apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

For the living room have you considered getting some nice horizontal wood blinds? I'm thinking for behind the couch something in a light natural wood (or painted) that would go from the ceeling to the bottom of the window/top of the couch and extend from the left wall to the right wall/pillar. Then in the kitchen from the ceeling to the bottom of the window (about the ame height as the couch)and from the left pillar to the edge of the window.

There was an entry to the SCC that did this in the bedroom and it was quite stunning. Your space seems small and the horisontal lines might help give the feel of a larger space drawing the eye laterally and refrencing the Nelson Bench you have...

For the bedroom- it looks as if you have kept a relative black and white palatte- have you considered introducing some color in the windows? I'm thinking layered curtains, perhaps white/off white over a rusty orange color that could be picked up with a pillow on the bed and other little accents in the room. Of course you don't have to use orange but I think with the black it would look sharp and warm while still being masculine.

do you rent or own?

I think something darkish and textured, like bamboo or woven shades (Maxwell's Conran link had some good choices)

I also like Julian's idea of a rust color or even a lime or grass green for some punch.

PS - The layered orange mesh and white curtains further down might be interesting in the bedroom.

Not sure how much those curtains are, but there's a store on 39th between 7th and 8th that sells similar mesh fabric.

Anno panels from IKEA would give the space an minimalist, clean-lined look. It's like stiff vertical panels that slide back and forth of tracks. They come in textured, flat colors, or scandinavian designs. There's a picture of it in the Ikea catalog. You need to see it in a room to appreciate it.

One thing to consider if you are thinking of solar panels is that they tend to get dirty very quickly. Unless you have ultra-sealed windows, NYC is probably not the best place for them.

Since you are interested in an option that allows you to go from the bottom-up, perhaps any of the ready-made shades with that function (and there are many) would do.

www.theshadestore.com -- cannot say enough good about them. super helpful, great selection of solar shades.

Terry is right about solar shades. I had some in south-facing windows, and they got very gray and smelly after a bit. Since they don't clean easily, I ended up throwing them away...and they weren't cheap.

In your LR, a natural material like woven grass shades or wood blinds would look nice with the wood tones in the kitchen. Both would complement your coffee table. (I don't know how they would work with your air conditioner, though.) Your bedroom would look soft and clean with Silhouette shades, which soften the light like a scrim.

I am also looking for shades for a couple of south-facing windows. OK, I now know that the solars I had been considering would be too hard to keep clean (and I have unpleasant memories of white plastic roller shades in my old apartment), but what makes other materials easier to clean?

And I LOVE the Conrad shades that Maxwell suggested, but since I'm not a design professional, it doesn't look like I can buy them for myself. Any suggestions?

Mary Beth, you can use a buying service to get "to-the-trade" items. They are essentially designers who work by the hour. Any local design shop can connect you with one, or look in the yellow pages. Try contacting the Conrad Shade site, and they might be able to give you a name.

I'm looking forward to the day when "to-the-trade" is defunct.

Thanks for all the great suggestions, everyone. I hadn't really thought about curtains in the bedroom, but the orange mesh-like ones might look really nice. My windows are south-facing and I do get a fair amount of dust, so the solar shades now concern me a little. Are the natural ones really that much easier to clean?

Mike, the truth is, the natural ones get just as dirty. But for some reason, they vacuum better than the solars, and they don't get so smelly. Maybe someone else can explain why this is, but the solars I had (and maybe they've improved since mine were made, in the late 1990's, by Smith and Noble) developed a dirty, plasticky smell that was very offensive. And the acquired grayness did not vacuum off. Whereas some matchstick binds I've had for about five years still look fine, and smell fine, and just need an occasional dusting. (And, btw, the solars were replaced by good-quality wood blinds, which can be wiped clean with a damp cloth. Labor intensive, but effective.)

The nice thing about custom shades and wood blinds is that you can pick up accent colors with the trim and ladder tapes. Like your red pillows.

On the other hand, I agree that the orange mesh curtains would look cool in your LR!

Help! I am considering sheer weave solar roller shades to cover my windows. Are these the type of shades you are cautioning against due to dirt and bad odors? I am mostly concerned about the shades becoming smelly! I've never heard of this problem before & want to avoid it if possible.