Q&A: Interior Design Help Please – Window Treatment needed!?

Question by expat g: Interior Design Help Please – Window Treatment needed!?
The focal point of our home has a big design flaw! The windows/doors follow a bay style – however the top windows the cement was poured straight.

We were able to get windows installed and the aluminum conformed to follow the bay style and it works well. Now I need to think about window cover because the afternoon sun comes in and really heats up the house. We brought an awning/canvas guy and he wanted to install all this iron extending way beyond the window so that it can cover the sides where bay goes in. Many have said to put the window treatment on outside instead of inside to prevent the heat from entering into the house in the first place. I’m up for that but I really don’t want anything too big that would distract from the look. No designs, frills, and I do like the light coming in without the heat. Any ideas? Thanks!

Best answer:

Answer by fuzzylolipop
Particularly if this is a south facing window, the best thing would have been to use low-E argon gas filled insulated windows in the first place as to repel and insulate from the heat. In my opinion an awning works best for commercial or very traditional exteriors – and I do not think that is the look you are going for. You could do a pergola that extends the length of the window and will help diffuse some of the light and still keep the feeling of the house. You could look into professionally installed window films – they do make a solar film which will cut down on the heat but it will slightly darken the light coming in. Nothing dramatic or more than the light that an awning would have altered. You could also do plantation shutters (or wooden blinds, a less expensive version of the same idea) which will help some as well and give you maximum control and flexibility with how much light comes in. Aside from those two options – option 3 would be a motorized window shade but in the end it would be closing off the window to some degree to get some control over the light and heat. Where there is light – there is heat. So in the end you will have to choose between the two to some degree.

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