I would suggest using a blackout and thermally insulating roller blind, and sheer drapes inside that. You would be able to use the sheer drapes most of the time, and the blinds for hot sunny weather or TV when the sun is in the wrong place.

Hi Princey, Windows bring in ample light and provide ventilation to a room and at the same time bring the outsides visually in. Hence, it is necessary to determine their not only their size but also their location in a room. Deciding the lintel and sill level of the windows may depend on the overall look of the building or a home as they alter the elevation to a great extent. A standard 3' sill and 7' lintel gives you a 4' height to work with. You may then increase or decrease its width to your requirement. Anything between 4'-6' is a good window width. If possible you may decrease the sill level to 2' to increase the window size where you want. Avoid doing this where the bed would be as its headboard will cover a large part of the window. Alternatively you may go for french windows/doors for living rooms. As far as the design of the window is concerned, it largely depends on the functionality. Accordingly, the windows may be side hung, sliding, louvered, top hung, fixed etc. These days mostly we go for sliding or side hung ones. How they look will depend a lot on their mechanism. However, their style may be changed as per the aesthetics of the room and overall building elevation. Here are some examples - These go well with classic, colonial and Indian styles. These go well with minimalist, modern and contemporary styles. Bay windows create an interesting corner in you living and bedroom and bring in ample light for the same size of opening due to their angular windows. The wall behind the bed may have a window like this, its fixed glass that filters in light and accommodates the bed as well. French doors and windows are a great option for both bedroom and living areas if you have the privilege of a balcony. The living room may have small or large windows depending on the area at our disposal as well as the floor where we reside. Ground floor with ample greenery around calls for large picture windows. But if there is no particularly pleasant view we may go for regular or even slit windows to solve our purpose. All these are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to discussing windows. It is highly recommended to consult with your architect while deciding on the requirement, size, placement, design, material and aesthetics of the windows in your home. All the best! Regards, RnD Atelier Nagpur

Ok Monika, for the beam running in the middle of the room you can clad it to make it a part of the design but it needs to be planned properly. You may need professional help there. These attached suggestions should hide the beam. If you do not get the theme in the pics please feel free to call us to understand the suggestion. Thanks, Nitin Cornerstone Designs, Bangalore.

Vinay, Since you have hired a professional, not sure how much of below will make any sense. This is a tall-boi room and the windows and doors height add to it. You have quite a good exterior view with surrounding greenery but the messy grills have kind of killed that view. You may have to always use sheer to hide them and coupled with earthen colored curtains. Plain bland white walls is another thing you may want to reconsider. Without going into too much details, a clean contemporary look for this place would be best suited. The ceiling lighting doesn't seem sufficient for a 14*15 room and I feel there is too much of wood on the ceilings even in the other parts of the house. As of now it looks like a transit place and glad to see this being made a permanent home. Will be eager to see the end results. Thanks Nitin Cornerstone Designs, Bangalore.