Interior Decorating Ideas

In some ways a kitchen is a great place to hang window valances. That is because you need the softening effect of fabric with all the hard cabinets, appliances and tiling around the room. While curtains might get in the way and get dirty as they are usually so near to either the kitchen sink or food preparation areas, valances are at the top of the window and usually high enough to avoid getting wet or splashed with food. On the other hand, you are probably better off with a simple valance, rather than a scarf valance, for the following reasons.

1. Frequent Laundering

A kitchen valance is high above the work surfaces of the kitchen, but it is still subject to all the grease and steam, which hangs about in the atmosphere. Therefore it will need frequent laundering, probably every few weeks. Scarf valances are usually made from very thin flimsy fabric (giving them their great draping qualities) and unfortunately this type of fabric may not stand up well to constant laundering.

2. Arranging the Valance

Scarf valances generally need a bit of arranging to get the right look when you put them up, and you can spend a bit of time getting the folds just right. What may be interesting the first time, will become annoying when you have to do it after every wash.

3. Too Soft in Style

Although you want some kind of softening effect with your kitchen valance, a scarf valance is generally too soft in style for the room. It is more in keeping with a romantic bedroom or a kid's fairy princess room than a practical kitchen. It also does not pair well with other window treatments typically used in a kitchen, such as venetian or roller blinds and cotton curtains, all of which have a practical, no nonsense look, rather than the floaty one, suggested by a scarf valance. If you decide you want a scarf valance, however, look for fabric which is as substantial as possible while still draping well, for example, thin soft cotton rather than voile.

There are many different styles and fabric types that can be used when deciding on the perfect set of curtains for the rooms you are decorating in the home. Silk is a particularly popular fabric for a variety of reasons and embroidered silk curtains gives the room an added boost of color and appeal.

Silk is a beautiful fabric that looks superb when allowed to flow in long waves such as you would see with a decorative curtain. Although silk curtains look luxurious simply as plain fabric, they come to life even more fully when they have been embroidered. There is no limit to the kinds of patterns that can be stitched into silk curtains to create the kind of curtains that will make a simple and subtle difference to a room.

It’s possible to buy plain silk curtains and do the embroidery yourself if you are equipped with the creative abilities necessary to do the job justice. But the simplest way to get the perfect embroidered silk curtains is to buy them already made.

They can be bought as light, sheer curtains to give a breezy feel to the room or they may be lined to make them more substantial affording greater privacy from the outside.

The wonderful thing about embroidered silk curtains is that there is a restrained elegance about the embroidery on them. Rather than going overboard and ending up with a set of curtains that look too busy, you may choose a set of curtains you come across rely on the beauty of the silk itself to make a stunning impression with the embroidery confined to either the top or the bottom of the curtains or perhaps both.

Alternately the curtains could be decorated with a simple floral design that is repeated over the curtains to give them an understated elegance. Part of the appeal of silk curtains is the subtle shimmer they give off and when this is combined with an Eastern influenced embroidered design they simply exude a sophistication that takes them beyond.

One of the great things about fashion and interior design trends is that the old fashions always come back into style. The retro era was a particularly distinctive fashion era and was shunned in the 1980s as the epitome of bad taste. These days retro is coming back and rooms are being designed around the retro fashion designs. To finish off a retro room you should complete the look by hanging retro curtains on the windows.

Here are some great retro curtains available for sale. Click on a link to get more information.

Vintage curtains abstract art 50's 60's 70's retro vibe

0 Bid

US $29.99

3h 47m

COOL BLUE RETRO ROBOT TAB TOP CURTAINS+DECALS BRAND NEW

US $36.43

12h 56m

Retro Cherry Border Blue 100% Cotton Fabric Curtains!

0 Bid

US $5.99

1d 3h 10m

RETRO BUFF MUSCLE CAR CARS VALANCE CURTAINS MUSTANG GTO

US $35.00

1d 14h 30m

RETRO 50'S COMICAL GOLF GOLFERS VALANCE CURTAINS

US $20.00

1d 16h 44m

RETRO 50'S BOWLING STRIKE BOWLERS VALANCE CURTAINS

US $17.00

1d 16h 57m

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Retro curtains have a distinctive pattern style about them with specific types of colors dominating the overall theme. Large, bold prints particularly with floral overtones were very popular in the retro period with no fear that the curtains might overpower the rest of the room.

In fact one of the biggest factors to come out of the late 1960s and early 1970s was the use of the floral print in all kinds of situations. The floral curtains were definitely a part of this and if you were trying to replicate this look you would have to go after some of the more funky types of curtains out there.

Take a look at the loud retro floral curtains for sale.

JETSON Fabric Shower Curtain RETRO FLORAL Orange Brown

US $16.99

4h 2m

Casaba Pink Retro Floral shower Curtain NEW Flower

0 Bid

US $9.99

4h 46m

LINEN COTTON CURTAIN FABRIC RETRO BUTTERFLY FLORAL RED

US $9.48

2d 7h 16m

LINENCOTTON CURTAIN FABRIC RETRO BUTTERFLY FLORAL BLACK

US $9.48

2d 7h 20m

VINTAGE 70'S RETRO LIME GREEN RUFFLED FLORAL CURTAINS

0 Bid

US $8.88

3d 22h

VTG Retro Curtain Panel Floral Iris Poppy Charming

0 Bid

US $4.99

4d 1h 6m

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There is actually a great deal more range of choice when it comes to types of retro curtains than with a lot of other fashion periods with virtually an “anything goes” policy. Paisley was a popular choice as we moved from the 1960s to the 1960s and it didn’t matter if the colors were burnt orange or mauve the retro curtains were still considered suitable for most rooms.

