apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

just purchased mine from Ikea. Very happy about the pricing and the color choice. Give it a try.

If you mean something like roman blinds, you can pretty easily make these yourself. Most fabric stores sell the backing with the loops, so all you have to do is buy the fabric, sew on the backing, and thread the string through. If you find cheap fabric, you can do this for about $2-8 a panel. Plus, you get to pick out the texture, color, and material type, something you wouldn't get to do with most store-bought window-treatments.

Calico Corners

Depending on the living space involved, do you really need curtains? Aren't the marvelous expanses of glass and the views the reason you moved there in the first place? I would curtain the bedroom and nothing more, if sunlight allows.

That's your living room? And you are worried about the price of drapes?

there is NO WAY i would ruin the beautiful architecture of those windows with drapes.

if you must have something... i would go with perforated blinds encased in brushed aluminum housing that matches the window frames. or mount the blinds at the top of the window. as discreet as possible.

i have large windows and my apartment is modern as well. frou frou drapes or blinds just don't seem to go with the aesthetic in my humble opinion.

Drapes are PRICEY here in NYC, I got estimates running into the thousands to have them custom-made for my terrace doors - a much smaller area than what you need to cover. I ended up getting ready-made panels from Madura (their store is on the UES), which offered by far the best value: A panel that measured around 9 feet by 11 feet cost well under $200 in a basic fabric.

Since the panels are so much larger you will have significantly fewer seams than if you go the Pottery Barn route and there are several decent fabric alternatives in that pricerange. If your ceilings are not much higher than 9 feet I can highly recommend Madura, as long as you are willing to do a little sewing work to patch together panels and then hem them.

Drapes can be modern and architectural and not automatically "frou frou."

But drapes ain't cheap, especially for that much yardage.

Personally, unless light control is a huge issue, I'd do solar shades and stationary end and corner drapery panels.

Or sheers.

Thank you for all your comments! I have applied film to block out UV rays to save my floor, furniture and heat/AC costs. The windows face south and west so it gets really hot in the summer. Though I do like having the view, I would like to close with sheer for little bit of privacy at night in the living room and for bedroom -wool/cotton mix.

I knew curtains were expensive but this is beyond my expectation. I think I will go to Zarin for their tracks, and find reasonably priced fabric and send it to a good seamstress.

Thanks again!

You ought to check into www.HomespunFabrics.com. They have a Fan Pleat drapery system that stacks up farther than the Ripplefold, thus is less expensive as the rod is shorter meaning less fabric, etc.

Hello,
I know this may be late in the game but the best place to buy the Kirsch Tracks is at GREENTEX on 26th Street between 7th and 8th avenue. It is a little hole in the wall place but they have good pricing. They also sell the ripplefold snap tape you need for the drapes.
Any drycleaner can sew straight panels and attach the snap tape on the top if you supply it. I would go to ROSEBRAND for cheap fabric. They sell theatrical gauze which is sheer and will not block the light or view completely. You can also buy the fabric online. I think sheer drapes would look great in this space.
Good luck
F