I have an older home in a small town that sits very close to Main St. The 3 windows in my kitchen face the street and are very large (40×60). It seems that my neighborhood is very nosy, and people look inside my house as they walk by. This really bothers me, so I feel compelled to draw the blinds as soon as it begins to get dark outside so people can’t look in. So here’s my problem– Mini blinds keep breaking. I guess the large size and daily up and down is too much for them. I need to find a window cover that I can open in the morning, draw closed in the evening, and lets air through so I can keep my windows open all the time for air. It can’t be solid because then it flaps when the window is open. I’ve lookied around–nothing seems to solve my combination of problems. Any suggestions anyone has would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
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What about plantation shutters? They're costly--at least too much for my budget-- but they're sturdy and the wooden blinds can be raised and lowered to control air flow.
Thanks, Tish. I also thought they were expensive. I was hoping they weren't my only choice (smile!)
reba
I like Tish's suggestion of plantation shutters. Something else you might consider, especially if you have double hung windows so you can open the top, is cafe curtains that go partway up the window. If you are looking for privacy you don't really need to cover the entire window, just the bottom part, unless of course you are 7 feet tall. Have someone stand in the street while you experiment with a sheet to see how high up the window you need to go - it's usually not as high as you might think. Also, if the curtains have grommetted openings, they are very easy to open and close. If you open the tops of the windows, then there is nothing to flap in a breeze.
I have a problem very similar to yours. I have solved using Hunter Douglas cellular shades. I love using them, they provide a soft filtered light. Another advantage is you can drop them from the top, so you can still let in light, but no one can see inside. You can also open them traditionally. Much less expensive then plantation shutters. Mine are opened and closed multiple times a day and are 7 years old. They show absolutely no wear. They also have a wonderful insulation benefit. In the winter when I lift them I am shocked at how much cold air they are holding in.
Are these the same as Duettes? I have them elsewhere in my house and they don;t let the air through when the window is open, so at night they flap.
Same ones. Yes, if I have a window open then I have to have them pulled completely. Only time I have a window open though is if they're open.
Like someone else said, if you can get the top windows working you can have air and privacy at the same time, with either café curtains or top-down-bottom-up blinds. With blinds you can anchor the bottoms in clips and use only the top down feature most of the time.
Another choice is frosted windows, perhaps only on the bottom. You can get various types of frosted stick on plastics, some quite subtle, others quite opaque. If you don't like it you can remove them easily.
If you have tons of cash, you can put in electrically frosted glass. You flip a switch on the wall and the glass goes from clear to frosted.
If your neighbors walk up too close to the windows you can plant something around them with thorns.
You can have a dog leave surprises on the sidewalk so they have to watch where they step instead of look in your windows.
I have a similar problem in my soon-to-be Morocco Room. Double hung windows that I want light to come thru but not have neighbors peering into. I think I've come up w/a decent solution.
Instead of plantation shutters, which have louvers and reach all the way to the top of the double hung, I will have solid cafe shutters that are then pierced with designs. It will allow light to stream in from the upper part of the double hung and the pierced design will allow some light (and air) to come in from the lower portion of the double hung WITHOUT worrying about unwanted eyes.
Don't see why you can't do something similar. If louvers fit your house style, just make the shutter half size.
Oh, and you can pick them up reasonably priced on Ebay, just look under interior wooden shutters, plantation shutters etc. Make certain your measurements are right on, tho.
LO CARB POND PLANTS. Nursery sign near Fermi Lab.
Thanks for the idea--interesting--how are you going to punch the designs in the shutters? Or do they come that way? Can you choose the designs? Where do you get something like that?
Do a google search on Moucharaby. This is what I will be using and unless I can find someone who can bring these back from Morocco I will be figuring out how to operate sandpaper, paint, a Dremel and other assorted powertools for woodworking. sighLO CARB POND PLANTS. Nursery sign near Fermi Lab.
Have you tried a better brand of miniblinds?
Another possibility, if they wear out from being raised and lowered, is to not raise and lower them. I have miniblinds in several windows in my house. I very seldom raise and lower them, just turn the slats according to the time of day.
My blinds are Hunter Douglas. I thought they were an excellent brand. I think that the 40x60 windows are just too big for mini-blinds. In the kitchen we have 4 windows, and 2 of the blinds have broken strings. So those we leave down all the time and just turn the slats. I really would prefer them all the way up, though.
Is it possible to put up a fake divider frame (or complete casing) on the inside and install 2 or three smaller blinds? This way you could open just a part or a combination as you wish.
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