A big influence during this period was man’s adventure into outer space with the Space Age glaringly apparent in many of the designs to come out of the period. The curtains were not immune to the touches from the modern technology that came out of the space program.

The retro style is all about the era in which the curtains were designed and made. The 1950s, 60s and 70s are classed as the retro era and reflected the mood of the populace, the exuberance of post-war life and the experimentation with the many technological breakthroughs that were taking place.

You can really make a distinction between the early and late retro period curtains with a definite difference found between the curtains that came out of both ends of the era. The early retro era was distinguished by more solemn curtains that often featured pinch-pleat valances. The later retro curtains were more bold and explored color a lot more fully.

Although the retro period has long since passed, it is being revived through the love of progressive furnishings. Due to the comeback of the retro era it should not be too difficult to pick out suitable retro curtains that twill do justice to the retro room in which it will sit.

There are a number of ways to effectively use a window treatment to add softness and accents to a room. One of the simple ways to achieve this is to use what are known as sheers. Sheers can be defined as soft window treatments in that they are light and give an airy feeling to a room. Lace or voile curtains are examples of sheers and they allow a certain level of light into the room while still giving you the privacy you need.

Sheers may be hung singly or they may be layered in combination with a printed fabric or another type of sheer to create a more complex look. The purpose of layered sheers is to give you a best of both worlds scenario where you achieve the ability to allow some light into the room yet still maintaining the ability to increase the privacy by drawing the more substantial curtains.

A nice combination is eyelet curtains with layered sheers because the ease with which the eyelet curtains may be drawn and opened makes for a trouble free process of revealing the sheers when needed. The hanging process of eyelet curtains combine with layered sheers is very simple as well.

You can find sheers made of fabrics such as lace, silk, cotton or voile. It is also possible to buy sheers that are made from heavier fabrics. These are known as semi-sheers and may consist of a patterned lace. A semi-sheer might be required by someone who wants a sheer curtain but is uncomfortable with the level of privacy a full sheer will give them.

By understanding that hanging layered sheers is an extremely simple matter it may save you some expense when you decide that the single sheers are not providing you with the necessary privacy or light blocking ability. Simple hanging layered sheers can be bought at very little expense and can be added to the existing window treatment.

As mentioned at the start of this piece, sheers add a certain lightness and airiness to the room. The flowing fabric will catch the slightest hint of a breeze providing gentle movement in the room. Some find that movement very soothing. Should it become too windy the heavier layer can be used to cover them over.

Window treatments are always a difficult part of decorating a room, largely because if they are done right you hope that they will be barely noticed. If they help other parts of the room stand out and they are creating the right balance of light and privacy then you know you have made the right choice.

One of the lighter screening types of curtains is net curtains. They are important because they provide you with a little bit of privacy yet they are sheer enough to allow some of that important light into a room. They are a casual type of curtain that will catch any breeze that happens to make its way into the room and will wave comfortably creating a relaxed mood.

Net curtains provide a few benefits when they are hung in front of the right windows. They are visually appealing bringing that quaint, prettiness to the room. They are able to be customised, ordering them to be made so that they match the rest of the room. They are also quite inexpensive making them a cheaper alternative to dress the windows.

Don’t think for a minute that net curtains are all the same because the truth is that there is a wide range of net curtains available with subtle textures and woven patterns in the netting allowing you a range to choose from. A set of lace net curtains should appeal to most tastes with the intricate designs a feature that adds much needed texture to a part of the room where such things are sometimes lacking.

The following is a part of the range of sheer and net curtains that are available to buy at Amazon. They represent a range of designs and styles.

	Elegance Sheer Curtain Panel 60'' x 63'' long - White List Price: $15.00 Sale Price: $5.99

	SET OF 2, 84" LONG BLACK SHEER VOILE CURTAINS / TAILORED CURTAIN PANELS, 60" WIDE Sale Price: $3.99

	2 Piece Solid White Sheer Window Curtains/drape/panels/treatment 58"w X 84"l List Price: $29.99 Sale Price: $3.99

	White Crushed Voile Sheer Grommet Top Curtain 84"L Pair List Price: $39.99 Sale Price: $24.99

	2 Piece Solid Lavender Purple Sheer Window Curtains/drape/panels/treatment 58"w X 84"l List Price: $29.99 Sale Price: $3.89

	Beautiful Jacquard Sheer Lace Curtain 1 Set -Lovely Dot List Price: $79.99 Sale Price: $13.99

	2 Piece Solid Rose Pink Sheer Window Curtains/drape/panels/treatment 59"w X 84"l List Price: $29.99 Sale Price: $3.99

	2 Piece Solid Sky Blue Sheer Window Curtains/drape/panels/treatment 58"w X 84"l List Price: $29.99 Sale Price: $3.99

Here are just a few of the better known patterns that you can get when you buy net curtains. The embroidered net curtains are always popular with the patterns made with either simple understatement or bold showiness. You may also get jardinières, voile panels, café curtains and window sets each of them in a net curtain that will look lovely.

In general you will have to hang your net curtains using the traditional stitched seam pocket that has been threaded onto a curtain rod. However there are a growing number of net curtains that have been made as eyelet curtains making them even easier to hang than they already are.