 No longer are the days when the rustic kitchen is only a place for women to toil over a hot wood burning stove, while the family sits and waits to hear, “Come and get it!” Or where empty flour sacks are hand sewn and turned into crudely made coverings for a single kitchen window. Those days are long past.
Today, your kitchen plays just as important a role as any other room in your home. Family and friends gather in your kitchen to help create beautiful masterpieces of culinary pleasure. You take care to decorate your kitchen in various themes that inspire your creativity and choosing the correct window treatment is just as important as any other aspect of decorating. When you select kitchen curtains, it is a way of expressing your personality. If you are changing your décor or just updating the current look in your kitchen, you have vast possibilities to express yourself.
First, consider the theme of your kitchen. Does it have a theme? Are you trying to incorporate something such as fruit, chili peppers or cows? Or are you creating more of a color oriented room in varying shades of yellow or green, for example? Browse through decorating magazines or go on line to see how others have dressed their kitchen windows. When you see something that appeals to you, make a mental note of it. Also, spending time in the home décor area of your local department store is making good use of your time. Knowing what’s available before attempting to buy will help you make the best possible choice for your windows.
Secondly, what kind of window treatment do you like? Do you like a window that lets in sunshine or do you prefer a window that is covered in drapes? Do you like wooden shutters or do you lean more towards the use of mini blinds? Do you prefer sheers or like the look of a simple valance? Do bright colors appeal to you or are you more comfortable with a soft color? These questions will provide the answers you are looking for in selecting kitchen curtains.
Draperies come in multiple fabrics and in various colors and thicknesses. They can block out the light completely or just darken the room. When purchasing draperies, be sure you have the measurements of your window. To make your room seem like it has larger windows, purchase draperies that are floor length. When installing, draperies can be placed on a decorative rod that is both stylish and functional and show off the end pieces or they may be attached with small hooks on a drapery rod and then pulled open and closed with a cord. Sometimes people use sheers to go under the drapery for additional window coverage. This window treatment is very cost effective.
Wooden shutters are a wonderful way to add class to your kitchen. They can be opened and closed as desired and can be purchased in a wood that matches the other woodwork in your home. It may be best to order these through a reputable home improvement store which will also come to your home and install them.
Mini blinds have replaced the vertical blinds of a decade or two ago. They are one of the most popular ways to cover your windows. Careful measurements should be taken before purchasing. If your windows are an unusual size, you may order the exact size you need to fit your window. There are many stock sizes that may be purchased off the store shelf. Mini blinds are easy to install and may be placed inside the actual window measurement. This is good if your window is adorned with pretty woodwork. Mini blinds come in varying slat sizes and are made of materials such as plastic, wood and aluminum.
Another wonderful way to dress your window is by using a valance over the top. Valances give your room a light and airy feeling. It’s a simple way to make your windows seem finished without totally blocking out the outdoors. There are many fabric types and patterns and a variety of colors from which to choose. Puffy valances may be stuffed with bunches of tissue paper to add fullness and sheers may be placed underneath for a more creative look.
Something that should be considered when choosing a window treatment is the direction your room faces in the hottest part of the day. If you have an abundance of sun, you may want to opt for a window treatment that can block it. This not only helps to create a better environment in your room, it protects your carpeting and furniture from the bright sun. Curtains that block sun will also cut down on your air conditioning cost in summer and heating bill in winter. And who wouldn’t like to save a few extra dollars!
Privacy is another issue. If you live in the country, there may be no need to worry about privacy and using an open type of window treatment would allow the beautiful outdoors to seems as if it is framed by the window itself. It’s very refreshing to look through your window and see the beautiful shades and color hues of plants, trees and flowers. However, if you live in the crowded city, you may want to select a window treatment that can be closed in order to maintain your privacy. This type of privacy window treatment will allow you to control when you want to invite the world into your home and when you want to isolate yourself.
Your kitchen is an honored place in your home. Selecting kitchen curtains or other types of window treatments will give your kitchen a personality of its own. Be sure to place your new window treatment on a window that is sparkling clean both inside and out. Even if your kitchen doesn’t resemble something out of Better Homes and Gardens, you can be happy with the way in which you’ve dressed your kitchen windows because it is something that pleases you. Looking back to the days of flour sack curtains, will definitely make you appreciate the choices that are available to you today.
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