Café Curtains in the Kitchen
/ AshleyI’m a sucker for a good café curtain. They’re the perfect mix of charm and practicality - two of my favorite things.
If you remember, our kitchen windows used to be a pop-out bay window addition. See photos of it before we moved in (complete with aluminum blinds in front) and once I cleaned them up to live with here.
I know people love them, but the bay window was a no-go for me. It never provided ventilation, the “roof” of the pop-out was always dirty so it blocked the light, and it was simply underutilized (in San Diego I can grow herbs outside all year long). So, when we renovated, one of the very first things I did was replace them with salvaged wooden sash windows. Once replaced, the windows let in so much natural light and provided all the visibility we could ever want - too much, in fact. We suddenly had crystal clear views of our neighbor’s trash cans and their driveway happenings. They also had pretty good views of us at the kitchen sink.
We liked seeing the sky and tops of trees through the upper windows, but could do without the view of our neighbor’s house through the bottom. Installing the more common window treatment of roman shades or blinds would have blocked the sunny view above while leaving the bottom open, which is the inverse of what we wanted.
For a while, I planned on planting trees/shrubs in front of the windows to create natural privacy, but could never find the right plant for the spot. I even considered installing a decorative privacy glass, but couldn’t find the right historical glass that was also attractive.
Enter, café curtains.
Above is café curtain inspiration from tailored to quaint styles. I never fully decided on what I wanted the style to be, I just installed the hardware, and plopped in some temporary fabric.
I got these café curtain rods custom cut to the perfect length for the width of my windows. They are inside mount and screw directly into the window stop. They have a perfectly delicate profile.
I installed them just barely below the window hardware so we could still easily open and close the windows without the rod being in the way.
To attach the fabric, I got vintage café rod clips that have a lovely patina and install in a pinch - literally! The rods have corresponding clips that are perfectly pretty, too.
I found the fabric when browsing through Facebook Marketplace. I wish I knew the manufacturer/artist, but alas, I don’t have a source for you.
Instead of sewing seams, I just tore them to size and installed the fabric with a raw edge. Some may say unkempt, I say charming.
I got the fabric on a whim and knew it may not be the “forever fabric” but I’m quite smitten with it. And the longer I keep it, the more it makes me want to paint the window casing red. Should I?
Sources:
café curtain rod // café curtain clips // fabric unknown // sconces // faucet // plate rack // window sashes // window sash locks
And there you have it. This isn’t my most groundbreaking blog post, but it’s a kitchen update nonetheless.
The perfect piece of art didn’t exist, so I made it. Now the kitchen walls are adorned with a beautiful (yet odd) photo with a lil’ cameo by Margot!
I debated over a hundred wallpaper pattern options for the kitchen. And I mean hundreds. I started with a giant stack, then narrowed it down to about 20 that sat on the walls for months.
Built-in cabinets and coordinating islands are lovely, but I wanted a standalone furniture piece in our new kitchen. So, I designed the layout to include a vintage wooden table instead of a peninsula of cabinetry. After lots of vintage hunting and some modifications, we have the perfect work surface, dining table, and all-around great addition to the kitchen.
I’m a sucker for a good café curtain. They’re the perfect mix of charm and practicality - two of my favorite things.
I’ve been working hard on the peeeerfect design for our open storage plate rack in the kitchen. I’ve been picky about how I wanted it, and it isn’t quite done yet, but I love where we’re at with it.
I DIY sealed our marble countertops and you can, too! Sealing protects the stone from staining which really helps me not worry about spilling coffee on my bright white counters. I did a bunch of research on the best products so I’m sharing how and why I chose the one I did, plus detailing the steps to seal that gorgeous marble.
Marble counters are in the kitchen and looking so so good! There’s a process to designing the layout, coordinating with a fabricator, measuring, installing, and sealing. So without further ado, let’s get into it.
Countertops are major workhorses and one of the biggest design elements in a kitchen. So, there’s a lot of thought that goes into the material, style, and design of them. But you know me, I have to research even further. In addition to picking a pretty countertop, I factored in the environmental footprint, worker health, land reclamation of the quarry, and the way it fits into a historic home. Ready to get into it? Let’s!
The kitchen is FINALLY coming together with the addition of things that actually turn the empty room it into a kitchen. The range is in, the cabinets are taking shape, and lights are installed. Pinch me!
I’ve heard of other blogger buds using fancy masking fluid to ease the painting job of painting windows and divided lite doors, but I never used it myself. Until Now. I learned some lessons and have some takeaways from the experience for ya. Here’s how it went.
