Bamboo shades installed in the living room.  check.

Look Mom!  No more faded carpet in the summertime.  I was worried that the shades might make the windows look smaller but I think they just add a layer of warmth to the room.

 The Blinds Chalet product is decent and very well priced.  These windows are large and they were only a couple hundred bucks a window.  The bamboo actually has a contrasting edge binding that gives it a more finished look.  I chose dark brown to blend with the window frames, but there are many options available.  Not shabby compared to their pricier cousins at Conrad or even Smith & Noble.  My only piece of advice is use your own screws – the cheap-o soft metal screws they sent led to several instances of stripped screws not yet in all the way.  Fortunately we got to test out our Grab-it screw extractor which worked wonders on the stripped screws.