Take digital pictures of the area, print them out and play with ideas by drawing a variety of things (lattice, a lattice structure that continues along to disguise the a/c unit, etc) on the picture, or making separate pieces that you can move on and off the picture to see what you like best. This way you can develop a plan that you can implement in steps--what's first, etc.

Life is so much easier with digital photography and printers--when we bought our house 20 years ago, living with the problems and envisioning the solutions in our (my) head, was the way to go.

I saw a photo of a serving bar that was built below the window, but there was also a large patio so it made sense. The bar was built deep enough to function as a serving area for drinks and food. With no patio underneath your window, a serving bar might look out of place, but you could use it for a potted plant arrangement. Would a potting bench be appropiate in the area?

Can you post a picture?

I took a picture. See what you think---any ideas?

Photo 1
[Url]http://images.kodakgallery.com/photos2244/4/70/82/91/47/7/747918270405_0_ALB.jpg[/url]

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:48915}}