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The kitchen is a place that needs to be functional, so choose blinds that don’t compete with the room but rather complement or support its main features.
The kitchen is the hub of the home. It’s a high traffic area and no other room in the house sees as many different activities as the kitchen. People hang out there, food is cooked and eaten, we socialise, we connect with people, sometimes even homework happens in the kitchen area! So here are some things to consider in choosing the right blinds for this area.
Environmental conditions
Choose blinds made of a material that will be easy to clean, stand up to heat and flame retardent. If they’re close to the oven or stovetop, even with a rangehood/extractor fan, it’s not unreasonable to expect some amount of smoke particles, grease and cooking odours will settle on them.
There’s also a lot of steam in a kitchen which creates humidity that can significantly shorten the life of the blinds. Blinds close to the sink will also be subject to splashes of water or food on a regular basis. For high moisture environments PVC blinds are ideal. Wood is not a good idea as it warps, but you can get faux wood if that’s the look you really want. A fabric roman blind may work as long as it was easily machine washable.
How much light?
Think about the positioning of the windows. How much direct sunlight do you want in your kitchen? When you’re cooking good lighting is essential. But too much direct sunlight can spoil food; in this instance a sunscreen roller blind would be ideal. It has the added benefit of maintaining a degree of visibility outside. Other options would be venetian blinds or shutters, maybe even honeycomb blinds.
What aesthetic?
It’s worth keeping in mind that kitchens are often places full of sharp lines, glossy cabinets, hard stone and modern appliances, so blinds can be an opportunity to soften the room. For this, neutral hues work and almost never date.
Space and obtrusion
Many kitchens are now part of bigger open plan living areas and you may want a blind solution that is consistent across the space. Consider shutters, roller blinds or honeycomb blinds, especially if you have windows that go down to the floor.
If space is at a premium or you want an option that’s unobtrusive in the kitchen, go for roller blinds mounted inside the window frame, if depth allows; if not, mounted outside the frame will achieve almost the same result.
Long term value
Plus, beyond your own occupancy, a good kitchen can mean a difference in thousands of dollars to the value of your home; they say it’s the one part of a house that can make or break a sale.
Russells blinds
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