Remember the multicoloured roller blinds of the 80’s or even the chintz patterned, impractical curtains in the 60’s and 70’s? Well, it’s fair to say kitchen window treatments have come a long way! There’s so much choice out there but how do you choose the best solution for your kitchen? NDA tutor and Window Treatment expert, Sarah takes you through the considerations before you spend your money.
Modernising Kitchen Window Treatments
One of the biggest practical considerations is that kitchens are smelly, messy places where any solution needs to be easily cleanable. Kitchen windows are also often behinds sinks or cupboard units where they are hard to access meaning that you won’t want to be changing your blinds or curtains on a regular basis. Choosing the right window treatment for your kitchen can either kill your interior design scheme or make it so consider your options carefully
When choosing kitchen window treatments, we may be guilty of giving it too little thought and opting for a simple solution such as a roller blind or a Venetian blind. But there are so many different types of treatments that will compliment the overall look and feel of these spaces and be more practical.
One of the biggest practical considerations is that kitchens are smelly, messy places where any solution needs to be easily cleanable. Kitchen windows are also often behinds sinks or cupboard units where they are hard to access meaning that you won’t want to be changing your blinds or curtains on a regular basis. Choosing the right window treatment for your kitchen can either kill your interior design scheme or make it so consider your options carefully
Kitchens are no longer the tiny room at the back of the house used solely for food preparation, cooking and washing up. The kitchen is now the heart of the house, and often integrates living with dining, resulting in beautiful ‘open plan’ spaces perfect for socialising with family and friends.
External walls and windows are now being replaced with large expanses of glazing in the form of bi-fold or sliding doors, which is also giving us a greater connection with our gardens and enhancing our ‘outdoor’ living experience. Even if you don’t have this amount of space in your kitchen, your choice of window treatment can modernise even the most dated kitchen into a fresh space you want to spend time in rather than shut the door on.
If You Can't Stand the Heat
Kitchens get hot. Fact. You’ll need to consider ventilation when you choose curtains, shutters or blinds for you kitchen. If you only have one window for ventilation, then perhaps it’s not practical to have a vertical or Venetian blind covering your window. You won’t want to be opening them each time you want to air your kitchen. Wooden blinds can also warp in humid conditions and be difficult to clean. Sometimes it’s best to go with a simple option if you’re looking for a window treatment which is practical yet adds to your design scheme. A decorative pelmet or Roman blind can finish a window perfectly without the full of opening and closing curtains or full blinds.
Modern living now dictates that we want as much space around us as possible. Walls are falling at a rapid rate of knots as we extend and expand our kitchen spaces into living spaces, rather than cooking spaces. Bi-fold doors and large windows are becoming more popular but with this extra light comes extra heat in summer and extra cold in winter. Choosing a window treatment in these circumstances can be tricky.
As temperatures rise, the sun’s glare can bring a whole host of problems. From making a room unbearable hot to fading furniture, flooring and fabrics. It is therefore well worth investing in solutions that can help to create a cooler and more comfortable environment yet provide insulation properties when needed in winter.
Blinds for Bi-Fold & Patio Doors
ClickFit’ pleated blinds are the perfect solution and still allow the doors to folded back flat. They are available in a number of different colours ranging from natural whites and beiges through to bold contemporary shades. Made to measure, these are easy to fit and clip inside your window frames. The blinds neatly stack away closed depending on the amount of privacy required.
Duette blinds reflect up to 78% of the suns warmth thanks to their ‘honeycomb’ design which traps air. An innovative coating on the window facing side of the blind also helps to reflect heat. These blinds can be fitted to traditional patio doors, sliding glass or bi-fold doors without the need to drill or screw. They work on a top down bottom up operating system making these blinds effective in concentrating the shade where it’s needed as the sun moves around.
Curtains for Large Windows
If blinds are not to your preference then curtains can still work really well whilst offering more of a luxurious finish and cosy feel to a space. You just need to make sure these do not interfere with how the doors open and close. You’ll also want to consider your ventilation as certain fabrics will suffer when exposed to high levels of humidity. Silks and heavy damasks can pucker, lace curtains will discolour and polyester curtains are flammable so shouldn’t be used near naked flames.
These beautiful Crittall doors and windows have been dressed with full length floor to ceiling hand pleated curtains. The track has been recessed into the ceiling offering a seamless and simplistic finish. The curtains easily stack back against the wall allowing natural light to flood and maximising views into the garden. During the dark and colder months these can be closed to create a warm and cosy living and dining space.
If you have sliding or patio doors chances are you can sometimes feel a little exposed at different times of day. Choose curtains with a translucent fabric such as voile or a light weight linen, as these will provide a sheer layer between you and the outside. Neutral colours such as off whites, creams and pale grey will blend well against the walls. Also consider recessing tracks into the ceiling or concealing these behind coving to give a seamless look. They are also so easy to clean and dry so ideal window treatments for a kitchen. You can even just tie them back when cooking and they’ll still allow airflow when closed over an open window.
Combining curtains and a voile can be a win-win for large windows or bi-fold doors when you need to insulate, ventilate and shade. This can be easily achieved by using a double curtain pole or ceiling fitted wave track.
Love is Blind
Most traditional kitchens just have windows. No vast expanses of glass, just normal windows. These windows are usually located near sinks or have worktops in front of them and therefore you need to think about the practicalities of choosing a window treatment that is easy to access, open and close as well as a treatment that does not get in the way or interfere with the functional aspects of a kitchen. Curtains are not always a suitable way of dressing a window especially if these are near a sink as they will more than likely get wet and the fabrics marked and damaged over the time.
Roman blinds are perfect window treatments for kitchens. They sit neatly against the window and do not require much fabric making these an affordable option. Available in a wide and varied range of fabric colours and designs to suit your style and preference. You do need to think carefully about the type of fabric you choose to use as the environment is very different to that of a bedroom or living room. You should avoid thick and heavy fabrics such as velvet, chenille and thick weaves as these have a tendency to absorb smells and might also stretch with the changing humidity levels that occur when cooking. Delicate fabrics such as silk will easily mark and fade if exposed to direct sun line. An ideal choice would be cotton or linen, both natural materials and hard wearing.
The image above is great example of how blinds are the perfect solution where 2 windows appear close together on the same wall. The muted pink stripe compliments the sage green country style cabinets perfectly.
The second zingy geometric design instantly draws your attention towards the window located between the wall cabinets. Citrus greens are a great colour for a kitchen especially when accessories in the same colour are used.
In this kitchen the focal point is very much the copper trough sink and inky blue cabinets. These blinds made from hemp linen have an informal relaxed style about them drawing your attention up towards this beautiful exposed wooden ceiling.
The true beauty of the Roman blind lies in the ability to keep them raised to act as ‘window dressing’ or lower in the evenings for insulation or shade on a warm day. Using a Roman blind is also a cost-effective way of personalising your kitchen window treatments as the amount of fabric required is much less than a standard curtain.
Making Roman blinds is actually easier than you may think and covered in a single day on our Soft Furnishing and Curtain Making Course.
Plantation Shutters
Plantation shutters are a classic way of finishing a window whilst still letting in light, and they’re easy to clean. These are usually made to measure making them suitable for any size or style of window. They offer full flexibility in the way they can be used providing full or partial privacy or help with filtering out direct sunlight.
The simplistic style of this ‘all white’ kitchen cries out for plantation shutters. Discreetly fitted, the louvres can easily be tilted, turned or fully closed.
Half shutter are ideal for these full height sash windows. This kitchen is flooded with natural light through the top half of the glazing whilst shutters fitted to the lower half of the windows provide an element of privacy.
If plantation shutters are out of your budget a great alternative is the Venetian blind. Venetian blinds have a somewhat dated reputation thanks to their overuse in the 1990’s but modern Venetian blinds are super sleek. Take a look at Luxaflex who offer a wide range of colours and finishes. The style of Venetians have developed over the years; slats are now much wider and the strings are concealed behind decorative webbing to give a bespoke finish.
If left down these can be easily tilted or alternatively they can be pulled up fully, sit discreetly at the top of the window allowing light to flood in.
Choosing the right kitchen window treatment doesn’t have to be a nightmare, or boring or a last-minute consideration. But is essential if you want to make sure that your kitchen is modern, practical and more importantly, beautiful!
Bespoke curtains and blinds can often be expensive if you have large or unusual sized windows and can’t buy ready made window treatments. Whether you are looking for a unique solution or looking to start a business offering made-to-measure curtains and blinds, our Soft Furnishings & Curtain Making Diploma will teach you everything you need to know to get started.
Did you know that you can study our Diploma in Professional Curtain Making and Soft Furnishings either online or in-studio. Take up to 12 months to finish your curtain making qualification or fast-track in just 12 weeks. Find out more about our interior design and garden design courses here.
9 Responses
Great article – thank you, very useful and inspiring. Has given me some new treatment options to go check out!
Thanks Sarah-Jane. I’m glad you have found this article interesting. Good luck with your search for the right window treatment.
Love this article, very informative. Great insight into expanding knowledge on kitchen window treatments. Thank you!
Thanks for such an interesting and inspiring article. I particularly liked the information on the double set tracks using both curtains and voiles. The Roman blinds were also equally as fabulous. Great info! Thanks
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Yes Sarah, always the kitchen is the heart of the home. We need to keep it clean and good looking. As we can’t change blinds or curtains for the kitchen on a regular basis, we need to choose the right window treatment for the kitchen. I will definitely consider your tips while choosing the best window treatments for our home.
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