Home Touches: Ugly Window

We have this ugly window in our otherwise very pretty bathroom. It's a UPVC monstrosity with patterned glass for "privacy" that was added when the house was extended before we bought it. It's impact on the room is so negative that it's taken me a long time to figure out what I am going to do about it. The dilemma I have is that, in spite of the eyesore that it creates, the window does let in a lovely lot of light - and anyone who's lived in a Victorian terrace will know that spaces with good light are commonly in short supply. Another thing it has going for it is a wooden moulded surround which I think it would be a terrible shame to cover up. It is also very important to be able to easily open the window after the shower has been used because of all the condensation that gets generated. The last thing I want is a) to have to see the window at all...EVER and b) having to sort out a tangled up blind after a guest or family member has been let loose on it.  

Here's what I did:

I measured it all up and then made two simple panels out of quite thick cream linen. Here's a picture of the first one in place. I used velcro to attach this to the window frame and, the good thing is,  because it's flush to the pane, I still get the use of the entire sill for all those nicknacks that my husband hates. Great! I threaded a length of wooden dowel through the bottom hem to keep it all nice and taut. 

The second panel had to hang down far enough to overlap the lower panel but not so far as to impede access to the handle. I also had to have it hang far enough out to clear the handle which juts out 60mm from the window frame itself. I inserted a second length of dowelling into the bottom hem to keep it all straight and added a some beaded (or in this case shelled) trim.

I painted some metal hooks white and screwed them into the upper frame of the window recess and hooked on a third length of dowel (dry-brushed white with acrylic paint). Now for the coup-de-grace: some absolutely exquisite Laura Ashley curtain clips that I got for a song on eBay. I've never used them before but they are amazing. They have a mechanism like mini jumpleads and you just clip them on to the top of the curtain or blind you want to hang. Ingenious. I hung them at intervals and then clipped on the top panel.

As an afterthought, I crocheted around an old hoop earring I had spare with some cream yarn and attached a mock pendant "pull" to the upper panel with some gingham ribbon.

And there it is: light, practical and lovely to behold...and still plenty of space for a pot plant and those much disputed nicknacks! Sorry Michael.