Window Covering Dilemma

I know, I know. For those of you who are writing theses on world peace, competing in the winter Olympics, or saving lives in Haiti, this really is not much of a dilemma. And really, in the grand scheme of things it isn't. HOWEVER, for little ol' design obsessed me this is a

D-I-L-E-M-M-A.

And a dear friend of mine, Jane, asked for my advice so I thought I'd post my musings here.

Jane wrote: "Gotta question for you...have these hideous fabric blinds for my sliding door that leads to the sundeck. Would love to throw them in the garbage, but not sure what to replace with...any suggestions..." Jane, you are not alone. I think fabric vertical blinds are kind of icky too. Here is a picture of Jane's sliding door. (BTW - Nice casings & trim, Jane!!)

Here are some alternatives to vertical binds on sliding doors:

Regular Drapery on Rods

Act as if the door is a big ol' window. Hang the rods above the sliding doors & make sure the rods have some clearance on either side of the doors so you can have the curtains bunched up on either side of the doors with plenty of room to get in & out... Voila:

I think these are Restoration Hardware drapes - yummmmy!

(photo from Decor Pad)

Another option would be to have the drapery hardware mounted on the ceiling which seems like a great idea:

These are available from Country Curtains & there is an alternative from Pottery Barn.

Another idea might be to do fabric panels that slide. Could be a cool modern option. I see some from Ikea but I'd like to see them in person to make sure they aren't too cheapie.

Hope this helps, sweet Jane.