Roman shades in the kitchen

A lot of the kitchens in pictures I save on my computer have roman shades on the windows. I like the look of fabric in kitchens -- especially kitchens with a lot of white -- because it softens the room, and is a quick and easy way to add color.

Here's a picture from my parents' house. My mom made the curtain, and I think it looks great.

It's hard to see what the fabric and trim detail look like, so I zoomed in:

My mom specializes in pleats and ruffles - you can see her handiwork in my slipcovered armchairs from an earlier post. The quality of both pictures is not that great because I grabbed the stills from a Flip video, but you get the idea.

I've used this next picture before (in my round-up about red), but it fits in this post too, so here it is again.

Now I'm looking at the floors, too. Do you think they're painted wood? It's kind of hard to tell.

And finally, roman shades don't have to be in a colorful fabric to soften a room.

It's not really a fabric, and there are no colors in sight. But there's already a lot going on with this kitchen (in a good way), so I think the simple, natural texture works.

I love the picture of the kitchen below, but after noticing all the pretty roman shades, I can't help but imagine this window with a pretty dress on.

Happy Wednesday!

Dedicated to the Tin Can Alleys

Here are the mugs we have. They're Tin Can Alley by Lenox, and are one of my favorite things in our kitchen -- especially when paired with blueberries and milk. See? I love white and light blue in any form!

In fact, if the mug were an entryway, it might just look like this:

Here are more pops of light blue in a picture of kitchen shelves that are filled with white dishes and golden-toned picture frames, along with silvery accents on the counter.

Something about the metal chairs in the dining room below is reminiscent of the whole Tin Can Alley line.

I don't think the next picture is from the same house, but they have similar color palates. I could picture a row of Tin Can Alleys hanging on something like this.

Maybe mixed with something like this?

And definitely hanging over something like this:

Raj Teapot from Sundance

Dream kitchen in reality

About a year ago, I came across this picture:

In my mind, that single snapshot was representative of the whole kitchen, and it was white and soft and cloud-like. I couldn't remember where I got the photo, though, so one picture was all I had.

And then, I found it! It's "A San Francisco Turn-of-the-Century Kitchen" from House Beautiful, and there are 7 whole new pictures to look at.

Oh, kitchen ... Madonna said it first: "Just like a dream, you are not what you seem."

What? Really? This is not a white kitchen at all. And the shelves are kind of cluttered on the wall behind the table. Not so sure about that view.

Here's another:

Well, the range and hood are nice. I like the white under the oven. But it looks like a restaurant ... granted, a good one that would probably serve a great brunch, but it's just not what I was expecting.

I do like the vintage dishtowels hanging on the island:

The ceiling is really cool, but I am not a fan of the hanging pots and pans. Come to think of it, maybe they're the main reason I'm not crazy about this room. How can a room look light and airy if there are large metal and copper pieces suspended in mid air? But look at the quilted pattern on the refrigerator!

Here's a close up of the spice rack that is just to the left of the stove. Umm, it's a nice spice rack? There's nothing really to say about this one. Well done.

The pictures were eye-opening, that's for sure, but what really crushed my dream was something in the accompanying article ... something that relates to the first photo (the one I love).

Here's the excerpt I kind of wish I never found:

The old-fashioned faucets add to the old-world effect, but what really makes the sink special is that extra layer of marble in back.

That wasn't part of the plan, but somehow the slab we bought cracked in transport. When something goes wrong, you have to get creative, so I had them get another segment that matched and we put it on top to cover the crack. People think it's Carrara marble, but it's actually Calacatta Oro, which is softer and creamier and much less gray. It's a very impractical surface. Even a glass of water will leave a ring, but having said that, I would do it again. Nothing else has that old English country house look. It's honed, and you can have it rehoned if necessary.

Wait, what? You can't even put a glass of water on the counter? Having said that, maybe I don't love this kitchen all that much, after all.

Let's close with this:

If you can't stand the heat, then get out of the kitchen

A lot of old houses in New England have something I love: A fireplace in the kitchen.

I like the warm colors in this picture, but if it were my room, I'd put a more comfortable chair in front of the fire.

This one looks 1) really old and 2) like it would heat the whole kitchen. I think I would be tempted to make s'mores.

This one looks like a bakery. Imagine snow outside the window instead of leafy, summary greens.

Newer houses don't often have fireplaces in the kitchen (at least, not the ones I've seen on Trulia and in other listings.) I wonder why.

But, at first glance, this kitchen below looks like it might have a fireplace in it. It definitely looks warm. Maybe it's the antlers hanging over the range?

Here's another picture of a kitchen/dining room that looks like it might have a fireplace in it (and I don't know, maybe this room does have one on the other side of the table). In this case, it's the slipcovered arm chairs that make me think of fires and other warm thoughts.