apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Try invisible paint on them. Worked like a charm for me.

Solar shades almost sheer. in white

oh and when I was home, I used to keep it open and just close them at night time.

Sheers or almost sheer solar shades as itsthehouseshow said.

i painted mine white and then hung green vines from it so it kinda resembles a trellis. i like it a lot.

good luck!

we put up cellular blinds from Home Depot on ours. they are great because they let in all the light, but diffuse it enough. and they are inexpensive, and cut to whatever size you want!

A trellis wallpaper or better yet, stenciling a trellis on the wall, so that it kind of fades into that, and almost looks like a sheer version of that. By doing it yourself, you can more exactly match the thickness of the lines and the size of the diamonds. That is, of course, what I would do.

no no no i am really not a fan of the trellis idea ahaha

however, if you're space or style was industrial, the gate would blend right in. maybe change yer whole style? haha i kid :)

serious: i really think the light-diffusing shades are a great idea, as is keeping the gates open when you're around and awake, because then the problem isn't really a problem.

It looks like these gates are not up to fire code: If you can afford it, get new ones, which can be simple vertical bars in white. Then cover with white shears and the bars will be much less obvious.

I spent a few years living in a major African city (Kampala, capital of Uganda), where everyone with a half-decent home needed to have bars on their window. With wealthy folks as the primary customer, it was amazing to see the designs available for security bars - a lot of them were actually gorgeous. You might want to see if there is a specialty manufacturer or a local artisan who can make you some design-oriented bars.

On the other hand, if you're in a rental and don't want to invest in new bars, i vote you paint them a colour that brings them into the design of the room - you'll never be able to really make them disappear, so might as well match them to your accent wall or throw cushions or whatnot, and really OWN the bars as part of the room.

As someone who's lived with the plain up-and-down vertical bars, I have to say: don't do it. Nothing says 'jail' like a vertical bars.

We faced this problem as well. Our gate was a little better - rectangular and painted white - but the solution we settled on might work for you, too.

We used the "until dawn" curtain from Tord Boontje - you can get this at MoMA or other outlets. http://www.unicahome.com/p14687/artecnica/until-dawn-curtains-by-tord-boontje.html

There is a nice version which is white one side, green the other. We actually liked the white on the inside / green facing the outside: it went well with our walls on the inside, and when the sun was up, the daylight bounced off the green side and caused a green glow on the bars and in the window cavity which was unexpected and really beautiful.

It is crazy that in that particular room I actually kind of like the grate? My first thought was to loop strong white wire/cord around some sparklingly clean terra cotta flowerpots (with flowers or just as extra storage space) and hang them from the grate. You could create a nice trellis effect without being as direct as actually twining vines around it.

As always lace/net/sheer curtains - why don't people have these???

Maybe make a simple wood frame with rice paper, sort of like a shoji screen? It should let lots of light it and total cover the bars.

In India, I saw a bunch of raja palaces with that same kind of lattice over the windows.

Maybe a valance with a lattice design and lattice-pattern drapes could make it cool. It could be very simple and graphic, without turning into a frou-frou trellis look.

NY'er here too. I can't tell what the fabric is on your curtains, but, if it's opaque and let's the light through then simply keep them closed. Forget sheers, you're just adding another layer that you'll see. Either a curtain or roman blind in white or natural canvas that stays closed, let's in lots of light and you wont have to look at the grates. Also, add lamps, several lamps with lower wattage bulbs will give better, more comfortable light where you need it. Good Luck!