Window furnishings to complement your kitchen

While choosing the right window furnishings in a kitchen renovation involves more than selecting a sizzling style, a number of factors could impact on your design. Discover how you can make the most of your choices.

Choosing durable window furnishings

The kitchen is subjected to combinations of moisture, heat, steam, smoke and splatters, so it's important to consider design materials that are hard wearing and easily cleaned. Privacy, light control, kitchen layouts, budget and lifestyle are other important factors.

Interior designer Fay Cooper, of Cooper Robinson Interiors, favours shutters or timber venetian blinds in the kitchen. "Timber shutters or venetians, usually in cedar or basswood, are stylish and durable," she says.

"They can be painted with a hardened two-pak finish to match your decor, stained with a wooden finish or colour-matched to a window frame.

“Metal venetians are another good option for the price conscious, and all can be easily dusted or wiped clean."

Kitchen shutters for controlled light

Shutters involve adjustable slats within a frame, and the top and bottom sections can often be divided in two for controlled light and privacy. "Shutters are streamlined and easy to clean," she explains. "The style of shutter is dictated by the window design, with framework taken into account."

Implementing privacy in the kitchen design

If privacy is a high priority, shutters, timber or metal venetians or UV sunscreen blinds teamed with a block-out rollerblind (with a dual bracket system) are good solutions.

Stiffened sheer rollerblinds offer an alternative to UV kitchen blinds, but they are more difficult to clean. A benefit of using roman blinds in an open-plan kitchen is that a blind over a sink can be co-ordinated with a curtain or blind in the living area.

Avoiding kitchen cafe curtains

Cafe curtains are definitely 'out' in terms of both style and function. "We don't suggest curtains over a sink area," Fay says. "They get splashed and cooking residue settles on fabrics."

Furnishings and suitability

Curtains aside, most style furnishings are fairly streamlined and adaptable to period or modern kitchen designs. The different bases available for rollerblinds make them a versatile option. For example, those with a narrow metal base-rail can be matched to stainless steel appliances or other blinds.

Chains make operation easy, but care needs to be taken with cleaning. In terms of colour, Fay says white or neutrals are popular. "There are some excellent neutral colours, including white, latte, chocolate and charcoal, for rollerblinds."

Paying for quality finishes

However, it's not worth skimping on price. "To an unsuspecting buyer, some blinds may look similar, but the mechanism and finish on cheap furnishings is inferior," Fay warns.

"Loose fittings, rough edges, off-centred operating bars and squeaky shutters are some of the things that can go wrong. It's best to go to a reputable company, ask the relevant questions and view their working samples before making any decisions on window furnishings."

Maximise your kitchen renovation with the right window furnishings by talking with a local professional: