The Café Curtain Edit: 5 Timeless Ways to Style Every Room

Pictured: Lucy Cafe Curtain-Natural-Unlined
Scottish Curtain Collection-Brown-Unlined

Café Curtains usually only cover the lower half of the window, increasing privacy while retaining natural light. Compared with curtains covering the whole window, they are lighter and make it easier to add colors, patterns and fabric texture to the space.

In today’s scenario, however, Café Curtains do not restrict themselves to the traditional kitchen setting. In different architectural environments, such as bay windows, bedroom, study rooms, and bathrooms, the use of different types of materials and coordination techniques enables these Café Curtains to be part of the complementing soft furnishings in the room. Important factors in this regard are their correct positioning, the selection of material as either solid color or print, and coordination with the existing window coverings.

1. Bay Window

Pictured: Lucy Cafe Curtain-Natural-Unlined
Zaria Curtain Collection-Milk Tea-Unlined

A bay window is very suitable for Café Curtains. The half-window design can retain the light from above while blocking the outside sightlines through the lower half, and does not cover a large amount of glass like a full curtain.

English or traditional style can include fine stripes, little checks and floral designs; the modern interior is best suited for plain linen or linen blends of off-white, oatmeal and grey colors. If it is a multi-sided or curved window, segmented customization usually makes it easier to control the proportions, and the privacy of each window can also be adjusted separately.

1. Kitchen & dining room

Pictured: Marin Cafe Curtain-Ivory-Unlined

The kitchen is one of the most classic settings for Café Curtains. Curtains cover the area below eye level, which not only retains natural light, but also reduces the privacy problems caused by street-facing windows.

Patterns can be added appropriately here. Gingham checks, small florals and fine stripes are suitable for white or cream cabinets; if the kitchen itself has bold colors, you can choose plain fabric to keep the overall look balanced.

While choosing curtains for the kitchen, maintenance and longevity should be taken into account. Curtains made of cotton or cotton-linen mixture should be chosen for areas close to the sink and the kitchen.

3. Bedroom

Pictured: Jessa Collection-Red Brown 1903-18

The bedroom is another setting that is easily ignored.

If there is only one floor-to-ceiling curtain in the bedroom, the window may sometimes look monotonous or empty when the curtain is fully opened. At this time, a layer of Café Curtains can be added to create a layered look with the floor-to-ceiling curtains.

The external drapes make up the complete visual frame and provide night-time cover, while the internal Café Curtains give privacy and light diffused during the day time. To get a feel of the boutique hotel atmosphere, one can go for a combination of drapes that belong to the same color group but are made up of different materials, such as a white-colored full-length drapery along with a bit dark-colored linen café curtain.

3. Home Office

Pictured: Jessa Collection-Tapioca 1901-9-Unlined

For home offices, Café Curtains are more like a layer of soft light decoration. They can filter some direct sunlight, reduce the glare on the computer screen, and retain the natural light above the window.

It is recommended to choose plain or low-contrast textured fabrics, such as natural linen, cotton-linen blend and finely woven fabrics. Oatmeal, warm gray, sand and other neutral colors are easy to blend into the study.

If the window gets strong western sun, they can be paired with roller shades and other solar shading products, instead of relying on Café Curtains alone.

3. Bathroom

Pictured: Mila Collection-Milk Tea-Unlined

The most important thing in the bathroom is privacy. Café Curtains can block sightlines through the lower half while allowing natural light to enter from above, which is especially suitable for smaller bathrooms.

Warm white, stone, light gray and other solid-colored fabrics are recommended here; if you want to add patterns, you can choose small-scale botanical motifs or fine stripes.

The same idea applies to small windows in the breakfast nook, guest room and stairwell. In such a small space, small florals, checks and stripes can add a little personality to the space without looking too busy.

Proportion is more important than pattern

Café Curtains do not have a fixed installation height. The size of the window, the position of the furniture, outside sightlines and the lighting conditions all affect the final proportions. The kitchen may need a higher coverage position, and the bedroom requires consideration of the relationship with the floor-to-ceiling curtains.

This is also the meaning of custom window treatments: it is not simply about covering the window, but about making the fabric, pattern and proportion really suitable for the space.

For those who appreciate the natural look of their homes, Cafe Curtains do not necessarily have to be the central attraction of the room. Linen does not have to look too elaborate, but adding a little pattern such as a check or micro print can add some character. Added to the floor-to-ceiling curtains, the Cafe Curtains will give the window a complete look.