I've had pleated blinds, metal horizontal blinds, vertical blinds, and wood blinds. Even though there are pretty pictures of blinds, blinds are not my favorite, especially vertical blinds. Blinds are impersonal, not cozy imho, and pleated blinds are very difficult to clean. They attract dust and pet hair, I think, by static, and vacuuming does not get it all. Horizontal blinds, if cracked open for some light, leave a striped pattern on the window which I don't like, are a pain to dust, and are pretty much "all or nothing", and you can't leave blinds open at night if you value privacy. Vertical blinds remind me of corporate conference rooms. Sorry, I hope I'm not offending anyone. Curtains on the other hand, can be soft and flowy, let light in without compromising privacy. You can wash them or dry clean them. You don't have to open and close every single day to adjust for light/privacy conditions. Curtains are easy to change out, and you don't need a custom size if your windows are not standard sized. I haven't had the pleasure of roman shades yet, that's my next new thing to try. More than you probably wanted,mikneleh... LOL! Have fun with your decision.

Vertical or horizontal? Light cream if you want to allow light in when closed. Do you have to have access - waklking through them?

Bamboo roller blinds are an inexpensive fix. They can be cut to fit and have a decorative look.

Exterior? Exterior, other options include adding trim, painting frames a contrasting color, adding a window box, highlighting the window with plantings, etc. Interior, blinds, shades, panels, or some combination. If you narrow down and include a photo, sit back and prepare to be dazzled by Houzzers coming to your rescue.