apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

How about some cool metal mesh? There are a lot of options in that regard, including all the sheet metal that you use to cover radiators.

A folding screen? Then you can make a little reading nook in that corner which would be kind of nice by those windows.

can you take off the grates and spray paint them to match the wall color? Also, the folding screen is great idea.

The previous owners of my apartment (which has a vent exactly like yours) put a tall plant/tree in front of it. It doesn't totally block it from view, but it helps, and the air can still circulate around the room. You could also place on open-back bookshelf (with books/stuff on it) on the diagonal across that corner; it would block the vent from both directions but might minimize the airflow more than you want.

The other solution could just be to paint the vent to match your walls, and then it'll blend better.

How about having a large radiator cover made to put over it. They make them for the old fashioned smaller radiators, why not for this. Paint it a different color - red (big on red these days). As for the windows, how about window adhesives on the bottom half of the windows? This way you get privacy and light.

I agree with other posters - a screen would work well and might also be a good design response giving some height in that corner which might be nice opposite the windows. I'd worry about putting a plant there - work with someone at the garden store to make certain whatever you pick can withstand any hot/cold forced air from the vents.

You can cover them with blinds - a nice roman blind or a simple well-made roller shade would be nice. If you want the softness of curtain - I'm thinking something floor to ceiling would be best. Look at curtain tracks -- there is a lot of discussion/info about these on this site.

I had a vent just like this in my last apartment. I found a pretty piece of fabric, made a little pocket hem and then hung it from pole. It covered the vent, the air could still circulate and I added a lot of color to my apartment. A screen would be nice too.

If you have a big lamp, that would work... or a bookshelf pulled a few inches out.

If you want to be crafty, then try stretching a pretty fabric on heavy-duty artists' stretcher bars on two sides only (top and bottom, or sides) and letting the air flow out the sides that aren't stapled.

I was just thinking that the corner with the windows would be an excellent place to tuck away a desk, then you could put the curtains across the whole nook, so that the clutter is hidden when you've got them closed.

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try an open style bookshelf( the one I suggest is a ladder type that leans against the wall) and dress it very siply with objects that allow air to move in and around
this will visually distract from the vents without fully covering them
you could use a reg tall bookcase as well but with no back

bgball's idea makes sense.

Sometimes when you try to hide something...it actually draws attention to the area because you're putting something visually interesting there. IMHO.

I'd suggest holding off on the camouflage until you've got furniture in place. Then you can see how big of an issue it really is.

Find a nice dark sheer curtain or a piece of lightweight fabric with a great color/pattern and hang it floor to ceiling. Use mounting squares or 3M hooks.

a bookcase without a back sounds perfect. also, possibly a leaning mirror at a good tilt to allow air to flow out from both sides. I like a folding screen with a light behind it too.

I don't see the difficulty with the windows: just use tension rods or cables from corner to corner or put shades up anchored at the ceiling instead of the walls...

There are many apartments in NY that have corner windows like yours, especially in Queens - go to a window treatment shop that's been around for a long time (e.g., Harris Levy on the LES) and ask them for options. The issue is to find what hardware exists for hanging something in a corner window. Then you can explore the options on what to hang.

I think the problem is the contrast in color. If you could somehow turn the vent screens and their frames the same color as the walls -- then they would not be so conspicuous. Covering the vents with shelves -- books etc. doesn't seem like a good idea at all IMO. You want the air to circulate.

The corner window would be fabulous for large plants. More light and ventilation for plants the better, and a corner or bay is ideal for them. You could have a lemon or calmondin orange tree, hanging plants, jasmine, chinese narcissus, the sky's the limit, if you're into house plants.

There, too, the contrast between the window frame and wall would make me uncomfortable, but maybe other people don't mind.

I like Joey's idea - either cover or replace the grilles with some sort of industrial chic metal mesh. Woven steel, perforated copper, whatever. Or cover the grilles with a salvaged piece of ornate Victorian wrought iron, like part of a gate or a panel from a particularly fancy fence.

For a little more money, you could get an exotic design laser cut into metal sheets and turn these vents into amazing works of art.

Oh, and while I like the potted plant idea, most trees will become sick and stressed if you put them in front of a draft, especially one with extremes of temperature.

I'm with JenPDX. In an empty room, they scream. Once the room's not so empty, it will become a non-issue. Still not convinced? GO with the other commenter's suggestions to lessen the contrast of wall to grate by knocking down the paint color a shade or two.

I meant put the plants in the corner window, not directly in front of the vent. Actually, they do like moving air, not hot dry air, though.

If you put something too solid in front of it that significantly restricts air flow, you're just going to screw up the efficiency of that unit and the comfort it provides.

I really agree with others that putting too much effort into disguising or concealing the unit could actually draw even more attention to it. Wait until you have some furniture in there.

Or how about putting a Noguchi floor lamp in that corner?

If you partly block your vents with bookcases, curtains, and other clever disguises, you'll soon be complaining that your apartment doesn't warm up or cool down readily.

See if you can match the paint to the walls more closely -- arrange your furniture away from the vent so the eye isn't drawn to it by anything visually exciting -- and call it done. If it really concerns you, make sure your decor includes pops of bright color to keep the eye ELSEWHERE in the room (this may not be the best setting for an all white-and-gray look).

I make certain the grate was the same color as the wall. I would not put anything in front of it that would block air flow -- not even an open lattice work screen. I would put something to catch the eye near by so that the screen falls into the background.

I'm gonna repeat ndvheller's suggestion from up above - get a large floorstanding mirror, one you can lean up against the wall. It doesn't have to be tall enough to cover the vent, but just covering the unit itself should be enough to make that corner look a lot less industrial. And since it doesn't fit flush against the wall it won't block the return air going into the unit itself.

I wouldn't cover them (even partially) it's VERY important that airflow is constant. I would simply have the grills/grates painted the exact color of the walls so that they will blend in.

By all means do not try to cover them.