Trying to choose, style, and hang cafe curtains in your kitchen? Whether you are building, renovating, or finally tackling that bare window over the sink, this guide brings together ideas for fabrics, colors, and placement.
Cafe Curtains
The kitchen window is the place to start with cafe curtains, even though the treatment only covers part of the glass. They work as kitchen window treatments when you want some coverage without closing off the whole window.
Kitchens that feel warm, finished, and carefully considered often use cafe curtains. The style can recall roosters, ruffles, and breakfast nooks from the 1980s, including 1987.
Beside the sink, the window top stays open to provide natural light, while the curtain covers the bottom half for lower-window privacy. The result depends on the cafe curtain itself: a thin, poor-quality polyester version can resemble something from a college apartment, but a good curtain with suitable fabric, proportion, quality, and rod height can transform the kitchen window.
Linen Kitchen Cafe Curtains
White linen cafe curtains are one straightforward option for a kitchen window. Linen cafe curtains can also be used without the color being white.
A slightly imperfect linen drape can photograph especially well. Cafe curtains made from natural linen in oatmeal, placed at the window midpoint and left slightly rumpled, can give the space a considered feel while still supporting a lived-in appearance.
Cultiver offers linen with a substantial weight, and Rough Linen is another source to consider. Natural linen generally costs more than a Target version, but its quality can justify the added expense; choose it over cheap polyester curtains that look synthetic.
Darker Neutral Cafe Curtain Colors
Charcoal gray linen cafe curtains bring a darker neutral to the kitchen window.
In a kitchen with white cabinets and a black range, charcoal gray linen cafe curtains can hide kitchen grime better than cream. Gray also coordinates with warm wood tones, cool marble, brass hardware, and matte black hardware.
Black cotton canvas cafe curtains can suit a kitchen with a marble counter, brass rod, and white walls. The bold window treatment can also evoke European bistro style.
Navy and white ticking-stripe cafe curtains run horizontally across the window. The horizontal stripe can make the window appear wider, so consider it for a galley kitchen; ticking stripe is a classic pattern that does not quickly look dated.
Cafe Curtain Placement
A double-hung window has an upper sash and a lower sash, often with a clear meeting point between them. Place the rod at that point so the cafe curtain covers the bottom half, leaves the top half open for natural light, and provides privacy below.
Color Blocked Cafe Curtains
Exact matches are not always available when you are looking for cafe curtains. A custom route is one option to consider instead.
Custom cafe curtains can look expensive and one of a kind, though they can also be more affordable than expected. An Etsy seamstress can make custom cafe curtains with a color palette that coordinates with the tile or backsplash, such as a curtain with terracotta across the bottom third and cream across the top two thirds. This approach offers more uniqueness than off-the-shelf curtains.
Maximum Texture with Natural Linen Cafe Curtains and Woven Wood Roman Shades
A brass or black curtain rod can complement cafe curtains, depending on the kitchen’s finishes.
Natural linen brings a soft fabric texture to kitchen windows, while woven wood Roman shades add an organic material detail. One option is to place the linen cafe curtains over the shades. During the day, draw the curtains and raise the shades to produce filtered light, then lower both at night for full coverage and coziness. The two treatments cost more, but their layered textures can add warmth and may make the kitchen feel finished in a way that is difficult to articulate.
Vintage Cafe Curtains from Estate Sales
A floral or cottage cafe curtain may turn up at an estate sale, as may a Charla cotton cafe curtain. An estate-sale cafe curtain may come with a wooden dowel and require gentle hand-washing, so inspect the fabric weight and look for stains before buying. Vintage curtains provide patina and character that new products do not, including hand-stitched embroidered linen cafe curtains that may be unavailable new at any price.
A few practical details matter when choosing cafe curtains for the kitchen: check the fabric, the amount of gathering, the color, the rod, and how the curtain will sit on the window.
- An overgathered curtain can look fussy, so consider proportion before choosing the fabric. Use fabric that is 1.5 to 2 times the window width for gentle gathering, since a flat curtain can resemble a bedsheet.
- Choose a natural fiber such as linen or quality cotton for the window treatment. These fabrics drape better, last longer, and give the room a more intentional look than synthetics.
- If you cook frequently, consider darker cafe curtain colors such as charcoal, navy, or olive, which can conceal grime better than cream.
- Over the sink, consider a tension rod for the cafe curtain. It requires no drilling, is adjustable, and takes 15m to install.
- At a double-hung window, place the rod at the sash meeting point. This covers the bottom half while leaving the top half open.
- For a wide window, use two panels meeting at the center rather than a single wide panel. Add a center support bracket to prevent the rod from sagging.