Good quality shutters are incredibly expensive. I put a set of sheers and a set of block-out curtains up when we first got our place - the sheers provided a little bit of privacy during the day, the block-outs made it cozy at night and helped block the westerly sun hitting in the afternoons. The only thing you find with sheers is that you have to have to wash them - they go a little grey. Depending upon where you live, make sure that your curtains are an inch off the floor - we live on a main road with all the dirt and grime that comes with it and it just keeps your curtains looking that bit better longer.

White curtains or very pale grey will keep the light levels high in your room and make a nice backdrop to your furnishings. I think patterned curtains are more casual and with the amount of windows you have, they would make a huge statement in the room. Darker curtains will reduce the light and can make the room look dingy. If you felt you don't want perfectly plain fabric, look for a slub fabric or something with some interest or texture in the weave. You could even have a self stripe which can look very elegant. I have just finished new curtains through my house and did the double track where I could and used a thermal lining that I can pull across to keep the cold out and it worked very well and is also working well now in the heat keeping the rooms cooler - in fact it is amazing some days the amount of heat trapped between the curtains and the windows and kept out of the room. In my bedroom I used a heavy sheer curtain to be able to enjoy the view of the garden while still maintaining privacy and the thermal lining gives me full privacy at night. I'm thinking this could be nice for your room when you have such a lovely outlook too and you do need something to keep the sun off your furniture and furnishings. There are also thermal roller blinds you could use instead of curtain linings, these do darken the room but they work very well. If you use the linings though, there are different weights, I used one pass in my bedroom and other rooms, and it does not darken the room very much at all. In my lounge room where I really needed heat blockout in summer, it was a bit of trial and error - I used triple pass and it does significantly darken the room to the point of totally gloomy - I really don't think I would use it again.

If you use ceiling brackets and ensure the curtain covers the track when it is closed you should be OK. Allow about 5mm from the ceiling to top of curtain so you avoid curtain rubbing on ceiling. Also make sure curtains return to the walls at the sides to get maximum thermal benefits. Almost as good as pelmets.

You're lucky to have those tracks, they would of been custom made. Depends on your budget really. If not much- cut down what you have and hem them. If more $$- I'd speak to a curtain maker. Remove the pelmet and have a 2nd track attached to the one you have for a sheer curtain (to hide/soften your bars but keep the view and light). I'd then use the existing track to get some nice block-out curtains made to close of a night. With well made pinch-pleat curtains you won't need the pelmet.