Thread: HELP! Window Treatments for Bay Window ???

Could anyone give me some ideas or pointers on window treatments for a Bay/Bow Window?

I have a huge bay window in my family room. My dogs LOVE looking out the window so I need to be careful of what I do. When we moved in, there were horizontal blinds on the window. I got rid of those because of the dogs & because I was afraid of my DD getting hurt (they were the metal ones) or any of them getting strangled. I replaced them with vertical blinds (the kind you would use on a sliding glass door). Those worked great because the bottoms are not attached to each other with a chain - they hang loose from the top. Well the top part that controls the opening & shutting of the blinds no longer works. I think the plastic gear is either stripped or broke. I was dealing with it - but it is frustrating. They are stuck in the closed position. Now I don't have my main source of lighting for the room. Soooo I need to replace it.

My question - should I just by new vertical blinds or is there something else that can be done?? I don't have sheers or curtains on the window. My thinking is they will get too dirty too quick because my of dogs or trying to water the plants. I would like to have a little more privacy than what vertical blinds offer. The window is around 104" long. It is not the flat kind - it is the bowed kind with the ledge sticking out of the house about 12". I was thinking about curtains or shutters that hang on just the bottom 1/2 of the window & using a valance for the top. The only problem with that is because of the arch, how would I fit it to the window?

Anyone have any suggestions please??

edited to add: I believe these are bow windows, not bay windows. The window protrudes out from a flat wall - the wall does not curve with the windows.

terizona - I think the tops of the windows will be easy to do. It is the bottom 1/2 of the window that I am worried about.

Thanks for the library idea. I feel silly - I am there every week for story hour with my DD, but I never thought to look for a book about window treatments. I will do that this week. Thanks!

Another suggestion: Maybe go to drapery/curtain stores and get some ideas or advice. Look around at other homes with those type of windows and see what has been done to them. Also go to a fabric shop and look at pattern books. They would have patterns for drapes and stuff. Looking at the pics could possibly get your creative juices flowing Good luck. When you figure out what you are going to do with the window, please take a pic of the finished product and post it

My MIL has 2 bay windows.
The one in the kitchen has 3 Roman shades.
The livingroom has sheers and drapery.