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DESIGN SOLUTIONS
Tight
Fit
A complete kitchen remodel calls for the right window covering solution.
by Sharon L. Anderson
CHALLENGE:
I have a challenging question for you this month. I am in the process
of finalizing plans with a client for her magnificent new kitchen.
The kitchen is being remodeled and the architect is adding a beautiful
kitchen window. The window is located above the sink and offers
an exquisite view of the mountains. The window is five feet wide
by four feet high.
The challenge is this: There are only two inches from the back of
the faucet to the window. The window is flush mounted with the counter
material, which is a beautiful marble. The client would like a window
covering designed for privacy and also for controlling the sun and
light. The window covering is required to be easily maintained and
cannot permanently stain. With all the different items usually found
around a kitchen sink that may soil the window treatment, such as
soapy water, oil, food splashing from the rinsing of dishes and
other items, I need ideas!
SOLUTION:A great place to be inspired is magazines that
specialize in their target markets, which in this case is kitchen
design. I might suggest Kitchen and Bath Business, in addition to
D&WC, of course.
For this answer, I will share a personal experience with the readers.
As a mother of two daughters, I find when it comes to dishes being
rinsed (by myself and others), we are truly not the neatest when
it comes to keeping water away from the window treatment. The kitchen
window is not the place to design an elaborate fabric window treatment.
In fact, soft window treatments in kitchens should be limited to
valances with a possible swag treatment that will stay away from
the lower half of the window. Even though a manufacturer might state
that a fabric is easy to clean, the best solution is to keep away
excessive amounts of liquids or other items that could soil the
treatment.
A few suggestions for durable window treatment solutions in this
scenario would be metal blinds, wood blinds with a durable surface
finish, and shutters fabricated from a durable man-made material.
Even though shutters may come with a high-gloss paint finish, eventually
the finish will break down from repeated water and other liquid
spills and be absorbed into the shutters. Think of a wood shutter
as a fine piece of furniture. The finish will eventually break down
with continued exposure to liquids and other materials that land
on the surface. The key here is durability and using man-made materials
in a hard window treatment.
Two inches is not a lot of space to work with between a faucet and
the window. And, after mentioning that, I will add that a window
treatment placed that close to a window will not be maintenance-free.
Again, I speak here from personal experience!
Check out your major suppliers—manufacturers such as Graber,
Levolor, Hunter Douglas, Coronado, Vinylbilt Shutter Systems and
others. A durable hard window treatment with a soft valance design
could be the ideal solution for your customer.
Editor’s note: This is a continuing series of articles written
by Sharon L. Anderson that will answer some of the many questions
we receive at Draperies & Window Coverings as well as questions
Anderson has encountered in her own business. If you have a question
you would like Anderson to address, please send it to:
Design Solutions
c/o Draperies & Window Coverings
1724 E. Grand Ave.
Lindenhurst, IL 60046
Fax: (847) 356-9013
E-mail: SharonAnderson_1@msn.com
 Sharon
L. Anderson has more than 20 years experience in the residential
and commercial areas of interior design. She is currently a faculty
member at two Southern California colleges. Anderson has been featured
in numerous books and publications. |
