When envisioning your ideal kitchen design, your attention may naturally gravitate towards prominent elements such as cabinet colors, countertop surfaces, or the intricate patterns of your tile backsplash. While curtains often serve as a decorative finishing touch in other parts of the home, many homeowners tend to neglect dressing up their kitchen windows. Yet, the kitchen is often the heart of the household, where family members gather and spend quality time together. Therefore, why not adorn this space with a beautiful kitchen curtain to enhance its overall appeal?
According to Yvonne McFadden, an esteemed interior designer, windows in the kitchen offer more than just exceptional natural lighting. They present an opportunity to introduce soft textures and fabrics into a space primarily characterized by hard materials such as stone, tile, wood, and metal. To showcase how this can be accomplished, we reached out to interior designers and explored our extensive collection of kitchen designs, unearthing some of the most captivating kitchen curtain ideas. These solutions span the spectrum from long to short and from eye-catching to subtle, all serving the same purpose: providing a touch of light-blocking privacy to the kitchen while making a unique style statement of their own.
SWEET CAFE KITCHEN CURTAINS
Meet Mary Graham, an exceptional interior designer hailing from Salvesen Graham, a renowned firm based in the U.K. Her creative expertise shines in a remarkable kitchen design featuring a delightful palette of pastel-colored cabinetry. Amidst this vibrant spectrum of hues, Graham seizes a golden opportunity to introduce captivating cafe curtains that embody subtle prints, enhancing the kitchen’s aesthetic without overpowering the space. With an unwavering focus on maintaining harmony, Graham emphasizes the importance of these charming cafe curtains. They effortlessly strike a balance by infusing visual interest while seamlessly blending into the overall ambiance of the kitchen.
NEUTRAL BLINDS
Lorenzo Castillo, an esteemed designer featured on the ELLE DECOR A-List, possesses an unparalleled talent for artfully combining textures, patterns, colors, styles, and eras. In his exquisite Parisian apartment project, he skillfully incorporated a captivating ensemble of design elements. The presence of rattan blinds serves as a harmonious counterpart to the striking Lorenzo Castillo wallpaper, while the choice of Studio Green paint by Farrow & Ball on the cabinets adds an additional layer of depth and character to the space.
PATTERNED ROMAN SHADES
In search of a vibrant touch for this sleek, modern kitchen, Yvonne McFadden, an interior designer based in Atlanta, skillfully injected a burst of color. To achieve this, she introduced eye-catching Roman shades adorned in a captivating pattern, creating a perfect balance of softness and the desired infusion of color. As an additional treat, she incorporated an aged rug, lending a sense of texture while introducing more hues into the space. Furthermore, she tastefully arranged beautiful accessories on the countertop, contributing to the overall aesthetic and adding an extra dash of color.
BLUE-FRAMED BEAUTY
Nicole Salvesen, Graham’s collaborator at Salvesen Graham, injected vibrancy into a predominantly neutral kitchen through the use of striking fabrics for this particular endeavor. Seeking a harmonious blend of liveliness and enduring appeal, Salvesen expresses her fondness for the vivid and whimsical pattern showcased by the curtains in the dining nook. To accentuate the joyful blue hue even more, Salvesen took the extra step of painting the window trim, effectively establishing it as a captivating focal point.
PAINTERLY ROMAN SHADE
Oliver M. Furth, a renowned designer from Los Angeles, undertook the renovation of a delightful Beverly Hills apartment, skillfully blending the original 1930s charm with a modern urban touch. Within the kitchen, a hand-painted Roman shade steals the show, featuring a delightful eggplant fabric sourced from Porter Teleo. This exquisite choice harmonizes flawlessly with the plush upholstery of the barstools, creating a captivating visual ensemble.
PATTERNED ROMAN SHADE
If your kitchen boasts a monochromatic color scheme, why not introduce a touch of maximalism with a striking Roman shade? Opting for a patterned curtain can effortlessly elevate your minimalist cooking area. In this case, Graham and Salvesen made a deliberate choice to select a curtain adorned with an eye-catching pattern. This selection was specifically intended to create a vibrant contrast against the green walls, infusing the room with a delightful pop of color. Salvesen enthusiastically explains, “The curtain not only adds visual interest but also brings a fresh energy to the space.”
BREEZY WHITE CURTAINS
If you desire to enhance the allure of your all-white kitchen, contemplate introducing the gracefulness of kitchen curtains. Create an atmosphere of brightness and spaciousness by opting for cafe-length curtains that impeccably harmonize with the immaculate environment. McFadden skillfully embellished the area with exquisite kitchen curtains, employing a lightweight fabric in a delicate shade of white. These curtains artfully strike a harmonious balance between maintaining privacy and allowing a gentle, filtered infusion of sunlight, even when fully drawn during daylight hours. The utilization of such curtains, set against the backdrop of shiplap, instantaneously elevates the room, infusing it with an enchanting sophistication that transcends the ordinary. As a valuable tip, McFadden recommends the employment of indoor/outdoor fabrics for kitchen drapery, as they are renowned for their remarkable durability and effortless cleaning properties, rendering them an ideal choice for this bustling space.
