4 Things to Consider When Picking Kitchen Window Treatments

Kitchen window treatments are one of the few elements of softness and decoration in a functional space of utilitarian appliances and hard surfaces. Curtains and shades can deliver an injection of color, pattern, or texture while boosting privacy and controlling natural light. Because you use this hardworking space every day, it's essential to consider kitchen window treatments that suit your style and daily needs. Here are four things to consider when choosing treatments to give your kitchen a polished, personalized look.

How to Pick Kitchen Window Treatments

1. Choose Decorative Details

Kitchen window treatments serve as pretty accents in your workspace. In areas outside the work core, such as breakfast nooks, consider hanging floor-length curtain panels, which offer big doses of color and pattern when they flank a large bay window or a set of sliding doors. On a smaller scale, a colorful swag draped over a single window can also make a bright statement. Roman and roller shades reveal texture and pattern when they're lowered, and stationary valances and cornices highlight windows where you want to draw attention.

For the most decorative effect, choose fabrics with eye-catching colors and designs, and have fun with trims, tassels, fringe, or bold banding to give your treatments a finished look.

2. Add Privacy

Kitchen window treatments might not seem necessary until you realize the neighbors can see straight into your breakfast nook. For temporary privacy issues, such as when you're dressed in your favorite fluffy robe while reading the Sunday paper, consider quick-draw curtains, blinds, or shutters, which close at the tilt of a wand. For consistent privacy needs, look for screening materials that let you see out and allow some daylight to pass through while blocking outsiders' views. Try cellular shades and roller shades made from translucent or woven materials, cafe curtains on the lower half of tall windows, or hang sheer fabric curtain panels.

3. Increase Light Control

Sunlight, particularly UVA and UVB rays, can be damaging. Direct, harsh sunshine can raise interior temperatures, fade wood floors and dull cabinet finishes, dry out leather, and wash out fabrics. To protect your space from too much sun, look for kitchen window treatments that advertise protection. Many sheer treatments, such as cellular and solar shades, will disclose how much UVA and UVB rays they screen while still allowing in light.

For complete light control, choose an opaque window treatment, such as blackout shades or curtains that are lined with a light-prohibiting layer. When closed, the slats of shutters and blinds (often made from wood, vinyl, or metal) can also block the sun's rays. For added protection, consider adding sun-filtering protection to the windows themselves. Install new ones with a low-E coating, or line old windowpanes with an adhesive or static-cling film.

4. Consider Cleanability

Keeping kitchen window treatments clean is a must. Anything near a stove or sink will soak up splatters and odors from foods, cooking oils, dishwater, and more. The material makes all the difference in how easy it is to maintain your treatments. For example, you can launder and rehang most fabric valances and curtains, and vinyl blinds, solar shades, and shutters can be wiped down with soapy water. But it gets more tedious when it comes to washing real wood blinds, which must be cleaned with wood cleaner.

Elaborate fabric treatments, such as Roman shades or any panel with lining and trim, typically need to be dry-cleaned. Cellular shades should only be kept dust-free with vacuuming, so install these in areas far from potential splatters or spills, possibly in a breakfast nook.

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