Insulating, light-blocking, non-stuffy window treatments?

[rgrindle]

My current window treatments are blinds with sheer curtains draped above and trailing down the sides of the windows. Nice, airy, simple looking.

Now I need to find something new. DH has a job that will move us to Montana, : and I think insulating might be useful. His job will have him working nights and sleeping during the days 50% of the time. Between that and naptime for the boys, light-blocking would be very helpful. But I LOVE my airy window treatments and find traditional curtains, valences, etc. a bit stuffy. Anyone have any ideas?

[Pancakes]

You could use the honeycomb blinds, they insulate pretty well and are very light and airy. When my kids were little and still took afternoon naps, I needed to block out the light in the room so they could sleep better, but didn't want to sacrifice the light and airy window treatments that I had. This is going to sound so trashy, but it worked well. I took two hooks, the little decorative kind that you can get anywhere for 50 cents and screwed them into the wall at the two top corners of the window and in an area that the curtains covered. I took a dark burgundy beach towel that I had (that actually matched the room), cut two small slits to accommodate the hooks and hung it up only when the kids were sleeping. When they woke up I'd just fold it up and put it in a drawer.

On the days that your DH needs to sleep during the day, you could use the beach towel. And on the days you don't need total darkness, you don't use it.

[ladyinred]

We have pull down blinds that are a sort of dark beige instead of white and I'm so amazed at how much light they block out! I'm not sure what they're made of or anything because they came with the house but it makes it almost like night when we close them but then when we want to have light we can open them and just have valances at the tops of the windows.