We’re getting to the kitchen designing stage folks and it’s getting good! Before deciding on colors, door styles, hardware, and accessories, I want to nail down the mood/vibe of the space. I think it helps to identify a clear personality for the room - especially when it’s a utilitarian space. Hear me out.
A comfortable home, saving money on energy bills, and watching satisfying foam expanding videos – three of my favorite things! I insulated my new french doors with a can of Great Stuff™ Smart Dispenser™ insulating foam sealant to reduce my energy loss - here’s how!
We got appliances! And we bought them at a steep discount! And we took a day-trip to go pick them up! Here’s a video journal of that day.
With concerns for our planet and the folks that experience climate injustices, we’re all making purchasing decisions with ethics in mind. Appliances are no different. Electric and induction cooktops are becoming a popular environmentally friendly option, but I'm taking a hard look at all of the considerations to make the most conscious choice.
When we opened up the walls during our remodel, I knew I had to leave a time capsule behind the drywall. Plus, 2020 is quite a year to immortalize in the walls. Here's what I hid away to be found years and years from now!
I’ve successfully turned a perfectly good kitchen into an entirely useless box with walls and floors. But now I’m adding things back to it and making it an actual kitchen again! Finally! Now that it’s a livable space, I’m anxious to get cooking again, so I’m kicking things off with building a custom range hood.
Hardwood floors were installed in the kitchen and they look so good. Well, sorta. I hit a snag - literally. And then hit another snag - figuratively. Uuuuugggghhhh.
Our home is full of old-growth hardwood flooring that I adore. When faced with picking a new floor for our kitchen renovation, matching the existing hardwoods was a no brainer. Here’s the story of the sourcing and installation process.
Inset cabinetry with the exposed face frame and flush doors is the classic style we see in period homes. These charming cabinets are harder to come by, especially on a budget, but I’ve rounded up 10 cabinet companies you can buy from directly and install yourself!
You read that right. I ordered cabinets for my kitchen, and they never came. It was mid-demolition when everything was a mess and we were trying to piece things together. Then I got the news. The cabinets I had been designing, sourced, and paid for weren’t going to show up. Here’s what happened.
The renovation is taking shape! We have level floors (thanks to lots of nail pulling and geometry) and the beginnings of the oh-so-transformative drywall!! The kitchen is finally feeling like a safe space amidst the chaos of a renovation and a pandemic.
I came across a charming book written in 1914 all about how to plan an efficient kitchen. How perfect of a fit for me is that?!? Efficient! Kitchen! 1914! The book has certainly inspired my renovation and I’ve incorporated some of the tips and tricks into my current design. From organizing to lighting, and cooking to materials, it’s got guidelines on all of it. Admittedly, some of the lessons are comical and antiquated, but that’s the fun of it! Beyond kitchen designing, though, this book aims to make our homes thoughtful spaces that are free of waste, that value women’s time, and are utilitarian spaces rather than storage units. It’s pretty forward-thinking for a 100-year-old book!
We’re getting closer and closer to the renovation feeling less like a construction site and more like a room. We’re not quite there yet, but insulation and new flooring underlayment has me seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! Plus, we added a fresh outdoor dining set that has me itching to eat oodles of meals out there!
The crew has left so I’ve taken over the renovation project and my first task was insulation! The process was very easy and actually quite enjoyable. I can already feel a difference in the temperature of the room and how the space sounds, so I’m a happy camper. Let’s get into it!
Electrical went in last week! As did HVAC and venting! And we had our first inspection! While it was stressful for me to make decisions (that’s just not my strong suit in any application), the installation was free of drama like plumbing week! Let’s take a look at what happened, shall we?
I used to write these renovation updates in terms of weeks, but things are just so. slow. moving. So instead of a week 4 update, it’s just the 4th update in the series because it’s actually been 7 weeks of renovation. But, we’re making progress, and in this post, I’m here to chat all about plumbing! Spoiler: things started to suck this week.
There are a lot of times I’d recommend not renovating a kitchen and during coronavirus is one of those times. We’ll work it out, and we’re grateful we have the privilege we do right now, and this will all be over one day (hopefully). But It’s still less than ideal. Many of you kindly have reached out to ask how things are going, so I’m here to share with you what’s going on and how we’re moving forward with this project.
This kitchen renovation and bathroom addition are still cruising. Kinda slow, often uneventful, sometimes thrilling. This past week the guys have been wrapping up framing and that included cutting a hole into a perfectly good wall, removing a door, adding two doors, and adding two walls!
We really like the range we selected during our kitchen remodel, but despite my over-thinking and intense research for a range, I have a regret.