apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Maybe I'm a bit old fashion however I've always been a fan of wood (or high grade faux wood) blinds w/ drapes.

Make sure sure you mount the blinds inside the window sill and not just on top of.

Blinds from the depot and drapes from Ikea..everything under 120usd.

Pictures always help.

I don't know what style your apartment is, but applying a frosted treatment to the glass itself will give you privacy and it would be cheap. Canal Street is the place to go for the plexiglass. You can get it frosted by sanding it, or you might find some with a translucent sheet of contact adhesive that will... allow all the bright light you want, but allow you to keep your privacy and run around in the nude like I do in my place. There will be a few pics of my windows in the apartment contest, so you can see what I mean when it's posted. There are different ways for you to apply the actual sheet of plexi, but my secret is just plain old shiny scotch tape. It's completely invisible to all but a thorough visual inspection...

I have similar ventilation problems. smokers, dopers, and the worst are the morning restaurant delivery trucks with their diesel-fueled refrigeration units. If the window is opened, I get all the exhaust... exactly when my head is on the pillow. It's really awful and probably killing me. If anyone has suggestions there, I'd appreciate it. There doesn't seem to be a legal solution. Just need to keep windows closed in the early AM.

Good luck.

I have a similar issue in that I'm on the street level with large/tall windows that look out on the plaza area/entryway of my building--and I wanted both sunlight and privacy. I had simple cotton canvas roman shades made to measure from Home Depot--the key was that they had the "top-down/bottom-up" function. I have the bottom edge of the shades lowered completely to the bottom (for privacy at eye level and slightly above), but with the top edge of the shades lowered by about 18" (to allow for light and a partial view). I pretty much keep the blinds in this position all the time. I'm not really sure how far in your A/C juts, so this solution might not work. But if the A/C is shallow enough to allow for the shades to be installed in front of it, this could work. A little pricier because it's custom, but a nice clean look. You'll really have to look around for roman shades with top-down/bottom-up function because many retailers don't carry them. Home Depot--yes. 3-Day Blinds, The Great Indoors, Lowes, OSH--no.

~Paul

ok I don;t eman to seem like I'm an oreck fanboy today ...however, oreck does make increidble air filters. A bit on the pricy side however they come in a few colors and work remarably well.

I've stood next to one for over 15 minutes and totally not relized it was on.

What time do the problems start? I think there is a law on the books that states truck can not idle in one spot for more than 3 minutes ( I may be mistaken).

Have you tried 311? You have to give credit to Bloomburg for getting the city a cust. svc. line. I hear it actually works.

Either that or hand gernades...yeah hand gernades. Throw one out the window on your way out the door...in a few days the problem should clear itself up.

My apartment is street-level as well, and the windows are very large because it was a former store (now a tiny studio). I used Hunter Douglas Silhuoettes. They let in lots of light, and allow me to see out but the world can't see in. They're not cheap, but were the perfect solution. I bought them from Janovic, but perhaps you could find a better deal online(?). My biggest window is well over 4'x6' so it would work for you. The corner where the window opens has become a bit dusty from passing cars and such - I just figure it's a given that they'll need cleaning every ten years or so.

Me,

I really appreciate the heads up on the Oreck product. As I have a very small space, the size of any appliance is a factor in how I approach things, even if it's a matter of brain damage. After saying that, I realize you may decide I'm already there.

So yes, I tried the 311, I tried talking to the restaurant management (I frequent the neighboring eatery, so there is a friendly thing going on), and I tried talking to the truck driver... which only increased my blood pressure (He told me if I didn't like it, I should move to the suburbs, which is where I'm from and I'm never going back. So did the 311 because they did not know how to direct the call... Dept. of Health can't help because the fumes are not emanating from the interior of the house. EPA won't get involved. Apparently you can't make a general complaint about a group of vehicles. They have to catch one specific vehicle in the act, I have to identify the vehicle (plate no.) and they have to send someone out to monitor the street.

So I called the local Community Board (west village)... Useless. They told me the same thing as the truck driver. Apparently you are right about the 3 minute rule... Except that vehicles delivering items like food are exempt! And I sympathize... sorta. We can't have the food in our restuarants contaminated, but as a result, some people get their beathing space contaminated. Such is modern life.

I work for a government agency, and asked our environmental lawyer about this situation... She couldn't help me.

So this is an issue that I'm going to monitor as best I can, but without a politician taking up my cause, I think I'm out of luck. Trying to keep the windows closed. Once the A/C is installed, I'll be okay for the summer months.

If you are looking for blinds, make sure you check the online discount stores like blindsgalore.com & justblinds.com. Smith and Noble has the nicest selection but I think they are expensive. The two sites above do offer free samples and definitely offer top down/bottom up as well as privacy liners and some of the roller shades and pleated shades are nice-just make sure you order at the samples first.
Window film is also available at decorativefilm.com I haven't ordered anything but their sample book, but if you wanted real privacy film, you could try there. Just try and ignore the annoying CGI host.
Good luck!

~P

I am at a loss...congrats!

I guess there is just not much you can do...I didn;t take in to acocunt the refergeration units.

When I run in to broblems with DOB no matter whats sort of expediters I use or methods...nothing ever works like a padded envolope. (slip the driver something? )

The oreck filters are wall mountable...and leave roughly a 1.5 sq ft footprint.
www.epinions.com/pr-Oreck_Super_Air_8_Air_Purifier

They have a few finishes in wood grains (though it sounds a bit cheesy)

It seems like if those are your ONLY windows, you want something pretty translucent. I have two wooden canvas stretcher-frames in my office that I covered with nice rice paper(two layers). I have them on separate counterweights so I can adjust the height; either low for privacy or higher to diffuse direct afternoon sunlight (I'm on a third floor in Brooklyn, so I get really strong afternoon Sun).

I like this solution because you're only closing the part of the window that you need to - and even when closed, you get a lot of light.

Sorry, one more thing - the idea came to me because of some article on how Vermeer used multi-level Dutch shutters of his day to modulate direct and indirect light on his models.

My air conditioner is not at the top, but at the bottom, but my blinds are a dark wood (it matches my cognac-colored stained floors, which isn't as oppressive as it sounds), and they're the old-fashioned 3" width kind. Since the openings between them are so huge I have that actually in FRONT of the vents, which camouflages the air conditioner even when it's on.

So, I think that if my air conditioner was above the main part of the window I would either..

--- get one, huge venetian blind like mind, but just never bring it up any farther than the bottom of the unit, or

-- if the unit is centered left-to-right, put separate blinds on either side of it in a color that matches the unit as closely as possible in color and where the depth of the slats match as closely as possible the depth of the slats of the vents in the unit (therefore, probably mini-blinds), and then start one huge blind below that whole thing, or

-- Actually, I would probably be tempted, since the unit actually blocks out light anyway, to go ahead and put black paper over the part of the window that's next to the unit and then, in front of THAT still put up those mini-blinds that match the vents of the unit. That way, the part of your window that lets in light is one big rectangle, so that it's almost like the unit is the wall-mounted kind that doesn't take up window space. Then do the other blind unit below that or

-- Better yet, measure the entire width of the window end of the room, and have a custom-made 3" venetian blind made to go from the ceiling to the bottom of the air conditioner. This will be kind of a cornice or valance all the way across the end of the room. Always leave the slats open, during summer months, so the air can come out of the unit. Hang that whole thing far enough from the wall so that you can hang curtains (preferably with a horizontal stripe) that bank on the wall on each side of the window, but which could be closed manually.

Meanwhile, for privacy, on the window itself, if you weren't so crazy about the plain translucent film idea, you can get a particular kind of translucent film that looks like that kind of stained glass window where the pains are patterned but vaguely translucent and clear. I saw them at Home Depot on 23rd Street in Manhattan about a month ago when I was there. That may make you feel like your window is a bit more dressed up.

I am also wold fashion and big fan of wooden elements for home interiors. I would go for horizontal window blinds, they look more homey or more cozy. Vertical one tend to be more official...Also you can combine all the other elements to get a perfect aspect for your room...