Transom Quest ...

Having grown up in the south, I'm quite fond of the transom window. Transom windows, though not exclusively southern, are a preferred option in warmer climates, especially in homes without air-conditioning. Functionally, their ability to allow rising hot air to escape keeps rooms much cooler, and the cross ventilation among rooms sharing a hallway keep air in any area of the house from being stale, while affording that room privacy. Aesthetically, they're quite beautiful.

A transom is the term given to the crosspiece separating a door or window from a window, fanlight, shutter, or decorative moulding above it. It's a word that most American architects use, but if you're ever looking for inspiration photos, try fanlight or overlight, as that's how they typically are referenced in European design.

Sadly, there are no transom windows in CdlV. And if I asked Scott to have them installed, he'd inevitable talk me out of it, suggesting that the house doesn't have the architectural significance needed to support transom windows ... blah, blah, blah.

What does he know anyway? Right! But there are other ways of getting what you want ... especially when you're driven by curtains. Weird, I know. Let me explain:

I'm re-vamping, re-working, re-designing/decorating the dining room. The reds and oranges from the curtains and seat cushions in that room were really starting to wear on my vision for the rest of the house. So, I went out in search of drapes, and found the perfect option - but the 95" length were back ordered until July! As many of you already know - that wasn't for Artie - I don't wait well! So I ordered the 108" and resolved to move the rod to just below the crown moulding, leaving that awkward 12" space between the top of my window trim/moulding and the bottom of the crown.

Joni, at CotedeTexas had a solution for that space in her house! She brought the bamboo roman shades up to the point of her curtain rod - giving you the idea that the window was ceiling height. Isn't she brilliant?

The double bank of windows in my dining room are not as easy. I'd have to remove part of the moulding to make this work, and have one long blind (72") instead of two. So, with my love of transoms ... I began to think outside the box (Coloring Outside the Lines) and came up with an idea. An idea that might fail ... but you never know without trying!

Come back on Monday to find out how it turned out ... and just exactly what I had cooked up in my crazy brain!

THE LIGHTING GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED! THE WINNER WAS DECIDED ON BY RANDOM.ORG, AND WILL BE ANNOUNCED TOMORROW! THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR ENTRIES!