NY Good Questions: Window Coverings For Our Flat?

2.21room.jpg Hello AT,

We're renting what I call a "micro-loft" in an old matchstick factory on the East End of London.

Our place came without any window coverings.

Believe it or not in drippy London, our flat is too warm in the morning, even in the winter months (without ever turning the heat on).

While this is mostly a good thing, in preparation for the summer months, we need to come up with an affordable, effective and not ugly solution.

Privacy is not much of an issue for where our flat is located -- we're just trying to keep out the sun for a few hours per day.

Thanks very much for any suggestions. Thanks! Rebecca

(Note: Include a pic of your problem and your question gets posted first.)

Comments (9)

Is the photo your real place? So cute!

Couple of questions that'll help you get more focused solutions:

1. How tall is the window (to top of arch and also to top of the flat part below the arch)?

2. Are you allowed to drill into the brick to hang curtain rods? If allowed, are you up for the task?

3. What's the angle on the sun, given the surrounding buildings? Are you getting lots of sun through the top but not through the bottom? Or sun that hits the whole window but shifts angle during the day? Or something else? This can affect how much of the window you need to cover.

4. Which way does the window face? It's just possible that you'll get less direct sun in the summer...

Hi, thanks very much for the comments so far. It is an actual photo of our actual place -- we just moved in a month ago and still are sorting all kinds of details.

The window is approximately 50" across and about nine feet high at the highest place (7 feet to the bottom of the arch). We haven't been able to measure the height precisely because we can't even get up there without a really tall ladder. I think we are willing to drill into the brick if necessary, may need to get some help.

Right now (well, not today, but most other days), the sun is basically really intense and direct in the 7 AM to 9:30 AM range. Otherwise, it's pretty flat indirect light. Can't remember my eighth grade science well enough to translate that into other seasons. Our building is a really really long building and about five stories tall -- there's not much else of significant height nearby as we are across from a brown field and then train tracks and then a really cool old bus garage.

Thanks again.

That helps immensely, as it means you could probably get away with not curtaining the arched part, if your sunlight is usually low. And you can use standard 84" curtains if they only go to the sill, rather than hunting for extra-longs... but you'll want tab tops or to use tiebacks on closed curtains, as trying to open rod-pocket curtains waaaaayyyyyy above your head will drive you crazy and may bring the rod down on top of you.

What about shades that open from the bottom? You can probably get ones that give you a good amount of sun shade, and then the rest of the time will be down on the sill and not obstruct the beautiful window in any way.

http://www.hunterdouglas.com/product_options_template.jsp?id=36

i'm still in favor of the old fashioned long simple drapes.

What a wonderful window!

It's rare that I disagree with wende but I can tell you from experience that tab tops are hard to open and close when they're so high above you. To open and close with ease I'd go with rings on poles or cable wire.

I think that the suggestion of shades the go up from the bottom is a great solution. You can get them from sheer all the way to blackout. Sounds like the blackouts are what will solve your intense sunlight problem.

I would use a curtain wire / cable system stretched across at the top of the rectangular part of the window. IKEA has them for dirt cheap, and you can attach the ends to the adjoining walls rather than having to drill into the brick. With the curtain wire spanning the entire length of the window wall, you can also push the curtains back off the window entirely when you want to enjoy the view and light.

Then, get some nice lined panels and hang them from rings. With rings, you can also just take any flat piece of fabric (a sheet, yardage, whatever), cut it to size, hem the edges, clip on the rings, and you're done! For light and heat control, you'll definitely want a couple of layers though, so be sure to line them with some white fabric.