As the heart of the home, a place where you cook and friends and family gather together to eat, relax and socialize, you want every aspect of your kitchen to feel inviting and beautifully styled. The kitchen is often seen as one of the more functional and practical areas of the home, with window treatment ideas not always on the top of the list of priorities when planning a new kitchen. However, in this busy workspace, your kitchen windows can provide an area where you can further express your personal style, and bring in inviting texture, color and eye-catching decorative features.
Kitchen window ideas
For designs that offer practical privacy as well as beautiful decoration, from artistic blinds and soft sheers, to innovative ideas for furniture and accessory placements around your windows, explore our collection of kitchen window ideas below.
1. Pick a subtle and simple design
In this vibrant, colorful kitchen, defined by an uplifting primary color palette, the small window has been dressed with a cream Roman blind. Keeping things subtle and simple, the blind adds softness and texture to the space, but elegantly blends in with the cream painted walls. A stylish example of what do you put on a small kitchen window? The neutral blind allows for the focus to be drawn to the other, colorful features in the room, with the window enhanced instead through a collection of decorative ornaments and a botanical display placed on the ledge. There are limited areas in the kitchen were you can use upholstery and soft furnishings, and window blind ideas are a great way to introduce inviting texture to the space.
2. Keep practicality in mind
In this cozy green kitchen by Sarah Vanrenen of Vanrenen GW Designs (opens in new tab), she states of the design, ‘we chose this striped fabric because the colors were so perfect, it’s also not a regimented stripe making it much softer. Blinds were also used here because they are above a work surface, so are a much more practical option.’ The kitchen is one of the busiest rooms in the home, and you want it to both look good but also embody a functional design that can withstand the demands of the space. Natasha Painter, head of marketing at Blinds2Go (opens in new tab) states, ‘kitchens can be full of moisture and humidity so you need to choose your window treatment carefully. Polyester or polyester mix fabrics, are a great choice as they are resistant to damp and humid conditions.’ With many windows in the kitchen positioned above kitchen countertops, stoves and sinks, where there will be water, food preparation and mess from your culinary creations, ensure you spend time choosing the right material and design for above these spaces - long curtains do not bode well!
3. Think outside the box with your window ideas
Who says you says you cannot dress your kitchen windows with shelves? When we think of window treatments we often think of curtains, blinds and shutters, however, many interior designers are looking into more adventurous and creative ways you can both add privacy to your windows whilst making a unique design statement. As shown in this elegant modern kitchen by Benjamin Johnston Design (opens in new tab), bespoke, open shelving units hang over the large windows, providing not only a unique display space, but also an element of privacy. Many kitchens benefit from having shelves positioned above the countertop to keep cookware and utensils, as well as to create inviting decorative displays. This kitchen design really utilizes the tall windows to create a truly unique design feature and storage space, with the open shelving design allowing for natural light to still shine through.
4. Don’t rule out curtains for a kitchen
As we have discussed, some areas of the kitchen do not benefit from long, flowing curtains, however, if you have a smaller window and let the curtains sit at sill length or just below, you will still have a clear countertop. If you have a window above a quieter area of the kitchen, like in the above space, then this can also be a better location for kitchen window curtain ideas. In this unified, stylish kitchen, with fabrics by House of Hackney (opens in new tab) , the classic, blue and white striped curtains are the star of the show - a beautiful example of decorating with stripes. Adding colorful character as well as elegant clean lines to the room, the window curtains have not only been elevated by a sleek pelmet, but the matching cupboard curtains help to create a cohesive and eye-catching striped theme in the space. Further enhanced by the paneled walls and blue painted accents, using striped curtains designs like this is also a clever curtain trick to make your windows feel bigger - a great option for small kitchen ideas. Another area to use curtains in a kitchen is if you have a larger bay window area, see our kitchen bay window ideas for further inspiration.
5. Embrace an artistic blind design
A blind is one of the most popular kitchen window ideas as they can add stylish decoration whilst still being extremely practical. To elevate your kitchen with an artistic, painted design, of course, you can hang wall art in the space, but a blind can also act as a canvas for a beautiful design. In this kitchen, in an old country cottage in the Yorkshire moors in the UK, the cottage is surrounded by stunning views and a magnificent natural landscape, and Interior designer Stephanie Dunning of Dunning & Everard (opens in new tab), worked with the clients to create a design reflecting the surrounding countryside. The painted style blind brings the beauty of the outdoors indoors, and wonderfully frames the window and the breathtaking views, it also a practical choice when considering, what do you put over a kitchen sink window?
6. Add character with shutters
Shutters have been used on windows for centuries to provide protection and insulation, as well as block out the light. Often crafted from wood, shutter ideas are associated with more traditional, period properties. However, over the last few years, many homes, both classic and contemporary, are embracing these sleek and smart designs to control the amount of light in a room, add character to a space and of course, create privacy. As shown in this kitchen, with windows fitted with gray shutter designs from California Shutters (opens in new tab), the wooden material adds timeless texture and offers a durable kitchen window idea that can stand the test of time.
7. Uplift your window frames with paint
A lick of paint can really transform the room, whether that’s on the walls, ceiling or windows. A simple kitchen window idea but with a maximum effect, painting your window frames can add an unexpected pop of color to your kitchen space - one to consider for painted kitchen ideas. As shown in this elegant kitchen, a characterful example of yellow room ideas, the painted kitchen cabinet ideas and use of yellow throughout the space, uplift the room with inviting cheer and warmth. By painting the door and window frames, this not only fully integrates this section of the kitchen into the yellow design, but creates and eye-catching, colorful statement.
8. Celebrate the beauty of the outdoors
In this bright, open-plan kitchen diner, the magnificent glass windows across the walls and ceiling create a calming, indoor-outdoor effect, much like a glass garden room. Creating a relaxing and calming connection with the outdoors through the surrounding natural trees and greenery, the windows allow for the the views of the garden to be fully appreciated. The window in the kitchen has also been fitted with a unique blind in a Venetian style. Defined by large wooden slats, perfectly coordinating with the size and scale of the window, the use of natural materials through the warming wood further brings in outdoor elements into he space, establishing a well-thought out, unified design. A stylish example of luxury kitchen ideas, as well as how to use scale in interior design, these kitchen window ideas show how your designs can be crafted to celebrate the natural world and bring in an abundance of natural light.
9. Add softness with sheer curtains
Sheer curtains can create a relaxed, soft an elegant atmosphere in a room, and are great if you have floor to ceiling windows in your kitchen. As shown in this large kitchen-diner, the sheers by Curtains 2Go (opens in new tab) can create a cozy, inviting atmosphere with one quick swish, whilst still allowing for light to shine through. Design director at Villa Nova (opens in new tab) Hayley McAfee says, ‘one of the best ways to ensure privacy is to install a pair of sheer curtains, as you can obscure a view into a room whilst still enjoying natural light.’
10. Use your windows to add color and interest
As we have explored, your kitchen window ideas offer a platform to get creative with color and texture. If you are looking for ways to bring in a a subtle element of color into a more minimalist kitchen or white kitchen, why not choose a colorful blind. This elegant neutral kitchen with a luxurious marble countertop and splashback has been enhanced by a pair of pretty pink blinds by James Hare (opens in new tab).
11. Sometimes less is more
Whether you have large floor to ceiling windows, or simply want a clean and uncluttered look, you do not always have to cover your windows, sometimes it is best to leave them as they are. In this grand kitchen by Lucas Eilers (opens in new tab), the dramatic windows have been crafted to fit the beautiful vaulted ceiling. Creating an eye-catching architectural feature and celebrating the size and height of the room, these windows are best left uncovered and on show.
12. Establish an element of contrast
Whether you want to bring in a bright accent color, or unite clashing prints and patterns for maximalist decor ideas, do not underestimate the power of kitchen window ideas for enhancing your design scheme. As shown in this kitchen, the blind and wallpaper by Villa Nova from their Still Life collection, is defined by a colorful, abstract design with a cozy, artistic feel. The blind creates an elegant contrast with the gray patterned wallpaper, acting as an eye-catching focal and talking point in the space.
13. Create a cozy window seat
Often found in bay windows in a living room, a window seat can create an inviting and informal area to sit back and unwind with a cup of coffee and a good book. When planning a kitchen design, many of us want a flexible, multipurpose space with areas to sit in addition to a dining table. A window seat can enhance your kitchen window with comforting texture, as well as change the functionality of the space, making it more sociable and easy to sit down in and relax.
What can I use on my kitchen window?
As we have explored, there are so many designs that you can use on your kitchen window. Like other rooms in the home, your kitchen windows can greatly benefit from beautiful texture and colorful prints and patterns, however, as it is a busy space designed for cooking, you also need to think practicality about what materials and styles best suit the windows in your space. From more conventional designs such as blinds and curtains, to innovative painted frames and shelving creations, your windows are a platform for creativity and should be united with your overall kitchen design.
Do kitchen windows need curtains?
No, not all kitchen windows need curtains, in fact, many kitchens are much better suited to window treatments such as blinds as they are more practical in a kitchen space. You can still add texture, color and warmth to your kitchen space through many blind designs, however, depending on where your kitchen windows are placed, many curtains designs can also integrate beautifully into the space.
