Kitchens are the hub where we get food, laughter, and inspiration. They’re the place that reinvigorates us after a long day and the launchpad that sends us into our mornings. Coffee hits cups. Cabinets bang open and shut. And sunlight streams through our windows.
Designing the right kind of kitchen in St. Petersburg FL kitchen means getting the right kind of window treatments. Kitchens usually play with a lot of artificial and natural light, and contain a lot of noise and small objects. We’ll keep these things in mind while we consider some St. Petersburg FL window treatment options.
Initial Considerations
Cabinets
The biggest piece of your entire kitchen, and the origin of most of the color and tone, is the cabinets. If you have lighter, honey colored cabinets the house will have a rustic, mid-century modern, or woodshop kind of feel. Darker wooden cabinets create a little more class and less play, unless you have accented the kitchen with bright colors, in which case the darker wooden cabinets will have quite a bit of play.
Remember that black or white cabinets can pair with almost any color, but you are in danger of making the window treatment stand out in a bad way. If you go with a red curtain and have no wooden cabinets or colored cabinets to take the edge off of the red, the cabinets can end up framing your kitchen windows.
Counter and Appliances
Step back into your kitchen and take a look at the counter and appliances. No, not after you’ve cleaned up the counters. The way that your counter looks right now is probably a good estimation of the way that your counter usually looks. And that’s fine! Counters are meant to be used. Kitchens are meant to be lived in.
You don’t want to set up window treatments that look good with a kitchen that you don’t have. Build window treatments for a bold kitchen, for your kitchen. If the counter and appliances are cluttered with a lot of different things, you might want to get curtains that have a pattern to them. Look for a pull down shade or even simple side dressings that compliment the space. If you have a vibrant kitchen, with mugs of tea and pots left on the counter, then you’ll need a little activity on your window treatments to match the energy level. Empty, monochrome window skirts will not match the energy and will create a contrast that actually makes the kitchen feel noisier. Create harmony with a busy pattern.
Lighting
Do you often use your kitchen light? Well, I’m assuming that you use your kitchen light when you’re cooking, but do you often turn the light on when entertaining? If so, you may want to stay away from vibrant dressing colors. Kitchen lights, like bathroom lights, are created to use artificial light to help you get tasks done. In the bathroom, you’re checking your face. In the kitchen, you’re using a knife and maneuvering food around. You need bright light.
If, on the other hand, you get a great amount of natural light you can use the interplay within the natural and artificial light to illuminate the window treatment for the kitchen.
Vibes
Do you have a crowded kitchen? Is your kitchen mostly a space for you to create food? Is there a lot of coffee and tea? Do you often pour drinks for your friends? Is it a space that you eat in, listen to music in, dance around in, get business done in, dream in?
Remember that your kitchen window treatments will set the mood for all of these activities. Using a darker or lighter window treatment will communicate class and prestige. Using a lot of color will make it fun and vibrant. Textures and fabrics will make it feel like home, while thinks that are shinier or sleeker will make it feel like a space to explore yourself.
Bold Window Treatment Ideas
Yellow Shades
Canvas color shades are a great idea, but look for the ones that actually start from the bottom and can be raised to the top. The reverse shades will allow you the maximum amount of control over the kind of light that is getting into your kitchen.
If you want to go a little bit bolder, find something that plays to yellow or white as well. Yellow is an excellent kitchen color, always giving a sophisticated look that has a playful side. Yellow blends well with brown cabinets and flooring, and gives you a great match for the sunlight streaming throug the window.
Top Dressing
Kitchen windows usually get excellent light, and using a skirt at the top of the window that covers about the top ¼ or ⅓ can get some excellent play with the light. Putting dressing at the top frames and brings in your window.
Scalloped Valance
A scalloped valance is a top dressing that is bunched and hung at strategic spots. While it isn’t suitable for a good many kitchens, it can be a winner when it comes to a farmhouse or country kitchen. It can complete a rustic look with loosely draped fabric that accents the kind of light that the room gets.
Block Colored Shutters
While using white shutters in the kitchen won’t exactly turn any heads or build a bold kitchen, using a solid color that isn’t white might do the trick. Green or sky blue shutters could be a bit tacky in many places, but with the right modern design and a minimalistic kitchen, they could be the focal point that brings everything together. Green shutters would play well with a largely neutral kitchenscape, working with any plants. Blue shutters might work with darker cabinets and silver appliances.
Patterned Shades
Shades that drop from the top with floral or paisley markings might be the perfect thing to bring your kitchen together. If your kitchen has a lot of bustle, light, and noise, shutters like this could bring things into harmony. Elect for a semi-translucent fabric to allow the kitchen to blend well with the outdoors.
