Curtains, shutters or what?

[Tom]

After all the years of work on this house, I can't believe I'm finally thinking about what to put at the windows!! However, I've no idea what to do. I don't need anything from a privacy aspect, as that's not an issue, but I do think the windows may look odd with nothing at them. The lounge is my first priority. Does anyone have any ideas, please? There are 5 windows, as follows;

Front of house, facing east (1)

Front of house, facing east (2)

Side of house, facing south

Back of house, facing west (1)

Back of house, facing west (2)

 

[Joiner]

Definitely shutters to hide the dreadful upvc windows.

 

[Tom]

Oh God, here we go again.

The windows will ALL be replaced with Oak ones when I have the time but not before I get my new stable block!

 

[worms]

Its all a matter of taste and I am not known for my interior design skills!

However, I think I would go for a shutter on the small window (possibly styled like the cupboard door lying below the window in one of the pictures) and big heavy (tapestry-like?) curtains on the bigger ones.

 

[JoceAndChris]

I might be wrong but shutters have a Georgian mood about them, to me. Your massive inglenook, and impressive stone entrance, give a mood of much earlier, so my choice would be thick, heavy curtains, interlined and possibly floor length - a damask, or a thick tapestry type weave. With black ironmongery to match your other things.

 

[worms]

Heavens! Agreement on my tapestry suggestion from someone who does appear to have interior design skills! And I was envisaging the black ironmongery, which would match that visible on the "cupboard door" (if that is what it is - it looks great!)

 

[Tom]

@ Joce.....Joce, that's just what I was thinking but I didn't know if it would be right. I thought about having the blacksmith make some big hooks on which I could hang some poles (not the people-type ones, Penners!) with heavy curtains on huge rings. For the curtains, I was thinking of reds and greens, wintery and Christmassy, and only hanging them from, say, October to March. In the warmer months, they could be stored away. That way, the house would have a cosy, warm, rich feeling in the winter and a cool, lighter feeling in the summer.

@ Worms.....The 'cupboard door' is, indeed, a cupboard door It's going at the bottom of the stairs and I'm having a similar unit made (as we speak) for next to the sink. Pics to follow, if you like.

 

[LadyArowana]

You might like something like this

from http://www.coromandel.co.uk/home.php or you could be daring and order some crewel work fabric direct from India, it looked like these people would send samples, http://www.bestofkashmir.com Picture below is from their website.

 

[Gareth Hughes]

I might be wrong but shutters have a Georgian mood about them, to me. Your massive inglenook, and impressive stone entrance, give a mood of much earlier, so my choice would be thick, heavy curtains, interlined and possibly floor length - a damask, or a thick tapestry type weave. With black ironmongery to match your other things.

Ah, but there's shutters, and then there's shutters:
View attachment 2
View attachment 1

 

[JoceAndChris]

Oops! Another D - for me then, isn't that 3 in a week? :lol:

Those shutters are especially lovely, I'm nw thinking mine extremely dull and in need of some enlivenment.

And Jaqy can choose shutters if that's her preference safe in the knowledge they're hundreds of years old ( though with the same drawbacks that were pointed out in yesterday's thread on shutters).

 

[lou]

I have been told by someone far more knowledgeable than I that one of our 16/17th century windows had a shutter but - on the outside. Presumably because it didn't have glass. However, because we are only allowed to have single glazing and want to insulate as well as possible to keep the UFH temperature low, we are planning on having very simple shutters to keep the heat in at night. Not sure what they will be made of yet but will contain, in sandwich format, some aerogel which has exceptional insulating qualities. I hope they will fold neatly and unobtrusively back against the side walls of the windows. Will probably supplment with heavy floor length curtains when we can afford them. That's the theory anyway. Won't be happening for another 6 months or so though because we only just got our bat licence - so we can start work at last . Yippeee!!!!!

 

[philpjuk100]

It seems that medieval windows can have external shutters! you would not need a carpenter,I think these may have been made by a blind cobbler!

 

[Tom]

Blimey, I think I'd be more worried about the lack of bearing for that lintel :shock: The shutters do have a certain charm, though

 

[Nigel Watts]

Stained glass in the windows, heavy Morriseque curtains on simple wrought iron poles, tapestries on the walls, heavy oak furniture, polychromatic decoration on as many surfaces as possible, damsels in flowing muslin, gentlemen in stockings, doublets and generous codpieces ....

 

[Tom]

@ LadyArowana.....I think the patterns on those are far too delicate for my house and the colours too pale. I was thinking more of rich fabrics with bold colours, a bit like these colour-wise, although I don't necessarily like these patterns.

 

[Tom]

Nigel, I'm afriad the only thing I have from your list is the heavy Oak furniture, which I can't wait to get out of storage

 

[wobs]

DWB, Mrs Wobs made our curtains (see below). Fabric was from Dunelm Mill, and their website only shows a fabric that is similar to it.

Hope this helps.

PS. They don't come with chilli plants.

 

[Tom]

Wobs, I love those colours. That's just the kind of palette I'm after. I quickly added up the amount of material I'll need the other day....I think my sewing machine's groaning at the prospect!! :lol: