Here is the sink window - kitchen was almost done...

And the penninsula window....I need ideas!

Well, I am probably the wrong one to ask, because I am an absolute trim fanatic and personally I wouldn't want to cover over any of that pretty trim. Hence, I would only use something that fit inside the frame. In my house, i used custom plantation shutters, but perhaps those woven wood shades (matchstick blinds?) might add a touch more warmth as you get that wood color and texture. My shutters are painted white like my trim, so they look architectural.

Your kitchen is lovely, BTW!!

Inside mount linen soft roman shades with navy blue tape trim!

These are in my closet over a window seat with blue and white fabric on it--I thought, "Gee, she needs my shades in there." (-:

I also have some with gray velvet ribbon trim, which would also look nice in your kitchen and doesn't commit you to blue long-term:

This post was edited by shanghaimom on Wed, Nov 13, 13 at 15:23

I second the vote for soft roman shades.
Can you share your cabinet color, granite and backsplash?

Great ideas! Can't wait to get home and see the image you attached, shanghaimom! my office firewall blocks photobucket ..grrr.

Ellendi, my cabinetry and trim is Dove White, my granite is White Ice and my backslash is subway tile called greystone - it's a khaki/gray.

With soft roman shades, can I keep them up so I still get natural sunlight? How much of the window will be covered at all times?

Rebecca, here is a photoshopped pic. Mine are not pulled up all the way, and this photo is from a 70" tall window, so yours would not have so much fabric. They can be pulled up to about 6" of window coverage-very little. Even less on the kitchen window.

What about cafe curtains on the bottom half of the windows...would add color and texture as well as privacy if you need it.

I love the shades ShanghaiMom posted. Those are gorgeous. Are they custom????? Inquiring minds want to know!

I should mention that my kitchen is open to my dining area, where I have Pottery Barn natural linen drapes. Do they have to coordinate since the rooms connect or is there a enough of a separation of rooms/functions?

Hi Rebeccamom -- beautiful kitchen!

I can understand why you would want a bit of privacy.
Looking out naked windows into the blackness of a winter night is not cozy.

I love shanghaimom's idea for roman shades.

If you want to have more light and show more window when the roman shades are in the "up" position you could consider an outside mount mounted closer to the ceiling.

Sorry meant to post this one...shows drapes better...

I am not a fan of naked windows in general. The kitchen should coordinate with the dining area, but that doesn't mean match. They could be different fabrics, style, color, but just that they should look good together if they were near each other. Your PB drapes are so neutral that they'd go with almost anything.

The roman shades would work nicely...I'd consider making them out of a print that includes the beige and the blue-gray in the walls.

Love, love shanghaimom's romans!!! They will look fab. I might do an outside mount, mounted closer to the ceiling. If you do that, with a soft roman, it has the potential to not block any of your window when up all the way.

I just ordered romans for my living room. I love the way the soft roman looks, but it was significantly more $, since there is a fold every 6". I went with a flat (fold every 10"). But the soft roman is divine. I think the burlap will coordinate nicely with your existing curtains and the navy tape trim will tie in so well.

I like the burlap roman shades too! Nice way to add both a bit of natural texture and warmth to a kitchen.

Oh wow, shanghaimom - it's like those romans were made for me! I wish I had photoshop skills like that. Thanks for making that visual for me - so neat! Now I need the details - where did you get them?? Custom? Gulp - not sure I have the budget for that. Smith and noble? Also, you mentioned they are also over a window seat with fabric? Can I see the fabric you went with? I spent hours - no days - searching for the perfect pattern for my seat cushion but everything with a pattern just looked too busy with my granite. I went with a basic Navy (sunbrella) to take a beating from my 3 kiddos. I figured I could always swap out the throw pillows much more easily than the custom made cushion seat.

Rebeccamom, I would mount close to the ceiling on the sink window to give the illusion of a taller window and cover as little of the window as possible. With the others, the way the they're trimmed out could make an outside mount awkward. And all that beautiful expensive trim should not be covered up!

