Although sometimes unintentionally, the kitchen often becomes the hub of the modern home; the busy centre where meals are prepared, snacks are stolen and some of the most important conversations take place!

With open plan kitchens being much more than just a meal makers sanctuary, it's increasingly essential to choose blinds (and other furnishings) that you'll love to look at while being safe and easy to care for.

All the smells, sprays and steam that are by-products of cooking and cleaning eventually make their way on to the numerous surfaces found in our kitchens. This allows moisture to build up in places it usually wouldn’t and over time, this moisture can have a detrimental impact on woven fabrics, especially those used in curtain making. All of this makes curtains a less practical choice for kitchen windows as they're more easily marked and can change appearance on contact with liquids. Given these unique challenges, the most practical and suitable choice is a blind, with Venetians or rollers coming out on top for aesthetics and ease of care.

Venetian blinds

Venetian blinds offer privacy and natural light without compromising on style. The 50 or 63mm depth slats obstruct views into a house yet allow sunlight to stream in, creating bright private areas. They're made from a couple of highly-durable materials; Ecowood PVC and aluminium. Both are recommended for use in the kitchen as, unlike timber Venetians, they don’t warp or crack in sustained humidity.

Ecowood PVC is treated to look and feel like timber – offering classic styling with all the practically a kitchen requires, including being easy to clean.

Aluminium Venetian blinds are also very resistant to heat and humidity as the lightweight metal slats won’t warp or crack; they can also be easily cleaned and take up less recess space than a timber-look Venetian, with each blade measuring just 25mm front to back and 0.18mm in thickness.

These blinds offer the added convenience of being able to position their blades at any angle – providing enhanced control over privacy and how much sunlight and UV you want entering your room. Additionally, select Ecowood PVC Venetians can be supplied cordless, which is a great option for smaller windows and offers greater safety for young ones.

Roller blinds

Roller blinds come in a variety of materials, with a variety of thicknesses, each for different purposes around the home. They can be rolled up to reveal the whole window or to a specific height of your choice for sun filtration purposes.

You’ll find roller blinds available in a wide variety of colours and styles that can easily compliment existing decor. For instance, in a kitchen, a neutral fabric blind can blend in seamlessly, whereas a coloured fabric blind can become a feature, adding colour and texture to plainer walls. Roller blinds are available in three very different textural styles; opaque blockout, open weave sunscreen and semi-transparent light-filtering. Each of these provides differing visibility levels in and out but all will help to keep your home cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.

As with Venetians, rollers are quite easy to maintain, with woven polyester fabrics being easy to wipe clean in the event of a splash or spill. And with minimal ongoing care required, rollers are still likely operating as intended when it eventually comes time to move to a new abode.

Things to consider

Does your kitchen window overlook a private garden, where you can easily leave your blinds open to enjoy the view? Perhaps your kitchen opens out onto a busy street, where you’d like to have more privacy but without removing all natural daylight. You may even prefer a darker blind, to help accent the light provided by your kitchen's internal lighting. Whatever the desired outcome for your kitchen blinds, we offer a great variety of styles that are custom-made to your exact specifications and will arrive ready for quick and simple self-installation.

Contact our team to get some help finding the right blinds to complement your home.