two folding shades hung from a single headrail. They were the compact style that folded to about two inches when fully opened, so they didn't impede the use of the door. Then I hung stationary drapes on the outside of the doorframe to make it look more window-like.

I would go with grommet-top panels on a curtain rod. They will looko slick & modern, and be very convenient as well. If you mount the hardware wide, you can stack the curtains completely out of the way, but they still frame the door nicely. I think a roman shade of some sort would be very unweildy in this application. I've never seen them that large either.

Roman shades can definitely be used on a slider. They can be split down the middle and mounted on one headrail if you want to keep the non-functioning side down when you open the door. Or, if you don't want to spend a lot, you can get two shades and mount them side by side above the door. Be careful of woven shades if you want privacy at night. They'll need a liner!

My double French doors were set up similarly to your sliding glass doors. The vertical blinds were removed. One good upgrade might have been to hang opaque drapes near the ceiling. They would have split in the middle and stacked over the side walls. Or, they could have stacked only beside the rarely opened door. Regardless, my husband felt that that would be too large and too formal for our home.

The compromise: a horizontal blind is mounted on each door. Each blind has a valance and bottom retaining brackets. In front of the doors is attached an inside-mounted metal curtain rod. From it are hung ring-clipped, floor-length curtain panels. The metal-on-metal allows an ease similar the that of grommet panels. My curtain panels are machine wash and dry. Pros are privacy and light control. Another pro is the option of concealing the doors and blinds. Cons are homeliness, inconvenience, noise, and expense. Other cons are high maintenance, fragility, and a reduced view.

Fortunately, the shabby, battered doors themselves will be replaced soon. I'm reviewing high velocity hurricane zone (HVHZ) double French doors. I'm looking for ones with internal blinds for ease and a less busy look. Regardless, they'll have tinting and heat insulation. They'll also have an astragal orientation the opposite of the current doors'. The soft window treatment will be removed when it's superfluous.

if you decide on curtains you don't necessarily have to go with premade. curtain clip rings can turn any yardage--(plus tablecloths, sheets, etc.) into curtains with almost no work. the entire world of fabric is your oyster

I have vertiglide shades on some of my sliding glass doors, here is an image I found online
http://tinyurl.com/yaw4jra

I really like them - they cover about 8 feet of glass when closed, but when open, stack back to just 5 inches. So I open them up all day and the natural light can pour in and I don't even notice the little bit of window shade stacked back on the side. I like the clean, uncluttered look of them.

A previous owner had them installed, I think they were kind of expensive. I hope they last forever -

You need to define what you're trying to accomplish with the window treatment. Is it for privacy? Room darkening? Light control? Purely decorative?
I think roman blinds or anything else that operates horizontally is a PAIN in the butt on a slider unless it's a door you never use. And I think it looks odd, but to each her own.
Just don't confuse "creative" with impractical.

Fabric drapery or curtains will give you endless style options and can be inexpensive and easy to obtain and install.
What is your decorative style? Let this and the above be your guide for choosing fabrics and hardware.

I recently solved this dilemma as well. Our sliding glass doors are in the kitchen - further complicating the "are curtains OK?" question. So I decided to buy fabric and make my own curtains. I keep the vertical blinds all the way open (to one side) most of the time anyway, so they're now completely hidden by the curtains.

I decided to make 2 fairly narrow curtain panels (just 1 on each side) in order to just cover the ugly vertical blinds (which scream "this is a rental!!") and prevent obstruction of the natural light coming in. We were skeptical, but it looks great! Huge improvement! :)

I support the idea of floor length curtains, ideally from the ceiling, on rods that extend off the doors onto the walls, at least on the end that opens. We have sliders onto our deck from the living room area (with microsuede curtains, since when closed they control glare on the TV) and in our "family room" which sometimes serves as a guest room (Ikea lined curtains, blue and white design, forgot the product name...) These provide privacy for guests when closed, and thermal control as well.

I hate vertical blinds. They never look nice, and their functionality is questionable, too, since I know a hundred things that can and do go wrong with them. Bare windows are better!!!

Someone suggested the Hunter Douglas Duette Vertiglide, which is a great solution, as it stacks narrowly on the side of your slider. It is also a great energy efficient covering. To dress it up, you can then hang stationary panels on either side, which is much less expensive than full panels and hardware. Of course, we are all shooting in the dark as we haven't seen the window, style of the room, etc. Good luck with your project!

I have panel shades from the shade store that can be stacked on one side to allow the door to be opened. they come in many different fabrics that allow light to come through but maintain privacy when closed.

http://www.theshadestore.com/product/panel-system?

I made ceiling to floor white linen panels, hung by ring-clips. They are elemental and timeless, and I love the way they move in the breeze.

Window film is an amazingly easy, clean look. Instead of putting it on the entire door - if you don't need the complete privacy - use it more like a stencil. I put it solid up to about my waist, then a 3" gap, then more, then left the top completely open. It gives a very clean, contemporary style for very less than you'll spend on curtains even at Ikea. Check HD or Lowes.

Vinyl window films can be useful and pretty, but if you live in the south, don't put them on southern windows. Their outgassing from the winter sun's heat stinks like a rotting carcass. It's hard to find the source of the stench unless you know to sniff them. I learned this the hard way.

I was going to also post in favor of window films. Plus, it's awesome what you can do with an exacto knife and a stencil (or freehand if you are artsyfartsy), to give yourself some visibility too. Just be careful to not scratch the glass.

I really like the idea of using Japanese Shoji screens. I found some good, super creative ideas here: http://articles.ivillage.com/2001-06-12/Home/21648468_1_sliding-doors-glass.

I chose to decorate a sliding door with three (two on one side extended past the window) xtra tall grommet curtains from Cost Plus which open super easy on a large wood rod and then for added privacy, used two full window decals so as not to get in the way of light. wallpaperforwindows.com has some easy to apply and take off ones that aren't hideous.

To add to the comments about the window films, there are a variety of options available. You can also use static cling window film, as opposed to the adhesive kind. It offers all of the benefits, and reduces some of the negatives.

Jake
Create My Scene

I know this post is older but I thought I would throw in some suggestions for those who come across it at a later date.

If you are looking for some alternatives to your traditional vertical blind (PVC or Fabric) or possibly mini blinds here are a few options.

1) Panel tracks. Depending on the manufacturer they may be referred to as: Panel Drapes, Panel Blinds, Panel Tracks.
2) Vertical Cellular blinds. Depending on the manufacturer they may be referred to as: Sliding Cellular Shades, Longitude Cellulars, Vertiglide Honeycombs, Vertical Cellular Shades... just to name a few.
3) Traditional [Horizontal] Cellular blinds. I recommend using 2 shades in a patio door.
4) Roller Shades. I recommend using 2 shades in a patio door, however, 1 shade spanning the entire width will work as well.
5) Pleated Shades. I recommend using 2 shades in a patio door.
6) Sheer drape / PVC Vertical combo. Depending on the manufacturer they may be referred to as: Privacy Sheers, Sheer Vertical Wraps... just to name a couple.

Although almost any shade could be used, there are certain characteristics to be mindful of. If you choose Roman Shades or Faux Wood / Real Wood Horizontals you need to consider the thickness of the stack when the blind is drawn completely up. These types of blinds have thick stacks.

For more detail feel free to visit my blog at http://adanacblinds.blogspot.ca/

Panel tracks have been popular in Europe for years and are starting to replace the old tires look of vertical blinds. Take a look at blindsgalore they have many option for large windows. http://www.blindsgalore.com/products.asp?id=panel-track-blinds/window-blinds/