Curtains for the kitchen with a balcony door: varieties and selection criteria
Having a direct exit to the balcony in the kitchen is both an advantage and a disadvantage. On the one hand, in the warm season, you will have an excellent opportunity to ventilate the room and provide intensive access to fresh air, on the other hand, it will be problematic to choose adequate curtains.
Usually, a relatively short option is chosen for the kitchen room, which is less susceptible to accidental pollution and will definitely not reach the fire, however, such a solution will look extremely strange against the background of the door, blocking it by half at most. However, even from this situation, you can find an interesting way out.
Peculiarities
It is not so easy to choose curtains for a kitchen with a balcony door for the reasons described above, however, this option for planning an apartment in our country is quite common, and designers, of course, have had to solve the problem many times before. The final version in each case is determined individually, taking into account the characteristics of a particular room and the wishes of the owners, however, you can formulate general recommendations on how to curtain the kitchen adjacent to the balcony.
- In any case, curtains should be chosen in strict connection with the style. the whole room as a whole. A modern kitchen cannot be combined with rustic curtains, even if you see a model that perfectly hides the imperfections of the doorway. This limits your choices of available options, but it increases the likelihood that the bottom line will not be out of balance.
- As a rule, the door is not completely curtained. - the cornice protrudes 15 cm beyond the edges of the actual window on both sides, which is enough to cover the junction of the door with the window, but does not completely mask the door. In most cases, this is a good solution - without being completely deprived of natural light, the kitchen is still curtained.
- Contrary to popular belief, curtains of different lengths are not so nonsense.as it might seem to someone. Without proper design experience, it can be difficult to choose tulle so that it looks holistic and interesting, but professionals often prefer this option, since it is practical and makes it easier to move between the kitchen and the balcony.
- A good way out of the situation is not to be tied to the cornice at all, instead hanging curtains directly on the windows. Nowadays, there are enough varieties of such a design - the same blinds or Roman blinds look stylish, and most importantly, they do not at all confuse the perception of a window combined with a door.
The general rule that the material of kitchen curtains should be non-staining and easy to clean also applies in this case.
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The variety of options for kitchen curtains is quite large. Consider what types of window textiles can be useful in this case.
Tulle
First of all, you can not completely discard light tulle curtains. On the one hand, they seem to be of little use for the stated purpose - at least they are always very long and light, therefore they flutter in the wind and can easily hit one end of the fire.
For this reason, they are relatively rarely used in the kitchen in apartment buildings, but in practice it all depends on how spacious your kitchen space is. In a situation where the stove is far away, it is these lightest products that may be optimal., since they not only give the interior airiness and comfort, but also are durable and easy to wash.
Roman curtains
Roman blinds are especially good because the degree of their lowering depends on the current needs of the owner, and the bottom end always looks neat and finished. Usually, the roman blind is designed for one sash, therefore the windows can be curtained, and the exit to the balcony will remain convenient.
So far, this option for solving the problem is not very common, although it has only one objective minus - it is not very convenient to remove the fabric for washing, and if carelessly handled, the guide mechanism and the edges of the fabric wear out quickly.
Roller blinds
Roller blinds as a whole resemble the Roman ones described above, only when folded they are not folds, but a coiled roll. They are traditionally high in density, and therefore will be useful to those owners who believe that their kitchen is overly lucky with natural lighting.
Japanese curtains
An interesting solution may be Japanese curtains, consisting of long and narrow rectangular strips of material, weighted at the bottom with special weights. You will no longer open or close the window vertically, but horizontally, as is the case with classic curtains, but this option has the advantage - it does not wrinkle and has a weight at the bottom, preventing the long blade from flying up from the draft and interacting with the plate.
Thread curtains
Thread-like curtains are a kind of development of the above-described idea of Japanese curtains - they even consist of narrow threads of beads or textiles hanging down to the floor.
Despite their light weight, they also do not tend to flutter in the wind.
Individual tailoring
It should be noted that for true connoisseurs of original design, an individual order of curtains instead of buying ready-made ones may seem like a chic idea. Choosing some non-trivial curtains, you may encounter the problem when, in terms of design, one model is most liked, and in terms of practicality, a completely different leader is the leader... The meaning of tailoring is to combine all the best ideas about the ideal in one product at the request of the client.
