Window Covering Solution for Odd-shaped Windows

Diane Ochoa
by Diane Ochoa
3 Materials
$75.00
2 Weeks
Medium
This is my first post, I hope I get everything right. We own a modified A-Frame home built in the 1970's. The entire front of the house is glass, most of which are odd-shaped windows. Since the house faces mostly East, we get the glaring sun directly into our living room every morning. I have spent many years trying to find window coverings for these 2 windows that don't look funny. I think I have found the answer and I owe it all Suzy at susyssitcom.com, she is fantastic and one of her projects that I saw on Hometalk gave me the inspiration and motivation to create this project. Unfortunately I don't have before pictures but they are plain non-opening glass corner windows.
I started with pieces of 1/2" styrofoam which came as the packing material for some solar panels we had bought. I wanted to use cardboard but did not have large enough pieces, the windows are about 48" x 38". I have always wanted shutters on those windows but never got around to making them. I figured painting them would be easier. I painted them a basic brown and marked off how I wanted the "boards" to be. Then started painting.
This is my finished shutter side of the foam.
I wanted the other side to look similar to what I normally see out the windows. Trees, mountains, river and deer. I found these scenic curtains at Amazon.com. I covered the other side of the foam pieces with the section of each curtain that I liked the best.
For the other part of the inside portion I wanted it to seem like I was looking through an iron gate. It was made with 3/8" x 1/8" balsa wood and paper towel and toilet paper rolls. This is the idea I got from Suzy.
This is the Northwest side before the "gate" was put up. This window is on the side of our wood stove.
This is the finished Northwest side on the inside. I decided to paint the "gates" white for a better contrast on the dark background.
And this is how it looks from the outside.
This is the unpainted "gate" for the Northwest side.
This is the finished Northwest side on the inside. This window is behind our TV.
And this is the finished Northwest side on the outside. If I had worked on this project every day for several hours it may have taken me about a week or two. Unfortunately it took several months for me to finish because of my basic life's interventions. I hope my next post will be shorter.
Suggested materials:
  • Scenic curtains   (Amazon.com)
  • Balsa wood strips 3/8" x 1/8"   (Micheal's)
  • 1/2" styrofoam, toilet paper and paper towel rolls, paint and glue.   (All of which I had on hand.)
Frequently asked questions
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  3 questions
  • Donna Willits Donna Willits on Sep 27, 2016
    How did you actually make the iron looking gate from paper towel holders! This is amazing!
  • Cari H Cari H on Sep 30, 2016
    I'm not sure that I fully understand. You wanted to cover your windows b/c of the excessive sunlight that enters through those windows. But can the window coverings be moved to allow sunlight in, or are the windows now permanently and completely covered?
  • Katharine S Katharine S on Sep 30, 2016
    I would love to see a picture of the window, taken a few feet back. Would you do that and post it?
Comments
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3 of 81 comments
  • Rose Broadway Rose Broadway on Oct 13, 2017

    Anyone that can do that is a true artist! THIS IS BRILLIANT!!!!!

    • Diane Ochoa Diane Ochoa on Oct 13, 2017
      Rose, thank you so much for your kind words. I enjoyed doing this project.
  • Jeannine Jeannine on Jan 25, 2022

    I LOVE how you used quilling techniques on this project!! I have a similar window project and now I know how to deal with it!!!!

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