Draperies and Top Treatments - Guy doesn't know what to do with sliding glass door

Hi everyone.

I just remodeled my dining room and I have know idea how to dress the sliding glass door. The room is 9' X 12', light birch floor, white baseboard, white chair rail, white crown molding, beige paint above the chair rail, and burgandy paint. The sliding glass door sits right in the middle of one of the 12 foot exterior walls. What are my options? The vertical vinyl slots that were there when we moved in were terrible. I'm trying not to spend and arm and a leg on this. The door is a privacy concern, so the treatment, whether blind or drape, must be able to cover the door completely. It also must not interfere with ingress/egress as this is a door after all.

Thanks

for the easiest function, you need a one-way draw drapery on a traverse rod. if you want readymades, look for ones specifically made for patio doors, as they'll be wider than ones made for windows. if you want a layered or more formal look, you can do sheers underneath solid fabric using a double traverse rod. if you want a valance, you can use most any type you want since the door doesn't swing in.

What is a one-way draw drapery on a traverse rod? Does that mean that the curtain pulls only to one side as opposed to two curtains pulling to each side? I am not at all familiar with curtains or curtain lingo. The windows in our house are basically all blinds with a valance - that is all I know.

yes, "one-way draw" draws one way (you can choose right or left), as opposed to a center draw where half goes to the right and the other half goes to the left.

a traverse rod is that kind of rod where you stand to one side & pull on those cords/strings. then the drapery, which is hanging from a track, moves to the side.

with a traverse rod, you'll be getting pinch pleat draperies.

the other less user-friendly option would be to use a regular decorative rod (just a straight length of metal or wood pole) and either tab top curtains or a plain drapery panel (big rectangular piece of fabric) and use little rings with clips on them. but tab tops don't slide very well/easily and it'll be hard, if not impossible, to find either of them wide enough to cover your whole glass area and look good.

as an example, click here (http://www4.jcpenney.com/jcp/productlist.aspx?cattyp=DEP&deptid=25437&pcatid=28421&catid=28606&RefPageName=CategoryAll%252Easpx&RefDeptID=25437&RefCatID=28421&cmAMS_T=U3&cmAMS_C=C10) to see what i'm talking about.

Thanks Ann.

You have pointed me in the right direction. I'm going to go to JC Penney and check this stuff out.