My home was built in the 1950’s. The style is definitely traditional, minus one area.  The sidelights surrounding my front door are traditional but the glass panels are not. The glass in these panels are ribbed and don’t match the style of the rest of the house. We made so many changes to the front hall when we first moved in. Replacing the front door was not one of them. 

The sidelights stuck out like a sore thumb. After a couple weeks of cringing every time I walked through the front hall, I came up with a solution. The ribbed glass is hidden, the front hall feels more inviting and it only took about 15 minutes.

I purchased two sash rods that were each a little wider than the sidelights. 

I placed them above the top of the sidelight panel and installed a sheer curtain. The curtain blocks the ribbed glass but still lets in sunlight. This option is also great if your sidelight issue is privacy instead of my situation, which is just plain ugly.

Out of sight, out of mind!