New window shades block glare and stares

We live where the sun shines - bright and hot - every day of the year.

We love it but the living room is wall-to-wall picture windows that face south. The glare and heat gain are killing our air conditioning. It seems crazy to keep the curtains closed all day; we moved here for the view. What to do?
A: Speed to your nearest window shop and look over all the alternatives to curtains you can choose from today. You'll find blinds designed to filter the light, not the view - and what the window industry calls "shadings" - contemporary takes on old-fashioned window ideas like roman shades and venetian blinds.

The fabrics are sheer, and the engineering can be sheer genius. For example, some new blinds have soft fabric vanes suspended between panels of sheer fabrics so they can be turned, just like ordinary blinds, to block glare and stares and still let in the light.

The wall of windows in the photo we show here is dressed in such a covering (from the Alustra collection by Hunter Douglas, www.hunterdouglas.com). Here, it's a combination of vertical vanes on the large center window, flanked by shadings with vanes on the horizontal plane. The long curtains that soften the treatment are also worth a second look - they're made of fabric that matches the shading color. You can order it by the yard from your window source.

Hunter Douglas, by the way, has another claim to fame: the company's "Pirouette" window coverings are supporting stars in "The Celebrity Apprentice," NBC's re-invention of its hit reality show, featuring mogul Donald Trump and a cast of cowering wannabees. The shadings show up in the "War Rooms" of celeb contestants Gene Simmons and Carol Alt.

And speaking of celebrity decor, can you guess John Travolta's favorite decorating accessory?

A Boeing 707, would you believe? Travolta had a 1964 707 restored and rolled up to nudge the side of his Florida house, where it loomed through the curved wall-to-wall windows of the Great Room. Also on view, according to a report in "Celebrity Homes" (Architectural Digest) is his collection of model airplanes and a restored classic car or two.

Q: We need a quick and cheap something for the floor in my daughter's apartment. She's in grad school, living in a walk-up, and we're going out there next month to help her decorate. The floors are in OK shape, but she'd like carpet. Should we just buy something off eBay?

A: That's certainly one option. My chic friend Linda Eckhardt recently scored two great looking orientals online, so eBay is do-able, if maybe a bit dicey.

However, if you want a sure thing, look into a D-Y-I product called "Flor" ( www.flor.com). It's colorful, comfortable, easy-to-keep and available in a great palette of hues and textures, plus - ta dum! - it's even kind to the environment (a primary concern for the manufacturer, Interface).

One member of the Flor family of products, Fedora, is made of 80 percent post-consumer fibers. And - here's an eco-boon - Interface will even take back your used Flor at its expense when your daughter graduates and moves on.

Rose Bennett Gilbert is the co-author of "Hampton Style" and associate editor of Country Decorating Ideas.