Shades, Raised Platform May Improve View in Awkward High-Rise Rooms

Rita St. Clair

Home Decor - Shades, Raised Platform May Improve View in Awkward High-Rise Rooms. Designer Screen Shade from Hunter Douglas blocks heat and glare, and it goes well with a modern interior
Maintaining Great Views

I sometimes wonder if those who design and build houses and apartment buildings today ever pause to consider the comfort, let alone the energy consumption, of the structures they create. True, the average new loft or high-rise apartment may be less drafty and less sweltering than the homes our ancestors inhabited, but that's no excuse.

Question: We have moved to a new high-rise building with spectacular views of the city. Unfortunately, the windows, even though they are room width, are 33 inches off the floor. This produces two problems that we would like to solve: First, when seated in a lounge chair or sofa, or when lying in bed, we can barely see the skyline. Second, we face northwest, and the afternoon sun produces an uncomfortable amount of heat and glare. We prefer modern design and would rather not have curtains for the windows.

Answer: As to the problem of the view through your high-placed windows, try compensating with higher seating and bedding. In modern interior design, the preference has always been for low seating. However, your particular problem may call for a delineated area in the room for higher seating, only a few inches higher and near the window. This can be done by creating something like a platform in a different surface material than the rest of the flooring. Low seating can be easily placed on it to form a special conversational or reading area. The photo shows a platformed window seat in front of a window much like I'm describing.

The same thing can be done in the bedroom. Lift the bed up by placing it on a platform. Depending on the height of the bed, a step or two or a higher mattress might do the trick.

As for combating the heat and glare of northwest exposure, it is not necessary to use curtains or even louvered or fabric shades. The window in the photo is covered with a Designer Screen Shade from Hunter Douglas. This shade has a cordless system for raising and lowering, and it comes in a range of fabric and color options. I personally like the quality of shading afforded by the "Indian Basket" fabric (shown in photo, in "Sea Pines" color).

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