What do you think of outdoor curtains? (flooring, panels, paint)

[shadowne]

I have a nice enclosed porch and have wanted to screen it in or create panels to close it off on occasion but I would hate to lose the open feeling.
I'm curious if anyone here has used the outdoor curtains (like Sunbrella) and what their experience has been.

[kshe95girl]

Love them!!!!
I use them all the time for my clients, sometimes I use mosquito netting, sometimes Sunbrella, which holds up well in the brutal Florida sun and heat.

[Cattknap]

I have toyed with the idea of outdoor curtains - love the look and we have a huge screened in porch on which curtains would look good. Right now our porch and everything in it is covered with pine pollen. I vacumn the porch every week - sometimes more often...I've been wiping down all the furniture and upholstery once a week - amazing how yellow the pollen is....this would be the time of year I wouldn't want curtains.

That being said - Sunbrella is great....I've had umbrellas, outdoor upholstery, pillows and cushions made from Sunbrella yardage. The two colors that fade the fastest are red and black.

We washed our umbrella covers and zip-off cushions every season and it was amazing how new the fabric looked afterward (air dry). Washing the fabric will make it last and look good much longer than if you don't launder it. The fabric doesn't shrink. We would put the umbrella covers on wet and let them dry on the frame.

You can often buy Sunbrella fabric on eBay at fairly good prices. I ordered bolts of the stuff directly from Sunbrella back when the company would sell to individuals...they don't do that any more. They will refer you to one of their distributors that is local to your location which in turn costs more than when you could order directly from the company.

[Hopes]

There's a brick house nearby that has outdoor curtains hanging at the porch entry way from two stories up. It's so elegant. It highlights the architecture. I'd buy that house in a heartbeat.

[shadowne]

My house is painted Sherwin Williams Prairie Grass Paint Color SW7546 Prairie Grass - Sherwin-Williams
and I am looking at the outdoor curtains from Tuesday Morning - this Shop.TuesdayMorning.com – Famous name brands at legendary savings (http://shop.tuesdaymorning.com/dsp_productDetail.asp?ssid=1&pid=10247 - broken link)
and this Shop.TuesdayMorning.com – Famous name brands at legendary savings (http://shop.tuesdaymorning.com/dsp_productDetail.asp?ssid=1&pid=10248 - broken link)

I think the solid color Bark will look nice (well, as good as possible from the limited selection) but I will have to use probably 8 panels and thought about adding interest by using solid on the outside 4 panels and stripes for the inside 4 panels. I'm not very happy with the grass green striped panels but think that would be the closest bet for my porch. Any suggestions?

[Sheepie2000]

I love them too! I've been collecting photos of them in an ideabook on houzz.com. I have a screened porch and if I had outdoor curtains that I could close, it would make a heater more effective and I could use the porch year-round. In the summer, they would just be open and look great! I might even consider removing the screens. I've been browsing curtains and also Sunbrella fabric for a few weeks now.

[kshe95girl]

Originally Posted by shadowne

My house is painted Sherwin Williams Prairie Grass Paint Color SW7546 Prairie Grass - Sherwin-Williams
and I am looking at the outdoor curtains from Tuesday Morning - this Shop.TuesdayMorning.com – Famous name brands at legendary savings (http://shop.tuesdaymorning.com/dsp_productDetail.asp?ssid=1&pid=10247 - broken link)
and this Shop.TuesdayMorning.com – Famous name brands at legendary savings (http://shop.tuesdaymorning.com/dsp_productDetail.asp?ssid=1&pid=10248 - broken link)

I think the solid color Bark will look nice (well, as good as possible from the limited selection) but I will have to use probably 8 panels and thought about adding interest by using solid on the outside 4 panels and stripes for the inside 4 panels. I'm not very happy with the grass green striped panels but think that would be the closest bet for my porch. Any suggestions?

Honestly?
I really, really dislike both of them with your choice of paint color, which is quite lovely, btw.
Is there any furniture in the enclosed porch already?
If so, what color, what upholstery fabric, style?
Is the interior of the porch painted the same color of the exterior?
If not, what is it?
Whats the flooring?
Almost forgot, could you elaborate on what you mean by outside and inside?
I'm so easily confused!

[shadowne]

Originally Posted by kshe95girl

Honestly?
I really, really dislike both of them with your choice of paint color, which is quite lovely, btw.
Is there any furniture in the enclosed porch already?
If so, what color, what upholstery fabric, style?
Is the interior of the porch painted the same color of the exterior?
If not, what is it?
Whats the flooring?

Yes, I appreciate an honest opinion!
Thank you, I love neutrals and enjoy watching the critters - cardinals, gopher turtle {he chose my patio to live under}, squirrels, heron, etc. that honor me with their parties in my backyard.
There is a seating set in espresso with medium beige cushions and a small matching table with marble top.
The interior of the porch is the same as the exterior of the house.
You had to ask about the flooring. That has not been done yet but I am considering staining or painting the concrete for now. Possibly tiling in the future (neutrals, of course).

[shadowne]

Originally Posted by kshe95girl

Almost forgot, could you elaborate on what you mean by outside and inside?
I'm so easily confused!

Sorry, sometimes my fingers do not keep up with my brain and I leave out information. There is a block column dividing the opening, creating two spaces to enclose with curtains. The spaces are a little over 100" each and the panels were 50" so I thought I would need 8 panels? Considered putting solid then striped, another striped and a solid in that order on each opening. Does that make sense?

There is a double set (12') of 15 pane wood french doors that open onto the porch.

[kshe95girl]

Originally Posted by shadowne

Yes, I appreciate an honest opinion!
Thank you, I love neutrals and enjoy watching the critters - cardinals, gopher turtle {he chose my patio to live under}, squirrels, heron, etc. that honor me with their parties in my backyard.
There is a seating set in espresso with medium beige cushions and a small matching table with marble top.
The interior of the porch is the same as the exterior of the house.
You had to ask about the flooring. That has not been done yet but I am considering staining or painting the concrete for now. Possibly tiling in the future (neutrals, of course).

Originally Posted by shadowne

Sorry, sometimes my fingers do not keep up with my brain and I leave out information. There is a block column dividing the opening, creating two spaces to enclose with curtains. The spaces are a little over 100" each and the panels were 50" so I thought I would need 8 panels? Considered putting solid then striped, another striped and a solid in that order on each opening. Does that make sense?

I love that you are doing something monochromatic on your porch, it wont fight with the view outdoors, which I imagine is quite lovely.
The key to a color scheme like that is to vary the hues and the textures, to give visual interest in what can be very blah otherwise.
I am going to see what I can hunt up for curtains for you, will post them as soon as I find them, I'm the queen of bargain hunting.
Are you planning on being able to draw the curtains closed, or are they going to be stationary, known in the trade as dead panels?
I have an idea for painting the floor, will dig up some pix and post, its really easy, and inexpensive.