I think we are going with a up/down shade *in* the windows. Obviously that is only an option if you are replacing the windows. I've never been a fan of most functional kitchen window coverings as they are a PITA to clean.

I might be the wrong one to give suggestions as we have NO window coverings on any of the common area windows. I just couldn't justify it, knowing we would replace the windows in different configurations. Of course I didn't think it would take 6 years to renovate.....

Thank you for posting this! I was trying to think of what I'll want on my windows as well. I'll want to close at least the bottom half of the windows off from the outside world (facing street situation). I'll have a double hung window over the sink and on the same wall 5' away I'll have a casement window and the wall perpendicular to that will have (2) 4' wide casement windows, and then perpendicular to that is the back door to the deck that is 2/3's glass.

So I'll have a far amount of window treatments in the room and I want to leave as much of the windows open as possible to let in the natural light (sink wall faces East, the wall of windows faces south and the door wall is to the West). But I do want to have the bottom half of the windows closed off, or at least have the ability to close it off.

I'll probably end up with something like this (note this is just a picture I picked off a google search, I'm not doing a fluorescent yellow kitchen) :)

I really hope someone can show me some alternative window treatments. I thought about shutters over the bottom half of the windows but the eat in kitchen (hopefully banquette style seating) is going to be where the casement style windows are and I think the shutters would be a pain in the neck plus DH doesn't really like them.

Wow $1000.00 for 3 Roman shades! I am a Drapery fabricator and I have a friend who is also and we have never heard of such an exhorbitant price. Unless you can find someone to make them a lot cheaper I would opt for the bamboo shades.

thanks pip for the thread - I just got thru this process, I am embarrassed to say it was probably the toughest decision I made during my remodel (certainly not the most important one, but the hardest for me to make a decision). My kitchen opens to a small family room so I wanted the treatments to be the same. I also looked at Roman Shades and was quoted the same range as you were.

I ended up with bamboo blinds because they are so neutral and I like the added texture (but they were still pricey as I had to go thru a designer bc of sizing) - they are actually being installed tomorrow so I will post a pic as soon as they go up. I am not sure I will like them, which is nerve wracking after all of my hand wringing....

Yeah, I thought $1,000 for three shades was ridiculous. Of course, this quote was through my GC so who knows how much he marked it up.

laurainlincoln, I look forward to seeing your shades because we also have Madre Perla counters and somewhat similar tones in our kitchen to yours. I found quite a selection of bamboo shades on Overstock.com, but of course our windows are odd sizes so none of the standard-sized shades will fit.

This a really good question! All the model homes seem to have no window coverings and obviously most people can't do that. I've been in denial on the subject because it is tricky. I will be interesed in other's solutions. Thanks.

One thing you should know: Anything custom is hugely expensive today. I am installing window treatments throughout my first floor next week (supposedly). I could have bought a low-end car instead. I am not kidding.

Upstairs I used Smith + Noble. They are not cheap, and frankly they are not as high quality or interesting as they used to be. Apparently they were bought/reorged/downsized/sold the CEO into mine slavery or something. However, for pure custom, they were definitely more affordable. And I bring them up specifically because they offer top down/bottom up Roman shades. You can lower the shade from the top, or cover the bottom and leave the top open, except for a small valance. This is really useful if you want to preserve light while protecting your privacy.

If you don't want straight shades alone, one good modern look is a valance with a shade. I tried to Google an image for you, but even looking at window treatments online is suicide-inducing.

You might want to try IKEA because they have a decent number of options and they are affordable. No one will know what you paid, lol.

I'm happy with the Roman shades that were made to fit our windows from Penney's. They carry several lines from known companies. Sales are frequent. I think I got ours at 50-60% off retail. When they came, we had our contractor install them (didn't take long).

Roman shades don't require very fancy sewing skills, just good measuring and patience and a large working surface for layout and pinning. If you have more will than budget, you can make them yourself for the cost of yardage and the rings, ring hooks, tapes, and cords. You will also appreciate velcro, a staple gun, and a few hunks of wood cut to the right sizes and a weight rod for bottom of each shade. Get a good book from the library, perhaps two or three, since they usually break down the steps differently. There may also be a pamphlet of directions at the fabric store. If you spend more than $50 per shade, you're having too much fun.

"Drapery" fabric costs more than fabrics in the regular part of the store. Now that Scotchguard is no longer sold, you don't gain a lot by buying in the drapery dept. except that drapery fabrics are 60 wide, are designed to be seen from a distance and are planned with interior decoration colors in them. Unless you want the drape to admit filtered light, be sure to use a good sturdy drapery lining--this will extend the life of the fabrics by blocking sun that can rot fabric.

Personally, I'm going to make my next roman shades from two Marimekko tablecloths from Crate and Barrel. Lots of choices there, even in the "Clearance" section of the website.

Once you get to the point of fabric fading or you need a new look, you can buy another fabric, use the old curtain as a prototype, and recycle the rings and tapes if you need to.

Don't try to get too tricky on your first roman shade project. Just buy fabric that you really like and can afford. You can make Victorian balloon shades with overlaid fringe trims on your second go-round. The more trims you put on the face of the shade, the more you complicate the folds. Best to start with simple design.

If you plan to wash your own romans once or twice a year, be sure to prewash fabric sternly and dry it just in same way as you plan to dry the shade (I dry in open air, never a dryer). When you wash made-up flat panel romans, just untie the knots at bottom of panel and leave the cords strung up. This is sadder but wiser Florantha telling you this--the stringing of the romans is my least favorite part of the project and if I have to restring them, it's a week of adjusting and readjusting knots afterwards if I don't plan ahead.

Fabric is the single simplest way to make a change in a kitchen and it allows countless ways to add or subtract "personality" in an interior design.

I have the same issue with my kitchen windows. I thin I am going to get cafe style plantation shutters. Though, I do like the one photo of the cafe drapes. They would have less maintenance and might even allow more light into the space. But, my dining room window is in the front too, so I would have to match it to the kitchen and I don't think cafe drapes are dressy enough for my dining room.

Hope we get more responses/ideas

Thanks, Florantha, for the encouragement about making Roman shades at home. A friend of mine made them and said they "weren't bad". You can do a lot of experimenting with 1K! You can even hire your own willing random seamstress and bend two heads to the task instead of one.

My former neighbor was a "window treatment designer". I love the guy and miss him terribly, but he was also a bs artiste extraordinaire. (When someone started pulling an insurance stunt on me I was lucky to have instinctively called him straight away -- takes one to know one.)

I used 2" Bamboo blinds in the kitchen. They operate like a wood blind, but the bamboo allows more light in. With a roman shade or roll up you are either fully open or closed. The blinds give you different levels of privacy and light easily.

Mine are from Lowe's but they don't carry them now. The ones linked below might be similar, but it's hard to see the texture. The texture should be like a bamboo roman shade only in a 2" blind slat.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bamboo 2

Curtains! They have everything going for them except that they haven't been overused to death for the past 20 years. Go look for kitchens in expensive decorating magazines. You'll see who have been using them all along.

Okay, mine were installed on Saturday and I am pretty happy with them considering how terrible I thought they would be (normally, I am a total optimist) - the coloring looks a little weird (peachy) in the photos, but they are very neutral and give some warmth to the space. They are easy to operated and I do like the clean lines. The kithcen is all one shade and the family room is three shades but they operate with one cord.

It is very cozy at night to have them all down. We went outside mount to maximize light and although they cover the chunky trim that I love, I would rather have the light. Hope this helps someone else - window treatments are BRUTAL.

I'm not sure if all bamboo blinds are the same but mine resemble the ones that you show in your 1st post. If you are needing privacy you should know that at night with the lights on they are pretty transparant.

Love love love it. Especially adore that cozy family room. love the browns and whites. And some snow to really set the stage. Bamboo shades are favorites of mine. Great choice.