10 kitchen curtain ideas that are far from old-fashioned

In this very striking kitchen belonging to interior designer Jodie Hazlewood, striped curtains have replaced the door panels on her pantry unit. It’s a bit of a thrifty upcycling hack if you have a cupboard that’s past its best, but want to avoid the cost of replacing it.

Curtains have something of a reputation for costing an arm and a leg – it certainly can be the case for made-to-measure curtains – but there are plenty of more affordable options. A vintage lace strung up without a pole as Pearl Lowe has done in her beach house, feels bohemian and unfussy and lets in ample natural light.

It is common to choose curtains that contrast with the colour of your walls in order to draw attention to windows and the view beyond. But the popularity of colour drenching has turned this decorating paradigm on its head. In this farmhouse kitchen, the curtains contribute to the buttery yellow colour palette which creates the impression of perpetual early morning sunlight.

Pictured: Marlborough Terracotta Tile at Ca'Pietra

The revival of the sink skirt is one of 2025’s biggest interior trends and long may it last. These little curtains offer such a creative opportunity – you can choose a real wishlist fabric because you won’t need metres and metres, and they’re an affordable way of replacing worn-out cupboard doors.

Cafe curtains typically cover the lower half of a window, allowing natural light to flood in while still providing a level of privacy. They are a really charming addition to glass panelled kitchen doors that give onto a pantry or utility room, hiding some of the inevitable clutter.

Pictured: Curtain Lace at Tori Murphy

In true maximalist style, interior designer Sophie Robinson has used candy cane striped curtains in her open-plan kitchen and dining room. She has implemented one of her own pattern mixing rules, which is to use large scale print – the stripes – against a smaller scale print – the floral wallpaper. Patterns of similar scale tend to fight for attention, which can feel jarring or distracting.

Pictured: Curtains in Paper Straw fabric and Woodland Floral Wallpaper, both at Harlequin

It is typical to have a kitchen window above a sink, and they are often dressed with blinds that sit up and away from the threat of splashes. A deep Belfast sink and robust splashback similar to this vintage-style kitchen offer ample protection, so you can hang short curtains.

A brilliant decorating trick in the home of designer Anna Hope, who has used a matching wallpaper and curtain fabric to create a pattern drenching effect. This is most effective in small kitchens or adjacent spaces such as utility rooms or pantries.

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