Motherof3sons, I purchased this slubby "linen" at Hancock fabrics. It is a cotton/poly blend which behaves a bit better than linen for this particular style of shade. I found both ribbon trims at M&J online. A local person did the labor for me.

I love this kitchen AND dining area! Both ultracharming and sophisticated. I hope you'll show a peek of the rest sometime!! Beautiful remodel job.

Oh wow, shanghaimom - it's like those romans were made for me! I wish I had photoshop skills like that. Thanks for making that visual for me - so neat! Now I need the details - where did you get them?? Custom? Gulp - not sure I have the budget for that. Smith and noble? Also, you mentioned they are also over a window seat with fabric? Can I see the fabric you went with? I spent hours - no days - searching for the perfect pattern for my seat cushion but everything with a pattern just looked too busy with my granite. I went with a basic Navy (sunbrella) to take a beating from my 3 kiddos. I figured I could always swap out the throw pillows much more easily than the custom made cushion seat.

I think we posted at the exact same moment.

Here's the blue and white fabric on my windowseat I love Chinoiseirie, and think it goes with everything in a traditional home! Not everyone's cup of tea. To me, even though its punchy, it is still somehow neutral. I also found this at Hancock--it is a lower-end Robert Allen--not Schumacher, not Brunschwig & Fils...cheap!

Might not be everyone's cup of tea - but it makes me want to curl up on it and have a cup of tea! Love it. Love your taste. I was readying a DIY blog on making my own no- sew burlap tie-up valances with burlap and ribbon - might mock one up since I have burlap at home - to see what I think. Here was my last burlap project..

I'm in love with shangaimom's shades and I want you to have them !!! they are perfect for your space, not too much and just enough.

I think burlap would be too rustic for your pretty kitchen.

Beautiful kitchen. The shades that shanghaimom would be perfect in your room!

shanghaimom do you remember the name of your fabric? I love your shades, I am looking for something similar to go in my family room. Also, how do they look lowered?

Thanks!

Okay - so I know this isn't as perfect and fabulous as shanghaimoms shades - but they cost be about $5 to make in 10 minutes just now with burlap, a hot glue gun and some ribbon. Thoughts? Too rustic?

And here is it side by side: Dressed on the left - naked on the right...

Nice for the time spent, but the overall look to me is too rustic and too bulky...I'm thinking something smaller and more finished...

SHanghaimom or anyone: Do you raise and lower your roman blinds on a daily basis? Do the folds require touching, fussing, fixing? How do you like your Romans lowered? I like roman blinds but I think I only like them in the raised position.

Maybe just some simple wood roman shades? Shown here on the french doors.

[Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Charlotte Interior Designers & Decorators Carolina Design Associates, LLC

Lordy that's a gorgeous kitchen, Aktillery! So now that I'm seeing the burlap tie-ups in the morning sunlight, the fabric is surprisingly sheer and sun shines right through it. For under $6 a pop, I'm inclined to give them a whirl. I can easily swap out the tie-up ribbons with a sheer white ribbon in the summer months for a lighter look. shanghaimom - what do you think?

Ratherbedewing - you'd be ashamed of me. I don't sew a stich - the tie ups I made were hot glued over the tension rods :) I do have more traditional white romans in my sunroom - 9 of them actually and I only ever lower them when my parents visit and they sleep on the queen/pullout couch in there. I much prefer them raised. Mine are pretty flat and lower like a roller shade, so no fussing necessary because they are string free - but I like as such much natural sunlight as possible and I have plenty of privacy in my yard so that's not an issue for me.

I had roman shades I made at the old house and they raised and lowered very easily and held the pleats well. No fussing at all. But I selected a fabric with nice body to it. I'm not sure how much training would be required with some fabrics.

I think the issue with the burlap above is it's too stiff and is not folding nicely so it's too much bulk. If you really want burlap, then don't go for a folded valance but a flat one, maybe shape the bottom or maybe print something on the burlap (like the pillow) so it lets the burlap be what it is.

I struggled with the valance in my bkfst nook as I wanted it to pleat but the fabric kept telling me no. So I had to honor the fabric with a flat treatment and ended up with mock hobbled roman shades as that's the way the fabric wanted to fold.

Some of you may be unhappy that I didn't do an inside mount, but I wanted the muntins to show. If I did an inside mount, it would've covered them.

I do raise and lower my shades every day because some are in a closet/dressing area and some are in our master bath. Third floor, but it is still disconcerting to get undressed in front of black wide windows! The fabric has perfect "pleat memory"--I never have to fuss or adjust. I did NOT do continuous loop--I have that on some others and it is slow and annoying.

snbtwins, I'm sorry I don't remember the name of the fabric. It is the only oatmeal-colored "linen" Hancock keeps in stock--they usually have two or three rolls on the big roller dowels.

The shades look really nice when they're down. I think the trim keeps them from looking like big ugly rectangles. They maintain the pretty "droop" at the bottom when closed. For me, that droop is important and is what makes "soft" Romans look so much different than straight ones.

Rebeccamom--you opened with saying you appreciate the honest opinions on this forum, so here ya go:

Sometimes ten minutes and a glue gun looks like...ten minutes and a glue gun!!

Seriously, your kitchen is waaaay too nice for a craft project on the windows. They look perfectly lovely with no treatment at all.

This post was edited by shanghaimom on Thu, Nov 14, 13 at 16:03

I agree with shanghaimom. While the burlap treatments are "fun", I would rather naked until you save $ for the roman shades. My living room has been waiting 8 months for window coverings but I know it will have been worth it in the end!

Ha, thanks for the honest opinion, I appreciate your candor! Okay, so it looks like I'm back to naked for awhile until I can get motivated to go look at real fabrics to recreate your shades ;) Thanks all for sharing your ideas and options, I got exactly what I asked for and that's why I love this forum.

If only the fireplace forum was as responsive as you all. been waiting for 24 hours on a question and not one response/comment. *sigh*

No help but just wanted to say that you have a lovely home!

I think the burlap is very cute for what it is, considering the cost and time spent. Plus it's commitment-free. It would be the perfect look for "Burlap Night." :) But, your windows are gorgeous. If I had them I would leave them completely naked so their entire awesomeness can be seen.

Thanks anele and Linelle! As a full-time working mother of three, sometimes I feel like I get no appreciation ..;) it's awfully nice to hear such kind words about my home!

As a full-time working mother of three, sometimes I feel like I get no appreciation ..;)

I think that's the case for many of us. It's not that we're not appreciated, but it's not expressed as often as it should be. I'm telling you, I get more appreciation for my kitchen in this forum from a bunch of strangers than real-life people I know.

Ok, so I see that your same post over on the kitchen forum has lots of burlap+glue gun admirers!! Now I feel like I might have hurt your feelings about your project. If so, I'm truly sorry!! Everything about your kitchen and dining room is total perfection, and the burlap just didn't seem to quite fit the bill. For ME. I wasn't trying to be a downer--just giving my opinion-but I sense a collective "ouch" so I was probably too blunt.

The roman shades can be made by someone on ETSY for considerably less than places like Smith + Noble. (Always sticker shock, there.) Like, around $200. You can find your own fabric at fabric.com or Tonic Living for $10-15 per yard. I did a lot of investigating after sticker shock at Restoration Hardware and Smith and Noble. They can be has for much less, AND customized with the pretty ribbon trim.

Best Wishes to you!!

Nonsense, Shanghaimom. No feelings were hurt! I cross-posted originally because my first post in kitchens got nada - then both threads got going. No lack of opinions on here;) Thanks for all the feedback, and kind words.