Problem: A Room with a Bad View

The window that sheds light on your favorite reading nook just happens to overlook your neighbor’s trash cans. How to disguise the sight without sacrificing the sun?

Solution: Top-Down-or-Bottom-Up Shades
This shade may look as if it was installed upside down, but that’s no mistake. It uses two sets of lift cords, allowing you to choose which way (and by how much) the shades open and close: from the bottom up or from the top down. It’s all in the wrist or, more precisely, which cord you pull. The valance hides the brackets and the cords, giving the window a finished look.
To Buy: Flat Fold shade in “flourish breeze” with top-down/ bottom-up feature, $206 (36 by 60 inches), www.smithandnoble.com.

Tip: Leaving a gap at the top, rather than the bottom, lets in daylight while blocking a less-than-pleasing view.