I love the bolder classic new drapes in the LR even though your 'before' LR looked great with what you had.

I don't think you need any valances or curtains in the DR. A valance on the wall over the door looks weird. (You wanted honesty.) And using either a valance or curtains with a window seat only looks OK in a bedroom where the look of a cozy reading nook is desired. In a DR it gives that "puppet theater" look. I would just go with blinds and maybe add some sort of scrollwork as art on the black wall over the window seat.

A subtle valance in the kitchen would be nice but I think the one you have now looks too boxy.

Ditto what dilly dally said (say that 3 times fast!) I love your new drapes - much more interesting than what was there previously.

The problem with opinions is that they vary... I don't much like the buffalo checks in the LR. Although the previous drapes were a bit dull, and might be more so with the new paint, they harmonized better. I love the variety of pattern in the room, but for me those checks overwhelm all the others by too great a margin.

I could live with all of what you've got in the kitchen, but would agree the bamboo shades look a bit heavy, but white and bamboo don't clash as such. The window frames are all white so white blinds would be less obtrusive.

I like the valance over the window bench, because taking it out would leave the one in the kitchen all alone and looking kind of random. As a set, they pull the rooms together. And I love that fabric, I'd want more of it in view just for the fun of it. If you could find something that harmonizes with that fabric for your LR drapes, and also harmonizes with your rug, I think you'd have the right drapes.

KarinL

Love the new drapes!

I think that a simple valance in the kitchen would serve you well but nothing over the door.

I don't think that drapes are practical in a window seat area that will be used on a regular basis.

Although lovely, I don't think that the 2 fabrics work well w/ eachother. They give me 2 totally different feelings like I'm in 2 different houses. Would you consider using a different fabric for your valances?

Is privacy an issue in the door area? What about the window seat area?

Now personally I like the look of a wooden blind or roll up shade layered underneath curtain panels. I must - every room in my downstairs is done that way.

I think the valence material is too dark for that room and weighs it down. I agree with what was said above; I'd leave the window seat without a valance and only put one over the kitchen sink window if you really wanted one there.

The new drapes look awesome!

How about 2 inch white blinds in the kitchen? The wider blinds allow more light in but the white won't compete or look heavy on your windows.

I really like both curtains so I'm not much help. I like the calmness of the original drapes but love the pop and boldness of the new ones. I would suggest a few more black accent pieces to tie the black to the living area. It ties well witb the fire place but I feel it you added a few more touches of black and white it would bring it together better. For the bench and kitchen window would you consider a soft black and white toile? I feel it would tie your dark counters to the black and white of both sets of curtains. I agree with everyone above that you don't need a curtain over the door and love the idea of white blinds.
I'm anxious to see the final project.
Sunny

The before was nice, but the after says wow! I like the new paint and I love buffalo check...so naturally they appeal to me. As alreadt stated, the drapes in the window seat don't feel right and the valance fabric feels too heavy. I would bring some of that buffalo check to the kitchen in either pillows for the windowseat or as trim on a lighter window valance. Maybe a cream? If you dont need the blinds for privacy or sun blockage I would forego them. Pretty room!

Your "before" room was lovely BUT the new curtains are fantastic!

Another vote to go without any valances in the kitchen. Any chance you could photograph your kitchen without the valances? Just to see how that change might look?

For the summer months -- how about hanging a simple plain white ironstone platter over the door in the kitchen? And some plain white plates over the windows there too? Simple and fresh! Add a white runner to the table with a white bowl of fruit.

Jan at Rosemary Cottage

I really liked the original gold, but I Love the check!
The gold is safe and predictable whereas the check has the WOW factor. Can you share where you found them?

I prefer a valance over the windowseat but not above the door.

Awesome, I'm loving the responses and your honesty. So far you've went pretty easy on me! Many of the comments confirmed what I was thinking.

One thing I've decided is the bamboo is going back. I love the functionality of them, but after I wanted them so badly, they just don't look right. I do need the privacy at night so I will probably just go with a white cordless pull down shade, one that will not be very noticable when they are up. And as Sandra and Sunny suggested, maybe go with a white blind in the kitchen.

Most of you liked the buffalo check, so maybe I'll work from that direction over to the kitchen instead of the opposite way.

I totally agree with the poster who said it's like it's two different houses.

As KarinL said, I was trying to bring the windows/door all to the same visual height and have a uniform look. Seems overwhelmingly the opinion is no window treatments above the window seat/door though, so maybe I'll put some ironwork or plate rack above the windowseat.

Thanks for all the opinions so far. I felt like I was in a whirlwind before so you've helped give me some direction.
Thank you, thank you!!!

I'm going to be the horrible naysayer. I don't love either curtains and I do feel that they're competing with each other instead of complimenting.

I like the idea of the buffalo check but they just don't tie into the room for me.

I think your home is lovely tho!

Here's one picture of the window seat window without a treatment. One neighbor had shutters on the bottom that looked nice. What about that option (though costly).

{{!gwi}}

I LOVE the buffalo checked draperies! And the paint color is great too. I agree that bringing in some more black accents into that room would make it more cohesive, and also into the adjoining kitchen/dining area.

That window seat is so pretty. If you didn't need privacy, I would say to leave it as is, but you said you do need privacy. The shutter option is a good idea. Would the cafe style give you enough privacy?

A valance over the window by the sink would look very nice. I would try to tie everything in with the family room, since the spaces are so open to one another.