MINI PRINTED CURTAINS
Shannon Eddings appreciates the appeal of a timeless cafe curtain design, which skillfully combines the benefits of abundant natural light and the assurance of privacy (no prying neighbors in sight!). In addition, she highlights the exceptional opportunity it presents to infuse the kitchen with vibrant splashes of color and captivating patterns. The kitchen, often lacking in textile warmth, finds a delightful solution in these curtains, offering a unique touch that transforms the space into a welcoming haven.
RATTAN BLIND
In a luxurious Manhattan apartment, the seventh-floor kitchen exudes an understated elegance. To ensure privacy without compromising its bright and airy atmosphere, a touch of sophistication was introduced by incorporating a minimalist rattan blind. This thoughtful design element, envisioned by the talented Lauren Buxbaum Gordon, flawlessly elevated the overall aesthetic of the space. Moreover, in conjunction with the kitchen curtains, the glossy white Daltile tile further enhances the room, creating an illusion of expanded dimensions.
BARELY-THERE DRAPES
In the heart of downtown Manhattan, this exceptional kitchen, skillfully adorned by the renowned interior designers Ashe Leandro from ELLE DECOR’s A-List, exudes a perfect fusion of style and functionality. Boasting generously sized windows, the space basks in an abundance of natural sunlight, resulting in a luminous and airy ambiance. To strike a balance between privacy and aesthetics, the designers have meticulously hung exquisite kitchen curtains that exude elegance. These curtains not only serve their practical purpose but also contribute significantly to the overall design of the room. Opting for a subtle, barely-there beige hue, they harness the sun’s radiant glow, seamlessly harmonizing with the prevailing black-and-white color scheme. The deliberate selection of these curtains showcases the designers’ meticulous attention to detail, ensuring a flawless integration of form and function within this remarkable kitchen space.
PINK STRIPED SHADE
Gary McBournie, an esteemed residential interior designer, possesses a unique decorating style that strikes a balance between tasteful restraint and an appreciation for vibrant hues and captivating designs. In this remarkable Beverly Hills residence, McBournie skillfully harmonizes elements, employing the understated elegance of Farrow & Ball paint to adorn the island. This choice seamlessly complements the bespoke pink striped shade fabric meticulously crafted by the talented Peter Fasano, creating a harmonious and visually captivating aesthetic.
LIGHT-FILTERING SHEERS
When it comes to enriching your kitchen’s aesthetic with curtains, finding the perfect equilibrium between abundant natural light, privacy, and a gentle touch is paramount. Anastasia Casey, the CEO, and founder of IDCO Studio, emphasizes the value of incorporating curtains into your kitchen decor to achieve this balance flawlessly. According to Casey, cafe curtains with their sheer quality act as exquisite light filters throughout the day, enveloping your kitchen in a subtle, luminous glow during breakfast and accentuating the captivating golden hour in the evening. To achieve optimal results, Casey advises selecting cafe curtains, preferably in half or three-quarter length, as they exude a more relaxed and informal atmosphere compared to traditional full-length draperies. By carefully choosing the right kitchen curtains, such as the plethora of stylish and functional options available, you can effortlessly elevate the overall ambiance of your culinary haven.
MINT MID-LENGTH CURTAINS
Sara Johnson, an acclaimed interior designer, highly values the inclusion of kitchen curtains as they bring a touch of gentleness to what would otherwise be a rigid and clinical environment. According to her, these curtains possess the remarkable ability to soften the overall aesthetic. In the context of this particular kitchen, the design choice was to incorporate full-length curtains positioned above the sink. This strategic placement serves a dual purpose: shielding the space from the intense afternoon sun and ensuring a cool and comfortable atmosphere during the summer months.
LOWER-CABINET CURTAINS
Within this historic residence, dating back to 1893, the kitchen underwent a remarkable renovation that expertly blended functionality and style. Conscious of the need for increased storage capacity while working around the existing baseboard heating system, photo stylist and producer Christine Hanlon skillfully combined practicality and sophistication. Introducing an ingenious solution, she chose to incorporate kitchen curtains, specifically elegant pleated ones, to discreetly conceal the lower kitchen cabinets. This innovative approach not only infused the space with a gentle touch of texture and design but also allowed for proper airflow. In this contemporary country home, the curtains serve a dual purpose, acting as both a decorative element and seamlessly fulfilling the vital storage requirements. The result is a harmonious integration of form and function in this beautifully transformed kitchen space.
CHECKED CURTAINS
To create a cozy and dimensional feel in a petite kitchen, Gainesville’s talented interior designer, Maggie Griffin, incorporated short drapery. The curtains not only bring a touch of softness but also add depth to the space. According to Griffin, the timeless check pattern was chosen, and the overall styling focused on simplicity with carefully selected, functional accessories.
FLOOR-LENGTH CURTAINS
For those with an open-concept kitchen, there’s a great opportunity to elevate the dining area by incorporating floor-length kitchen curtains. Take inspiration from the work of Elizabeth Krueger, a talented designer based in Chicago. In her design, the installation of floor-length curtains not only adds formality to the space but also emphasizes the impressive height of the window. Krueger expertly introduced a touch of warmth by utilizing darker hues such as black, green, and gold, which brought a captivating sense of drama to the area. This color scheme beautifully complements the skylight, creating a perfect harmony of elements in the space.