Materials (edit)
The correct choice of curtains for the kitchen largely depends on the material from which they are made. It is clear that it will be much easier to care for non-marking material, regardless of what form it took, becoming a window textile.
Fabrics of natural origin are still one of the most popular options for sewing curtains. They are good at least because they do not contain synthetic impurities, which means that they never emit strange odors or toxins, even when they are in conditions of constantly elevated temperatures. With some of the shortcomings inherent in the classic linen, cotton, organza and satinThey are relatively easy to clean.
Designers draw attention to the fact that such material is best combined with the classic and rustic style, and in terms of color, window textiles should be selected so that they resonate with the furniture, and not the walls.
If you do not want to go too far from the cozy interiors of the past, but at the same time would like to slightly increase the operational properties of the product, you should pay attention to the mixture of synthetics and natural materials. Today, polyester and polyester are so skillfully intertwined with cotton threads that at first glance, only a specialist with extensive experience can notice the difference. But in terms of durability and maintenance, such material will turn out to be much more practical, for example, you do not have to constantly iron the product, and you will also be able to avoid too fast fading of flowers.
Roller blinds are often made from bamboo straw, and although it is difficult to use it for making curtains of any other type, this material can be considered one of the most practical. A bamboo product does not require washing at all; such a procedure is simply not provided for it. Straws are inherent in the ability to keep their original shape for a long time, therefore the design is definitely not one of those that wrinkle easily.
Among other things, bamboo is much denser than any fabric; in terms of protecting the premises from the penetration of light from the street, it is one of the leaders.
If you have opted for a thread solution, then it is hardly a question of washing either. Due to the small surface of the product, dirt is practically not visible on it. At the same time, threads are rarely used as curtains by themselves - most often they are decorated with beads and other small accessories.
Dimensions (edit)
The question of how long the curtains should be if there is a balcony door in the kitchen remains open. On the one hand, the requirements of practicality for a classic kitchen suggest short curtains that are difficult to get dirty or accidentally set on fire, on the other hand, the presence of a balcony can mean inappropriate drafts or excess sunlight, therefore sometimes it is better to isolate yourself from it as much as possible.
A number of types of curtains, in terms of their design features, do not imply a constant length, since it is determined only by the wishes of the owner at a particular moment. These include, for example, Roman and roller blinds - they can be pulled up to the very top, or they can be lowered down. The possibility of regulation is relevant in the event that you cannot give preference to either long or short curtains.
Long curtains are usually only recommended if you can be sure that they will definitely not go into a fire. Usually such confidence is present in a large kitchen, where you can place the stove two or more meters from the window. For a long product, a significant distance from the work area and dining table would also be beneficial. - this is the only way to give some kind of guarantee that the product will not be permanently stained.
Despite the inability to completely disguise the balcony block, it is short curtains that remain the most common and practical solution to the problem. They are the best in terms of fire safety and hygiene. - no accidental splashes of oil, no pranks of children or pets will not affect their condition in any way. Thanks to this option of curtains, you will get free access to the window sill, which is very useful if it is wide enough to be used as another working area.
Among other things, short curtains will not interfere with the periodic opening of a window or balcony door, and will not yet cause discomfort when using a sofa or table that can be pushed directly to the window.
Another advantage of short curtains is that they do not block access to the radiator batteries, which means that they do not prevent the penetration of heat from them into the room, even when the window is curtained. Finally, many styles involve the use of short textiles, for example, this is the norm for Mediterranean decoration of a room.
Design options
The appearance of the curtains should somehow be combined with the rest of the decoration and furnishings of the room, because otherwise the interior will seem to be decorated out of order and is unlikely to delight the owners or their guests. The main idea used today is to maintain a uniform style of the interior when the color scheme matches the furniture.
At the same time, it is considered a design mistake if the curtains in terms of shade fully match the color of the headset and other furnishings - in this case, even the most beautiful and stylish curtains will merge and simply "get lost" against the general background. For this reason, a small indent of a couple of tones is needed in one direction or another, for example, in combination with green inserts on furniture, deep olive models will look good.
