YOU’VE UNLOADED THE last duffel bag of clothing into your new digs and plugged in your lava lamp. Already, the comforts of home are a dim memory: the fridge laden with food, the endless supply of hot and cold running water, and, oddly enough, curtains — the importance of which you discover that first night while dancing around in your underwear ( " EEEgad! People can see me! " ). Whether it’s just the shifting population on the quad or a whole block of Comm Ave, you are distinctly live and on display. But before you start stapling up the nearest bed sheet or Brazilian flag as a quick-fix cover, consider these window-treatment alternatives.

If you long for a nostalgic, cozy feel, go vintage. Oona’s in Harvard Square carries curtains in a variety of bygone motifs. One popular option is 1950s barkcloth, so named because of its nubby texture. Check out these fab tropical panels. Plus, find genuine flapper-era relics and many more in stock. Also very hot in the collectible-textile market is the pastoral " dead donkey " pattern, says owner Kathleen White. Samples of this neo-rococo look are being snapped up like crazy. Further down on the vintage scale is what’s called " used. " That’s where Urban Renewals in Allston draws you in, with its racks and racks of drapes in a variety of sizes (burlesque-stage-big to kitchen-nook-little), styles, and states of quality. If contemporary is more your taste, Urban Outfitters has a swell selection of reasonably affordable two-panel packs (with tie-backs) boasting floral, checked, embroidered, and shimmery effects.

If there’s one thing guys don’t do, it’s curtains. They’d sooner duct-tape a tattered Mexican blanket or put Playboy pages over the window than get caught fiddling with swags and valances. The stripped-down aesthetics of paper shades are the perfect solution. Look for clean, crisp shoji blinds or the hand-woven, summer-cottage feel of Brighton paper at Pier 1 Imports.

For those who prefer exotic design with a splash of color, Indian blankets can hang with the best of them. According to Pramila Sachdev of Delhi International Boutique, the hand-blocked prints are extremely popular with students. She should know, having sold them for 30-plus years in the Boston area. Once a staple of hippie pads, the ornate paisley, animal, and plant patterns add an eclectic accent to even the most somber, unadorned dorm room or studio apartment.

Issue Date: August 23-30, 2001