Rich Ideas by Sheila Rich, IIDA, Allied ASID There are window treatments for every room Q My house has a lot of windows, which I love, but how do I go about getting privacy where I need it while allowing in natural light and a view of the outdoors at the same time? — Stephanie A Stephanie, you’ll be glad to know that it’s easy to treat different areas of your house in different ways so that you can maximize light and openness where you want it while giving some rooms the privacy they require. A house with lots of windows is lovely, and it’s not necessary to deprive yourself of nature’s beauty by using heavy window treatments. Of course certain rooms do require privacy, like the bathroom and bedroom, but even they may only require privacy when they’re in use. For these rooms, you can use top-down-bottom-up blinds. With these soft pleated shades, you can choose which part of the window you want to leave exposed. For example, you can let them stack at the bottom of the window and let light in only through the upper portion of the window, which will afford you privacy while still letting light in. Or you can stack them at the top of the window and raise them up from the bottom. You also might want to consider using room darkening shades or blinds in the bedroom to keep light out when you’re sleeping. Another option is to arrange your landscape for privacy. This doesn’t mean you have to put shrubbery up against your home, but instead you can use plants as screening by strategically planting shrubs or trees several feet away from windows in such a way that they block the view into your home from passing cars or neighboring homes, while allowing you a full view of the outdoors. By using plants as a way of screening, you can still enjoy natural light indoors. If you’re screening with landscaping, make sure you use landscape lighting so you can enjoy it at night and not look out into total darkness. A third choice is to use window draperies for privacy that pull back and frame the windows when you want to let light and the view in. They can either be balanced on both sides to frame the windows or you can opt for a drape that gathers along one side of the window only. Go with whatever you like best and whichever works best in your room. I want to paint the interior of my home myself, but I’m not sure how to go about choosing the right color. What can you recommend? — Ilene Q Ilene, if there’s a particular color in your upholstered furniture (or in the case of an open floor plan, a color that you want to carry throughout the area), you can take a sample of the color into the paint store and they will custom blend paint to match. Otherwise, you can choose from among the hundreds of color sample chips on display in the stores. Always err on the side of choosing a shade lighter, and only buy enough paint for one coat so you can easily repaint it darker or lighter if you change your mind. A If you’re bold enough to try doing a faux finish on your own, make sure you apply it properly or it can look worse than before you started. In an open floor plan a faux finish is a nice way to differ­entiate between areas; for example, you can apply the faux finish to the en­try, then choose one of the tones and apply it in a plain way to the room or rooms that may border the entry. I would sug­gest tackling a smaller room like a bath­room (check to be sure the paint is rec­ommended for use in bathrooms) rather than a larger area like a living room, just in case it doesn’t come out right. You can also take advantage of instructional classes offered by many do-it-yourself stores so you stand a better chance of doing the job well. Being creative is great, but remember that it’s better not to do it at all rather than to do it badly.