Stock photo | Getty Images
The question
We recently moved into a home with well-fitting white vinyl vertical blinds. I think they are too clinical; my sister says they are too perfectly custom to ditch. Who wins?
The answer
Do you get along with your sister? Siblings don't always act in one's best interest and there is often a competitive edge (at least there is with one of mine). From my perspective, your sister wants you to have plastic dentist-office window coverings that, when blowing in the wind, sound like the clip of toenails being cut. Just because something is custom doesn't mean that it's the best design solution. So ditch them. Better yet, give them to your sister for Christmas with a pair of cutting shears; she too can have custom! Next, what to do with the clean slate? If you want a modern feel, install motorized sun shades that disappear into a cavity in the ceiling. They're the utmost in custom window treatments. Then, if you ever sell your house, your sister can insist to the potential new owners that the shades must stay and she will have a victory of her own.
Follow architect and interior designer Dee Dee Taylor Eustace on Twitter: @ddtaylordd. Have a design dilemma? E-mail style@globeandmail.com.