How to Choose Kitchen Curtains
Kitchen curtains are not purely functional – they are important in decorating your kitchen so it is essential to get them right if you want your kitchen to look good. If you want to find the right curtains you will probably have to shop online to get the best selection – but how do you choose wisely from the many options available? Here is a checklist of things to consider when choosing curtains for the kitchen…
1. Fabric
Curtains are available in all sorts of fabrics. Consider the thickness of the fabric – do you want a fine net, lace or voile (which may be OK if privacy is not an issue) or thicker cotton or linen / hemp curtains. See also the point on maintenance below as the fabric choice may determine whether curtains are washable. Cotton seems to be most suitable fabric for kitchens as it is easy to care for and has a light airy feel.
Apple green kitchen curtains
2. Color
Do you have a general color theme in mind for your kitchen? This may already be set in stone with the color of tiles you have chosen. If you have picked neutral tiles they will still be predominantly warm or cool colors and you need your curtains to stay in tune with this. By cool neutral tile colors I mean colors such as black, cool gray, pure white, silver. Warm neutral shades would be terracotta, cream or beige
3. Design
You will find all kinds of patterns and designs in fabric kitchen curtains from floral, to novelty, striped and plaid as well as many abstract patterns. Consider what is suitable for the look you have in mind. What style are you hoping to achieve for your kitchen? Contemporary or retro? City apartment or Country cottage look? Colorful or monochrome? Do the curtains fit in with your general theme?
4. Type of Curtain
Curtains for kitchens may be full length, window length or cafe type curtains and they can have many different types of headings as well as various valances and tie backs. The more contemporary the look, the simpler the curtains should be with plain headings or tab tops. A country look is better able to take frills and valances – though you may find you prefer a simpler look to make washing and re-hanging easier. To get help with the type of curtains to choose, browse some online sites and look at some pictures imagining each type of curtain in your kitchen to think about the general effect.
5. Price
Are the curtains within your budget? Are they reasonably priced for the quality of the curtains?
6. Maintenance
Are the curtains washable? You will find that you have to wash kitchen window curtains more than other curtains in your home so it helps if you can pop them in the washing machine unless they are very fine and they are hand washable. Sometimes curtains shrink a little when washed. Check whether fabric has been pre-shrunk and if not make allowance for this in the measurements.
7. Decorative or Functional
Are your curtains meant to frame the window nicely and add a decorative touch and nothing else or do you need to open and close them. This will affect they type (and size) of kitchen curtain you buy. If you don’t need so much fabric you may be able to choose something stunning.
8. Right Size
Be sure to get the right size of curtains for your windows. It’s more practical to have short window length curtains near food preparation and cooking areas and this also suits the informal nature of a kitchen.
If you want to increase the amount of light allowed into your kitchen while still framing your windows, extend the curtain rods, rails or poles a little beyond the edge of the windows so that you see as much light as possible when the curtains are drawn back.
9. Safety
Make sure there is no chance of fabric curtains catching fire. If you have a window near a cooker, a simple roller blind or roman blinds would be a safer option.
10. Ready-made or Custom
Ready made curtains in standard sizes tend to be cheaper but many online stores will make kitchen curtains to suit your measurements if you have non-standard windows.
Cheap Kitchen Curtains
If you are looking to buy cheap kitchen curtains that are both low in price and high in quality you will find many options here. The secret is to buy cheap curtains which don’t actually look as if they are cheap because it will not improve your home or enhance your kitchen if you buy low quality curtains at a low price. That is no bargain at all.
1. Look Online
The first place to look for curtains, whether it is cheap cafe curtains or another style of kitchen curtain you have in mind, is on the web. You will find thousands of examples of kitchen curtains for all levels of budget on the Internet. As many sites compete with each other for your business, you will find even well known brand curtains such as Priscilla kitchen curtains at a discount online. These discount kitchen curtains are exactly the same as you might get in a store so you know you are getting value for money. Avoid, however, any curtains where you are not sure of the quality unless the site is well-known and has a good returns policy.
Priscilla Kitchen Curtains - 50% discount (Click Image for Details)
2. Shop for Kitchen Curtains at Sale Time
Most department and interior design stores will have quality kitchen curtains on sale at lower prices during special promotions. If you look for special reductions on end of range kitchen curtains you can do even better and find mark downs of as much as fifty percent off. As long as you only want the curtains and are not collecting a whole range of items with the same design, this should not matter to you at all and you can save a fortune.
3. Make Your Own Kitchen Curtains
If you are even slightly handy with a needle you can save a lot of money and have a unique yet cheap kitchen curtain or pair of curtain panels to hang at your windows by making your own (or persuading a friend or family member to make them for you). Making your own curtains means you can select any fabric you like and make them in a style which suits your kitchen. You can have them lined too, at little more than the cost of an unlined curtain – lining fabric being so cheap. To reduce fabric costs, you can make a tab top curtain as in that case, you don’t need much more fabric than the width of your kitchen window. And save even more money by using a remnant of fabric from the end of a roll, sold cheaply at the fabric store, rather than full price fabric.
Country Kitchen Curtains
If there’s one style of room that will really suffer for lack of kitchen curtains it’s a country style kitchen. Whereas contemporary kitchens with their shiny stainless steel surfaces and high gloss doors look fantastic with sleek blinds, something so simple will not do justice to a kitchen which is meant to be the heart of the country home (or at least look as if it is).
If you are looking for country kitchen curtains, don’t worry about finding what you need. You will be spoiled for choice as most designs of curtains for the kitchen are suitable for this style of room and they are the easiest type to find. Typical kitchen curtain fabric is adorned with all sorts of images that shout “country”.
You will find apple kitchen curtains which remind you of orchards and over-filled fruit bowls and you can find them to tone in with every color from the bright green granny smiths type apples which go with fresh bright shades to more rustic colors which are great with a natural colored room and wooden units.
Rooster kitchen curtains may not be for you but there's plenty of choice
You will find rooster kitchen curtains which remind you of a country farm yard and are very effective at extending the country theme. These are generally in natural and rustic colors too – great with your wooden cabinets and cream color scheme.
If you prefer curtains without images of fruit and farmyard you can evoke a country feeling by using very simple floral fabrics. Gingham kitchen curtains are a great choice too for this kind of kitchen.
If you prefer, you can make your own curtains with any suitable fabric. You should find many prints and patterns which will be suitable including the typical country farmyard and fruit images. Just make sure that the fabric you choose is washable. (Kitchen curtains attract grease and dirt from the steamy atmosphere of the kitchen and will need frequent laundering). Also wash and press the fabric before you make up the curtains. Cotton fabrics which are most suitable for kitchen curtains may be subject to shrinkage of up to 10%. If you wash the fabric (and any lining fabric you will use) future shrinkage will not cause a problem.
Although ruffled curtains and simple swag valances lend themselves well to the country look, do remember the requirement for frequent laundering and keep things fairly simple whether you make or buy your curtains.
One simple style of curtain suitable for the kitchen is the cafe style. Cafe curtains cover the lower half of the window allowing you to easily look out and enjoy a lot of natural light while affording you quite a bit of privacy. For a country kitchen choose a simple gingham or chintz floral fabric to stay in keeping with the theme. Large pictures of farmyard animals, sunflowers and fruit bowls don’t work so well with cafe style curtains.
As for colors, it is mainly natural tones which suit country kitchens – all shades of cream, green and yellow can work well depending on the color of your walls and cabinets. Yellow, I think, is especially good in a kitchen as it is found in every shade in nature from bright lemon yellow to dark mustard. My bright yellow kitchen curtains always remind me of sunshine and summer even on the blackest winter day in my north facing kitchen.
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