kitchen windows

Monday, September 24, 2012

I really need to cover my hideous institutional kitchen windows. I've been admiring DIY'ers and their faux shade tutorials in an attempt to cover them up.





Source: bhg.com via Ann on Pinterest







You can click to go to my pinterest and then the original tutorials.

I think nesting has kicked in as I've been furiously working on the nursery. I've got a wonderful woman working on my bedding (who puts up with all my slightest requests) and I'm feverishly ordering things left and right. I've been a bit all over the place as it is finally cooling and with it a second wind of productivity has hit me. For a long while I was not unpacked and I was not interested in unpacking. It was too darn hot, as Cole Porter would say. Now that fall has finally visited Japan I'm finishing the odds and ends, adding a few touches and tackling a few projects. I'll have to share some more in the upcoming weeks. At the moment I'm distracted by my horrible kitchen windows. In the house tour I showed you these windows, yikes.

 

Beautiful big windows with lots of natural light but also big ugly problems. These windows are a. huge non-standard sizes and b. have outside-mounted metal blinds. From what I've seen that's pretty standard around here but it makes it much more challenging to cover from a hardware perspective without removing the blinds. Also the windows sit nearly flush against the perpendicular wall leaving little room for wall-mounted window hardware as well. I've been scouring our local Homac (Japanese Home Depot type store) to find hardware that may work. The closest I've come is the hardware used for hanging door coverings or "noren" which uses very lightweight, thin curtain rods. I'm going to try ceiling mounting the hardware - we're getting creative here.

image from here

So in the meantime I'm leaning towards a tie up shade inspired by this room. If only it were so easy.

Source: bhg.com via Ann on Pinterest


And the best tutorial I've found thus far has been from Cozy Cottage Cute. We'll see how far I get.

Parnassus said...

Hi Ann, My apartment in Taiwan has the same kind of metal window frames mounted flush and near the ceiling. When I had drapes installed, they did mount the bracket to the ceiling, and seemed quite used to that arrangement.

My own kitchen is so narrow and institutional that any attempt at softening it would only call attention to its deficiencies, not to mention get in the way.

I'm sure you will find the perfect solution. My own taste would argue against anything that would block the view, is frilly or elaborate, or that has writing or characters on it.

--Road to Parnassus

Parnassus said...

Hi Ann, My apartment in Taiwan has the same kind of metal window frames mounted flush and near the ceiling. When I had drapes installed, they did mount the bracket to the ceiling, and seemed quite used to that arrangement.

My own kitchen is so narrow and institutional that any attempt at softening it would only call attention to its deficiencies, not to mention get in the way.

I'm sure you will find the perfect solution. My own taste would argue against anything that would block the view, is frilly or elaborate, or that has writing or characters on it.

--Road to Parnassus

ArchitectDesign™ said...

hmm - anything on amazon -do they deliver to Japan! ha

Woodside Park said...

If privacy is not an issue, maybe just a valance across the top? Maybe with velcro because of that perpendicular wall?? Do share what you come up with....

Ann said...

Jim, I so agree I decided to go with a sand solid. I thought about linen but I found some premade draperies here that I'm cutting down to size. I tested the ceiling mount - that was def the way the go. I'm glad to hear you had to deal with this too.

Stefan, I tried! Nothing that would work for my measurements but I think the noren hardware is going to work, fingers crossed! Amazon has been very good to me though with overseas shipping. :)

Loi, that's a great idea. I did think about a valence or a pelmet box cut from foam core (using something like Jenny Komenda's tutorial) but ultimately we face a street with a lot of foot traffic and the buildings are set right on the street. And I tend to hang out in my PJ's! I decided on something with a little more privacy even if it blocked some of that natural light and the view a bit. Working on it today, we'll see how it goes...