Tips to spruce up your kitchen with window treatments

1. Keep it minimal. Strip away heavy treatments and replace with simple shades. One path to less fabric is using an upholstered cornice. It is a great way to still have fabric and color and some great detail at your windows without a lot of fabric.

2. Lighten Up.  Natural light in the kitchen is essential. Choose a shade that offers privacy and still allow plenty of light to enter the room.

 
3. Pick Current colors.  If your using fabric, make sure it is a comtemporary tone, terra cotta shades mixed with green are very "in". Blacks and golds. You can also mix cotton fabric prints, either within a treatment or coordinating a print in the valance or cornice with another print on the cushion seats or place mats.

If your kitchen is particularly tiny, then light, cool colors can make it look larger and brighter, while dark, warm colors can make an oversized kitchen more inviting.

4. Use Texture.  Another hot trend is Roman shades made of rattan, bamboo or other natural fibers. They add visual interest with their texture, but still roll or stack up smoothly like roman shades.

5. Soften Direct Light. Too much direct sunlight is also an issue in kitchens, since it makes it hot and unpleasant to work in. Choose a blind or shade that will filter the light without looking too heavy.

6. Consider Curves. There are typically lots of straight lines in the kitchen — the cabinets, the appliances, the counters —everything is straight or square, it's a good idea to add a window treatment with soft curves to open the space up, especially in a small kitchen.

Arching a valance is a good option, particularly over the sink. Other options include a curved cornice, a box-pleated valance with a curved line along the bottom, or a london roman shade.




Resources: http://www.hgtv.com/, http://www.hunterdouglas.com/. All photos from http://www.hgtv.com/

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