How much window treatment to buy? HELP... (panel, ceiling, curtains)

[christina0001]

Our living room has a window that is 5' across and 6' tall. There is 22" from the bottom of the window to the floor, and 1' from the top of the window to the ceiling. I am looking at buying panels and valences for it. The panels I like are 72" long. The ad doesn't specify how wide they are, so I guess standard? The valence is 36Wx26"L. Can anyone tell me how many valences and panels I need to buy?

I stink at this sort of thing. I would like the panels to be to the side of the window, so I guess I need a pretty long rod, and if we need to darken the room I wanted to be able to pull the panels in front of the window. So I was thinking the rod needs to come out at least a couple of feet on each side of the window?

These were the items I was looking at. They are on clearance; hopefully they are still in stock by the time I figure all this out.
JCPenney department

Also there are two colors available, mink and cream. I can't decide which I like best. Do you think the mink panels would look okay with the cream valance, or should it be all matching? I like the mink a little bit better but I didn't want it to be too dark.

[Decorchallenged]

I can't tell what they are selling there. The small swatches show a small patterned vine and the pictures show a very large pattern floral.

72" panels are only going to go to the bottom of your window rather than to the floor.

If the window is 60" wide and you allow a foot on each side for stack back, that's 84" of width you need to cover. You want to have enough fabric to double or triple your width. That means at a minimum, you need 168". The panels are probably 42" wide, so you need 4-6 of them.

You will probably want 6 panels because you will likely want a larger area for stack back.

I don't use panels in my house but according to my aunt, it's a good idea to order about four times as many as you need! This is because they tend to deviate in length from one panel to another. Since your panels won't go to the floor, your bottom edge is going to be very noticeable. My aunt would very patiently stand there, hanging one panel after another, till she found the 4-6 that created the straightest bottom edge.

You may need 4-8 valances. And since you are not sure of which color you want, I would suggest ordering 8 of each color.

I can't find it right now but one of the reviews I saw indicated they were somewhat sheer. So if you want room darkening, you may need more than these panels.

I hope that helps. I realize that over ordering is not possible for everyone, but if you can do it, it is the least frustrating way to deal with mail order curtains.

[christina0001]

Thanks for the help!

[Decorchallenged]

You are welcome. If you buy them come back and show us the finished windows!