Hold 'em Back

May I share my conflicting love and hatred for vertical blinds? I love that they function well, letting light in when wanted and keeping wandering eyes out, but is that a fair trade off for something so ugly? My only complaint about vertical blinds is that I think they are hideous. Does this mean I'm willing to sacrifice my privacy for vanity? No, but I've been trying to come up with an affordable and easy-on-the-eyes solution to this decor horror and keep running into dead ends. This is what I'm dealing with.

Some people may think I'm crazy and that I should just deal with them (aka Justin), but they drive me mad and since they are in our kitchenette, I see them more everyday than I see my beloved green couch.

So, my first attempt at concealing the blinds was to hang curtain panels on either end of the sliding glass door. I bought these heavy duty panels from Ikea for $15 and a curtain rod that matches the ones we have in our family room. Instantly it looked much better and when we have the blinds pulled open, they hide behind the far right panel, like they aren't even there. Unfortunately, we rarely pull the blinds all the way open because we don't want all of that sun coming in (that's the west side of our house) and it provides zero privacy. So, when we have them open, we just twist the rod so they provide slats of light and a little more privacy.

(But, the track is still visible and doesn't fool me.)

Included with the curtain panels were a tie back for each one. I'm undecided about whether I like the panels with or without the ties.

Any preferences? Do you like the curtains? Do you have an alternative suggestion? I'm open for any and all ideas, so bring 'em on!