" I've had to purchase and install a lot of fixtures that would be standard in most apartments."

" I don't want to spend a lot of money on fixtures I can't take with me or have to sell awkwardly to the next tenant.

Maybe you've had to install new fixtures because the previous tenants took them when they moved? I guess we're missing a part of the story, like why the landlord hasn't provided basic fixtures.

Do people really sell fixtures to the next tenant? I've never met any of the people who lived in apartments after me. I thought that when you moved, you take stuff you've purchased with you or you leave it for the next person. I've never heard of selling fixtures you've put in a rental - you don't own the home, after all.

If you want roller shades, JC Penny has them online, as narrow as 15 inches, for about $10-$15. You can pretty much choose your exact width, down to a quarter inch, I think. I've put these on windows before--the brackets they provide are easy to install and can adjust up to half an inch, just in case you measured slightly wrong. I don't know iif they carry them in their stores or not.

Another option might be roman shades, mounted as high as you can get them, so they won't block much of the window when they are open.

I don't know if you're a DIYer, but I recently followed this tutorial to make roman shades for myself. I like this tut. because it uses the cheapest window covering possible (and also one you can almost guaranteed find in the right size).

You can make your own roman shades easy enough, and though you probably won't be able to hang them in your next place as is you can leave a large seam allowance so you can alter them in the next place, or make them into pillows the next time around. I mounted mine with a staple gun to a section of 2x2" and hung them using elbow brackets.

If I were you I'd forget about window treatments and re-read your lease to make sure you're not on the hook for fixing broken plumbing or a sticky deadbolt. Since you're already buying and installing fixtures...

How about making these shades?
http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2009/02/make-shades-out-of-mini-blinds.html

Go with a simple valances. If that's too bare for you, buy a simple double hang rod. Put the valance on the rod closest to YOU and sheers on the rod closet to the windows. This way you have some sort of privacy and design without taking from the view. WARNING: Sheers do provide privacy during the day but once you turn on a light, your neighbors will be able to see in but from the picture above, that doesn't seem to be an issue. Best of luck.

JCPenney actually sells custom window treatments for a really good price. You could probably get custom bamboo shades for the smaller windows for ~$40 each and the larger one for $50-60. I think it's worth it to have something decent if you plan to stick around for a while. Or if you're crafty (I'm not, hence I went the JCP route a few years back), there are some really fun tutorials for no-sew roman shades online.

Since it sounds like you've had to foot the bill for many other standard features, maybe you could negotiate some kind of rent credit to offset your costs/labor. If the landlord can't give you a lump sum off your rent, ask to break it up into smaller credits over 6 months or so if you can afford the upfront costs. Typically, this is something you would want to figure out before signing the lease, but I think it's worth asking.

I'm a person who sews a lot of freestyle home decor. I made some fan shades out of really cheap off white material for my 6 bay windows. (Fan shades are roman shades that gather in the middle only. As a result the bottom creates a fan shape).

Yes it took a lot of time - but I used those shades for 6-7 years. They added a lovely look to my windows, let in a lot of light during the daytime, blocked out the hot sun in the summer and were neutral enough to go with everything.

7 years later I still see them hanging in that apartment when I drive by (and smile). I love that someone else is enjoying them - even if they didn't contribute a dime.

It's probably different, since I made them with my own two hands. But I feel proud that I contributed to the next renter's home...and they like my work enough to keep them.

Hi Pi,
Yes, people really do sell their fixtures to the next tenant. My brother lives in Germany and tenants are responsible for outfitting the kitchen and bathroom, lights, etc. And I'm talking fixed items like sinks, stove, light fixtures/light bulbs! It's crazy! So rather than take it all out when you move, there's usually a negotiation with the new tenant or landlord on price.

I've seen people use tension rods across the top and bottom of each window. They've made curtains or panels in the fabric of their choice with material wide enough and light enough to control how much pleat and gather they wanted on the rods.

@ljfunstuff - Wow, I had no idea. I've never done this, mostly because the basics have always been provided.

One more thought: Cafe curtains (half curtains on bottom only)
Use tension rods to attach.

You can always take these with you.
...and if you do as a previous reader expressed, leave a large hem on sides and bottom you can alter them to fit your next place.

Just don't choose bright colors that will fade in the hot sun. Keep it white or very pale neutral colors.

The charm of old fashioned roller shades is they match the old-fashioned vibe of the bay. whatever you put around and over the windows for curtains is easy to take with you.

I love the light filtering through plain roller shades.

I am renting a home that has a wonderful inlet view...with lots of neighbors across the inlet. Thankfully our landlord agreed to allow us to install blinds in the windows and valances above. I'm using sheers to give us privacy during the day (but not completely block natural light or the view) and I close the blinds at night for privacy. It also keeps the rooms looking light and airy. We purchased the plastic (cheap), cut to order blinds from Home Depot, and the sheers do a fairly good job of hiding the blinds during the day.

I googled "BAY WINDOW CURTAIN RODS" and came up with options under $100.

Add some sheers or drapes(that you can take with you) might be a way forward.

Ditto to JESS13. Slightly odd landlords are the type who try to charge you for damage you didn't do when you move out or who add clauses to their lease that aren't legal, so make sure to overly protect yourself.

Take photos of every imperfection in the apartment so that your landlord can't blame and charge your for it when you move out. Re-read your lease, or better yet, have a tenant's rights organization review to make sure all his clauses are legal and binding.

What kinds of fixtures was the apartment missing? Like PI said, I feel like we need a little more explanation about your situation.

Tension rods top and bottom, through the hems of store -bought curtains. When you want the view, you put both the tension rods at the top.

Or just hang curtains on the lower half - again using a tension rod.

I would cover all three with very generously gathered, sheer, floor-length curtains -- linen or cheap scrim, as long as it's sheer and airy. Tie them back to enjoy the view. Let the almost puddle when you don't.

Buy three curtain rods that are adjustable. Make or buy 4 panels of curtains - two for the middle window and one for each of the angled windows. All of this can be reused.

I know this because we did this in our current house.

I ran into some corner and bay window hardware when I was looking for some rods for my home - looks like they come in a variety of styles and finishes. Might be an option for you.

How about DIY-ing some window film to cover just enough of the window to be private, while letting in light and views? I kind of like the look of uncovered bay windows.

Here's a simple tutorial at Design*Sponge to get you started...

The JC Penney Shades sound like a win. But you can also cut roller shades yourself. It's not too hard. I've also bought cheap vinyl roller shades and just replaced the vinyl with my own fabric.
http://www.ehow.com/how_5847428_cut-roller-shades.html

Smith & Noble, or the Shade Store provides some good inspiration. They make some nice rollers too but they're a little pricier.

The third image on this page is similar to what we did.

http://www.fromtherightbank.com/2010/02/what-to-do-with-bay-windows/

@PI,

I also have purchased items from a previous tenant and subsequently sold to the next.

One time it was a window air conditioner that was not a standard size, so the tenant couldn't take it with them but could have sold it on craigslist, so I bought it because I wanted one anyway. The next tenant wanted it and offered to pay me what I paid.

When I moved from my last apartment I sold the new tenants my kitchen table and kitchen cart. I couldn't take them to my new place (too small) but again, I could have sold them on Craigslist. I gave them a good deal since it was way less hassle to just leave them in the apartment than to try and find someone on Craigslist who would come to pick them up in time.

You need to ask yourself how much privacy and/or light you want from these windows. It sounds like you are on an upper floor. If you like the look, cafe curtains are a compromise: they shade and privatize the lower half, while letting light in the upper. You can use tension rods or inexpensive mounted rods. I have this set up in my dining room - I think I bought the rods at K-Mart and the fabric at Ikea.

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Why do you need curtains? 3rd floor, trees outside the window... unless it's your bedroom or you enjoy playing Dance Central in the nude, just go without.

What country are you in and which fixtures have you had to supply? As far as I know (and I realize laws can vary greatly from state to state), here in the US landlords have to at least provide a working stove/oven, refrigerator, and heating.

As for the window, unless you really need the privacy, leave it uncovered for a little while until you figure out the perfect inspiration for covering it.

Some people don't like the look, but you can mount most window treatments to the outside (on the part of the frame facing the room). So a 17" roller shade or miniblinds can be mounted on 15" windows.

But people have been posting a variety of good ideas too :)

I have to agree with The Baroness and Parnassus...the bay windows are so beautiful, I would make them a focal point of your room and not worry about fussing them up with window treatments.

That being said, I love the sheer cafe curtains idea as well. Good luck!

In NYC, within my very modest budget range, I haven't had any window treatment hardware provided by the landlords. I have had some sucky landlords, but I think that the lack of window hardware is actually pretty normal.

I've always had great luck with Smith & Noble: http://www.smithandnoble.com

Everyone else has made excellent suggestions for your windows. However, the larger question is what type of "standard fixtures" were not provided by the landlord? Do you mean basic appliances that the landlord is generally required to provide by law (I presume you are in the US) or do you mean items that improve on the basics and are specific to the apartment, for example, a kitchen cart or a bathroom medicine cabinet? After reading this post and the earlier post about missing "cabinet pulls" and the super's inadequate response to the renter's question, I think AT should post an article on how to deal with landlords, knowing one's rights as a renter and how renters should go about getting what they are due under the law or lease.

Just last night I put up curtains on my bay window. I bought the Dignitet curtain wire with extra posts and Vivan white curtains from IKEA. I am also on the 3rd floor and have trees outside my window so privacy is not my main concern. I love the look of the windows and the light that comes in from them. The Vivan curtains let a lot of light through for not being too sheer. I think they may come in colors but I have also thought about dying them in the future if I change my mind. They are also sold in pairs and in two lengths. Last weekend they were on sale for $9.99 from $14.99 (I think) at my IKEA. If you don't have an IKEA within driving distance I just took a quick look and the Dignitet curtain wire is available on ebay and you may find cheaper shipping options there. It is great for handling the corners of the bay window without being too much of a distraction with extra hardware that curtain rods would require. I think this combo is a good solution for your budget, current apt and future possibilities.

Good luck!

I just made cafe curtains for my first floor windows. They keep people from seeing in but I can still see the view out from the top half. They were very inexpensive and required no hardware to install. I'm not the best sewer but these were easy. I put up tension rods, bought those circles that have the little clips hanging from them and clipped up some fabric that I sewed a little hem on. You could also use iron on hem tape. Or, as I did for my bathroom, used a nice finished antique french linen table runner and clipped it to a tension rod for a perfect little curtain.

@MAGMEL @THORNDALE - I agree with these options. It's amazing what you can use for curtains. Table runners are great for those narrow tall windows in unusual places (next to our backdoor).

Living in Australia, I am very shocked at tenancy laws in other countries. I can't understand why the tenant is responsible for outfitting basic amenities - fixtures for lights, window coverings, kitchen and bathroom should be included. These things are 'fixtures' and meant to stay in place. This probably explains why renting is so expensive overseas.

@Dangab33: I'm not sure I agree.

I live in Australia, and the apartment that I've just moved into has only the very basics. Most of the ceiling bulbs are bare, and while it does have window coverings, they're the cheapest and most useless you can get. Think office-style, paper-thin venetians in the bedroom (impossible to sleep in there without putting up something else to block the light) and those hideous vertical blinds in the living room.

I've rented a lot, and this seems to be fairly typical. (And it's in a small complex in a nice area, not cheap housing, FWIW).

@JeanneMarie Not so. Here in Southern California, most landlords don't provide refrigerators. Coming from a place where refrigerators were always provided, I thought this was strange. Now that I own one I really like, I love that I can take it with me when I move. I'm also curious about which fixtures are missing. I've had to provide my own refrigerator, but otherwise, every place I've lived has been pretty well equipped.

@jeannemarie

You say, "in the US landlords have to at least provide a working stove/oven, refrigerator, and heating." No such Federal law exists. There are some states with laws like this, and certainly some places with local ordinances regulating landlords (cities with a lot of renters generally have the strictest ones), but I've lived a lot of places and I've never encountered any consistency from location to location.

I had to provide my own refrigerator in two places I rented. I've also lived in several apartments that were devoid of such niceties as window blinds and access to a washer and dryer. It's up to the tenant to decide what's a deal-breaker BEFORE they rent.

Legally, a lease in most places "implies livability." But that only covers safety issues like not freezing you out in the winter. Renting is mostly a caveat emptor situation. So don't even think of, for instance, withholding rent (even if you put it in escrow) when you are in disagreement with your landlord until you are completely cognizant of your local ordinances. Or you might find yourself locked out one day.

I've also seen more than one magistrate side with a landlord over a tenant because the tenant hadn't informed him or herself of their actual legal rights, as opposed to their imagined ones, even if the imagined one were reasonable. This is especially common in college towns where landlords are permanent (i.e. voting) residents, but the tenants are transient students who will probably leave after they graduate.

@DEBBIE - You could try what Chez Larsson did.

http://chezlarsson.com/myblog/2010/05/cutting-a-roller-blind-to-size.html

@CHARLIE26 - Yep, I've had rentals with those too. Bare ceiling bulbs are better than none! Hehe. I once moved into a rental and some bulbs were missing, I was about to call the Agency and in the kitchen drawers were a new box of energy saving bulbs which are standard these days.

In France, a few years ago one friend commented there was no kitchen! She had to bring in her own. Luckily she was a Chef and could have the kitchen she'd prefer to cook with.

They definitely sell roller shades 17" wide. My windows are exactly the same. I did yellow curtain panels hanging down, and shades to keep it cool in the summer. I bought my shades at Home Depot for something like $6 per.

I have similar windows in my bedroom and I put up sheers on a tension rod that had to be hemmed, but they look nice!

This Good Question has turned into a very interesting world tour. Here in Montreal, Canada, landlords have freedom to offer appliances or not.... Fixtures - what we call anything that is ''attached'' -such as electrical or plumbing - is always included, although not always pretty. Many people replace fixtures, keeping the originals to put back when they move out.

But to reply to the question - IKEA has wonderful roller blinds that allow light in but you can't see through them. They are cutable - so you could can cut down to fit your windows. They are fabric roller blinds and I think they are wonderful. In Canada it is called the ENJE - http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/40221274/ I am certain they have a similar product in IKEAs worldwide.

I had a window like this and I thought about it for a year before i got frustrated and bought a bay window curtain rod off overstock.com. They sound kind of cheesy, but once I put it up it didn't look bad. Ikea also has wire systems you can use to hang curtains - I think it's called dignitet or something like that.

I had looked into buying shades, but i had small side windows and a large middle window, and i was having trouble finding a style that came in sizes to fit both windows. I could have gotten custom shade, but they're so expensive.

How about nothing? Unless this is a bedroom (or on the first floor, which it doesn't appear to be), no curtains may be necessary. A wild idea I know, but think of all that light!

Do you plan on putting a seat below the window(s)? If not, I think a great way to maintain the windows' functionality and crooked charm would be to put ONE curtain rod across all the windows and hang two floor length curtains on the rod. When the curtains are closed the window will not look like a bay window, but rather a flat window. When they are open you will have a great view framed by pretty curtains.

tension rods are awesome.

I think by the time you get through buying/making curtains, you could buy ready made blinds.

I would go with tension rods and lace curtains on each window.

If you just want a quick and dirty way to cover the window, and you won't have much furniture in the space, use one big tension rod corner to corner with cheap curtain, or even a couple of bedsheets.

If you're not putting furniture inside the bay window area, you could hang floor-to-ceiling drapes on either side of the bay window enclosure -- i.e., install one long, straight rod, hung right under the ceiling beam. Extend the rod about a foot to either side of the bay window enclosure so that when the drapes are open, they only cover the walls and let you have a full view.

Much less fussy than having to adjust three different screens all the time!

Oh. I see Eouimette had the same idea.

I like the idea of just one rod but why have curtains at all? As someone said, if it's not a bedroom ... we live at ground level and have four largish windows with no coverings in the lounge. If anyone wants to watch me at the computer, cleaning the house or sitting reading a book they're welcome, if they have nothing better to do with their lives!

overstock.com has a number of bamboo roman shades in 17" and tons of other sizes that are pretty inexpensive. They work well and are well made. I used them throughout my house and our rental unit and was able to cover all the windows for little $.

http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Ginger-Bamboo-Roman-Shade-17-in.-x-74-in./4008356/product.html

I would use IKEA Dignitet kit mounted right up by the ceiling, with sheer panels to filter the light a bit.

(I love that this post conjured up The Ghost and Mrs. Muir!)

Hi! I'm the person who submitted this question-- sorry for the late reply, I didn't realize it had gone up! Thanks for all of your help.

So, to respond to some of the landlord comments/questions:

It's interesting to hear about rental laws from around the world! While my landlord is indeed really odd, I don't think she's doing anything illegal. The apartment is livable without these fixtures-- a towel rack isn't a true necessity, after all! I got to know the previous tenant, who was really lovely, and she sold me a lot of stuff, like shelving, switchplates, etc., that she purchased from the tenant before her, believe it or not. She was actually given an itemized list of fixtures she could purchase from him, most of which the apartment would look crazy without. I paid WAY less for the stuff than she did. Yup: quirky. I'm willing to deal with this because I love the place, particularly the private porch (!), and the view for a very reasonable price. I (mostly) knew what I was getting into with this!

Moving on to the window:

Not putting up shades is a bold idea! There's another window in the room that faces the house next door, so I feel like it might look funny to have shades on one window? Also, though it's not my bedroom, when the leaves are gone a number of apartments will be able see in a bit, so I would like to have the option of creating a little privacy when that's the case. But maybe I should get over it?

Sadly, tension rods won't work because the surfaces are too small and uneven to maintain one. I tried. Any shades that are pre-cut won't work because they're such unusual sizes... and the two sides are actually slightly different (1-2") sizes.

Also, I probably should have mentioned that I'm not super handy and really, really busy with a new job. I'm willing to put in a day's work, but I lack a lot of tools and DIY savvy.

I love the idea of a bar straight across the ceiling in front of the window that rest on top of walls infront/beside.

And it's good to know that I can find smaller roller shades, so thank you for that too!

After a LOT of googling, I was also able to find some rods in the Beyond section of Bed, Bath and Beyond that have elbows for bay windows and actually come in short enough sizes for the side windows! They're not incredibly cheap as a set, but with some simple sheer curtains, could do the job.

Again, I really appreciate all of your suggestions and apologize for my late replies. I wish I could invite you all over to help me figure out all of my other decorating challenges. It's amazing to feel like I have some great choices rather than being stuck. Thanks!

Next step DEBLBRSTN, post a new picture when you are done!

@Kanberra--- You got it. Thanks!

how about useing frosted window paper to the bottoms and leave the tops clear?.

Hi folks,
Now that I've got a long weekend at home, I finally had time to tackle the bay window, and I'm happy with the results. Here is a picture , as promised.
Overall, it wasn't outrageous, $100 for the hardware from Bed Bath and Beyond, and $120 for the curtain panels, on sale at UrbanOutfitters.com. I can take the hardware and curtains with me when I move.
Thanks again for all of your suggestions!
Debbie

deblbrstn, nice drape.... my dream kind breezing air.. good work!