Shades With a Splash

The right window treatments can brighten a room -- even one that doesn't enjoy much sunlight. As the place where the family or friends congregate while meals are being prepared, the kitchen should be cheerful -- a bright, happy space conducive to easy conversation and relaxed comfort. Windows play an important role in achieving that mood. Kitchen window treatments can brighten the room even at night, when no natural light is present.

bright window treatments
Canary yellow stagecoach shades tied with patterned fabric
matching a print valance express blue-sky optimism at the windows.

Cheerful window shades that introduce a jubilant palette and pattern ensure that the kitchen is as pleasant as it should be. In a kitchen filled with pattern on the walls and furnishings, consider shades in a solid color picked up from the palette -- a hue that blends with the dominant scheme while standing out as the all-important color.

Yellow, with its sunny qualities and mood-lifting capacity, has long been a favorite for the kitchen. On shades topped with a patterned valance, it defines the room's atmosphere, as well as its windows. For kitchens in which the walls are painted a bold, solid color, consider the opposite approach with shades: a striking pattern that repeats the dominant color, but couples it with another to prevent overkill.

For more decorating ideas around the home, see: