Do you have any areas in your home that you would like to hide, even if only temporarily? I sure did, and I have come up with a great solution for the little problem. Back when we remodeled our townhouse, we removed the wall between the kitchen and the great room so the kitchen wouldn’t be boxed in and away from the action.
Shortly after we moved in, I bought a wonderful antique screen at a local shop, and painted it white. I kept the screen in an area of dead space between the two rooms.
Whenever we entertained, I opened the screen and moved it in front of the large doorway. It hid the kitchen from our guests but only partially. Through the spindles, they could still see pots and pans along with my activity between courses. I have loved using the screen, but all along I always thought there might be a better way to keep guests from looking right into the kitchen when enjoying a nice meal. Then I realized that curtains can provide privacy on the inside as well as on windows to the outside.
Recently, I remembered that lots of the old Victorian houses often used curtains on the doorways between the rooms for various reasons. When closed, the curtains kept rooms warmer in cold months, cooler in the summer, added softness to the room, and provided privacy. I decided that using curtains between our kitchen and great room would add the privacy that the kitchen needed.
I searched high and low for curtains that would fit the decor of both rooms and found these at Country Curtains. They are a small navy check called the Laurel Check Curtains, and they came in many different lengths, including the 96 inches that I needed. They are made of cotton which will make them easy to maintain. Navy is my neutral, and since we have some form of navy in every room in our house, it was an easy choice. With a little help from Mr. Right, I put the curtains up this past week-end. We hung them using a white tension rod and rings that Country Curtains also provided. The white rod blends right into the bookcases, and by using a tension rod, we didn’t have to deal with hanging brackets, etc.
On an everyday basis, they will remain open, but on those occasions when we have dinner guests sitting at our great room table, I can close them and camouflage the kitchen. If I had gotten these curtains for a window, I would have used more panels for extra fullness, but for the doorway, less is more.
By the way, this is that kitchen wall that we tore out during the remodel. The room was completely cut off from everything. I think the wall with the opening is much better, don’t you? The sink you see there in the photo is where the opening is now.
Using curtains from Country Curtains in the doorway was such a clever and easy solution. I want to thank them for providing the curtains, the rod, and the rings. We have had so much good luck using Country Curtains. You might recall seeing their curtains in Little Miss’s room. I have already taken the wooden screen to the basement and have set up a small dressing area in the corner of the guest room. I’ll show that to you soon.
Take care.
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Dani says
Hi, great idea about the curtains! Can you tell me where you bought the awesome cow picture on the wall? Love the colors! Thank you
Jordan says
Hi Dani,
Here is a link to the artist page on etsy. http://tidd.ly/f2539183 My mom did get it a few years ago but the artisit has a lot of cows!
Dani says
Thanks Jordan!
Cyndi says
Great solution. I bet it helped muffle the sound between the two spaces as well.
Amy says
Here in chilly Wisconsin, I put a heavy curtain between the kitchen and the drafty back hall that leads to the garage. I also put a set of microfiber panels up to block drafts from a room that faces north and seems to always be cold. The difference is amazing. In summer, I move them to the (doorless) entrance to the basement so my cold air doesn’t flow right down the stairs. Tension rods. Gotta love em.
Jordan says
Amy, thanks so much for your comments. We both love Wisconsin, even in the cold!