It’s surprising how often you see boring, bare windows in spectacular luxury kitchens. Kitchen curtains are just one of those things that many people don’t seem to take into account. They spend a lot of money renovating their kitchen with shiny new appliances, cabinets and dishes and then they forget about the windows.

Now, if you have a wonderful view of the garden, mountains, or coastline, you might be forgiven, but most windows, no matter how splendid the views, and most kitchen designs are best highlighted with the right curtains.

When it comes to window treatments for kitchens (or any room for that matter) there is no one style that fits all solutions for all windows. You have to match your curtains to the style of the room. Sometimes the window treatment is even the starting point for the style in the room! However, most kitchens benefit from casual style shades compared to those found in a living room or bedroom.

When selecting shades, think about the style you are going for with your kitchen.

Some kitchens are sleek and contemporary with lots of shiny surfaces and hard lines. Here I would choose very simple curtains with a modern abstract pattern, striped, modern checkered or plain fabric, or even go for the simplicity of roman or roller blinds.

Other kitchens have a more rural style with a lot of natural wood and with a kitchen like this one, plain fabrics in natural colors are great, as well as floral, cashmere or vichy prints.

Or perhaps you have opted for a retro-style kitchen and here it is important that the curtains fit with the period you have chosen. Look for pictures of the type of curtains that would be in use at the time. You’ll find plenty of kitchen images from the 1950s and ’60s to help, but maybe not as many from the Victorian era. Even if they didn’t tend to hang curtains in their kitchens in the Victorian period, check out the type of fabrics used in the home at the time and select something similar for your curtains to help continue the theme.

If your kitchen doesn’t have any of those themes, don’t despair. You can add style with your curtains. Choose a fabric you love for your curtains, keep it simple, and add plenty of design details to your kitchen by choosing key fabric colors when selecting kitchen accessories to display and use, such as chair cushions, towels, and dishes.