It is important to achieve harmony in style - you cannot select window textiles completely independently of the rest of the interior details. So, for lovers of classic design, the optimal solution would be tulle and curtains made of natural fabrics. Naturally, the classic design can also be different, therefore, curtains with a light and bright floral pattern, subtly reminiscent of summer, will fit for "our" rustic style, and Provence involves the use of pastel colors, which should not be changed when choosing window textiles.
Modern options for shading a window with a balcony are appropriate only if the modernist approach is used in everything. For example, the same blinds, which simply by virtue of their specificity do not imply any drawings, they look normal except in combination with a loft or minimalism, otherwise it will turn out to be somehow overly bland and boring.
The same Japanese curtains are more versatile in this regard, they will fit well into the interior, which will also contain other details of the oriental style.
The general rule can be formulated as follows: the more you try to focus on antiquity, the more bright and interesting your curtains should be, since they were once the main decoration of the room. Most modern styles follow the opposite philosophy - the curtain can be bright, but not colorful, interspersed with "extraneous" shades are permissible, but there should not be too many of them.
The only exception can be considered only filament curtains, which themselves can look mesmerizing - they are well suited for those who decide to add a futuristic gloss to their kitchen.
How to choose?
Each person chooses curtains for a window with a balcony door in the kitchen in accordance with their own ideas about fashion and style, but there are also such owners who do not consider themselves experts in this field and just want to find a suitable option. The following guidelines will help you with this.
- If you are not interested in newfangled inventions, it is better to dwell on a proven solution in the form of fabric curtains fixed on good old cornices. As for the length, then it is better to dwell on something in between - curtains to the windowsill are suitable, completely covering the window opening, but not dragging along the floor. This is especially true for small kitchens, where large-scale textiles would not only pose a fire hazard, but also occupy half of the room.
- Rolled kitchen curtains well suited for those who are uncomfortable that a window with a balcony door will either have to be completely curtained or opened - also entirely. For each sash, the roll can be separate, so you get an excellent opportunity to adjust the lighting inside the kitchen, focusing on the position of the sun in the sky.
- Whichever set of curtains you choose, preference in terms of color palette is almost always given to light tones. Unlike most other rooms, sunlight is never considered superfluous in the kitchen - it helps to increase mood and improve appetite, and therefore the task of curtains is only to muffle it, but not completely eliminate it. Given that there is also a balcony outside your kitchen window, which inevitably reduces the amount of penetrating light, the emphasis can be placed on the lightest colors.
- Keep in mind that the shade and pattern on the curtain directly affect the perception of the room. So, the presence of any pattern or ornament, and even with large elements, will inevitably reduce the visual perception of the kitchen, and it can become even more cramped, especially if you have chosen a color from a warm palette. At the same time, it is the warm range that adds coziness to the kitchen, and many owners deliberately refuse the opportunity to "expand" the kitchen, if only it remains cozy.
How can you design a window?
With a well-thought-out creative approach, the design of a window opening can become a separate reason for the pride of the whole family, therefore it is worth paying attention to atypical moves that have only recently begun to be used by professional designers.
A good solution is to use several types of curtains at once, combining, for example, cotton and textile curtains or Roman curtains with classic curtains. This approach is relevant only in spacious rooms, otherwise it will eat up too much free space, but in large kitchens it allows you to perfectly regulate natural light. In addition, hanging two layers of curtains means giving the interior softness, which will inevitably happen with a large amount of textiles.
Another curious option is to ensure the perfect match of upholstered furniture with curtains. by using the same material with a completely identical pattern. Thanks to this, the kitchen design looks as holistic as possible, and even the brightest and most colorful curtains will not look like a foreign body. The only reason why this approach is not used very often is the lack of variability in design changes, because in order to preserve the original effect when replacing curtains, you will have to re-upholster upholstered furniture.
It was mentioned above that the tone of the curtains should overlap with the shade of the frame furniture, but at the same time differ from it. As a rule, modern designers make a slight deviation towards the choice of a darker material, for example, with the general beige scale of the room, the curtains are given a soft light shade of milk chocolate. The color of the window textiles should not be unique in the interior - it is scattered around the room in the form of small accents.
For information on how to choose curtains, see the next video.