The question
I just moved into a new condo and a bulkhead juts out above a whole row of sliding doors and windows. Should my window treatments (be they drapes or blinds) hang from the top of the bulkhead or the tops of the windows?
The answer
There are two answers. If you have an amazing view, I wouldn't want anything blocking it. In this case, I would install blinds where the bulkhead meets the ceiling above the windows, so that, once the blinds are up, they are off the windows. (If you can deal with this at the construction stage, extend the bulkhead forward to hide the blind box in the drywall and then electrify the blinds. Most blind boxes are not attractive and, if manual, have cheesy cords hanging at every blind.)
On the flip side (where the view isn't impressive and/or you live on a lower floor), dress the window with drapes at the top of the window (not the top of the bulkhead), preserving valuable real estate in the condo unit in the process. I do like a tall drape, but I love real estate more: Once you pull drapes too far into a room, you start to compromise your mechanical system and your windows condensate.
Dee Dee Taylor Eustace is an architect and interior designer. Follow her on Twitter: @ddtaylordd. Have a design dilemma? E-mail style@globeandmail.com.