I did like the more contemporary, substantial chairs in your before photo better than the more delicate queen anne chairs in your after. I know you said you borrowed them from another room, but what you had before (especially that arm chair) worked so much better in terms of scale & style.

Love your new wall color, & your coffee table is very handsome. Great kitchen table & chairs too!

I'm so sorry, but I also agree with the 2 naysayers about the 2 fabrics not working together well. It's 2 different looks & while I like both of them, I don't like them together. I would choose one or the other. Just my opinion.

I like both sets of drapes but I think the two new chairs in the after picture aren't as good as the chairs in the before picture. They look stiff and uncomfortable, more like dining room chairs then comfy family room chairs.

Yes, I'm definitely in the market for new chairs. These are just temporary. I thought I found the perfect chairs on Craigslist and someone snatched them up before me.

{{!gwi}}

Someone asked where the checked curtains came from. They were from JCPenney.com on clearance.

I love the new drapes but agree that both sets don't go well together. I would try to find some valances that blend with the new drapes and for me I like the idea of a valance in the window seat

Love the new drapes and agree that the two patterns don't go well. I would stay with the Buffalo Check. The other seems heavy for the room. Shutters would be great, though expensive as you said. Beautiful house!

Love the valances in the kitchen, not crazy about the bamboo blinds. They don't seem to fit together - the valances are much dressier than the bamboo.

I love the buffalo check idea, but not the strong black and white - not a great fit with your colors. If you could get them in a gold and cream or tan and cream check, they would work better, I think.

However, I wonder if you have considered reversing the process, and trying the dark print valances in the LR, and the buffalo check in the kitchen? I think the deep color of the valances and the dressy style would be lovely in the LR, and the buffalo check, even in the black and white, would be nice in the kitchen.

I would also look for a different area rug for the LR, something with deeper colors and larger. This one looks like it is trying to blend in to the carpeting, but not quite making it.

I don't know why the colors seem to be coming off wrong, but the buffalo check is brown and white, and the kitchen valances are a really dark brown.

Yes, a larger rug is definitely in order. This was snagged from another room mainly to test the size. This is an 8X10 and it's on the small side-- les you are right. I'll be on the lookout for something more colorful.

Also agree that the bamboo is going to go. You all have helped me determine that. Now I've just got to decide that will take it's place. White faux wood blinds? A different roman shade? Maybe one that coordinates with the buffalo check? Or shutters? The thing with that is the cost and not knowing if I'm going to like them till they are up and then you can't return. Scary!

Thanks again for all the nice comments and constructive criticism.

I agree that the bamboo shades don't look right; white is the way to go. Can you buy more of those buffalo check panels and make valances for the kitchen?

I like the bolder LR drapes. They really give the room a fresh look. I would delete the valances as they seem dark and result in (just my opinion) too much going on. The shades will look fine on their own. How about a pillow made out of the drapery fabric on the window seat to pull it all togather?

I was just flipping through an Anthropologie catalogue and noticed they have some cool finials and curtains for sale, and although I have all the finials and curtains I could possibly want and then some, and although I don't generally shop in the Anthropologie price range, the thought went through my head that "Ha! Now THAT's my style." (I finally named it too: folkloric Victorian. But I digress) Then for some reason I thought of this thread and it struck me that what bugs me about the buffalo check drapes is that to me, based on the rest of what we see of your stuff and your taste, they don't look like they are your style.

Most everything else that you've shown, from the honey-warm kitchen to the sofa cushions to the different chairs you've shown, is pretty consistent style-wise, and those drapes stick out like a sore thumb (to me at least).

It's a nice thumb, mind you, as is made evident by the fact that a lot of people like them. And you could make them work though all the ways mentioned - change up the rug, take down the valances, bring in some new chairs, denude the window with the seat, add checks to the seat - but I think the question is, is changing your style what you want to do?

Sometimes, an impulse out-of-character purchase is a message that we're craving a change, and as the first step in a new direction of course it is going to look out of synch with what we have. (I once bought a coat that totally changed, over time, how I dress). Other times, the impulse, out-of-character purchase is just a mistake! (Although I've been known to put this type of purchase in a cupboard just so I can taste something different even if I don't want to commit to it).

Maybe you need to put the two things that people feel don't seem to go together - the valances and the buffalo checks - side by side, and decide which one better reflects what you want your space to look like. Maybe naming the two styles would help choose between them, if they are as different as I think they are.

KarinL

Hey Karin, You have completely hit the nail on the head! I would have never chosen those drapes, and actually they are reversible so I originally put up the plain brown side. Then I thought, hey, let me try something different and turned them around to the check side. I like the drama that they add, but no, I would not have chosen them. You are good!!! And really, I loved the valance fabric in the kitchen but even without the buffalo check, maybe it's just too much.

The bamboo have come down. What next, I don't know.

I'm no help...I really like both sets of drapes--- pretty room!

I have to say that both rooms are beautiful. I love the new tan color and warm feeling in both rooms. Very Pretty!

Like everyone else, I like both fabrics, but not together. How about using the fabric you are liking in the kitchen, in both rooms instead? You'll probably have to get a darker area rug to make it work, but IMO I think they would look great. I don't see it as "too much"- just very pretty!!!!
Choosing fabrics for "greatrooms" like this is tough. I am struggling with the same issue right now and am tortured trying to get my open kitchen/family room fabrics coordinated.

Oh, good, I'm glad that was on the right track.

"The bamboo have come down. What next, I don't know." Well, you could always post another picture, with the drapes brown side out :-)

I don't see the valance fabric as being too much at all, I think it harmonizes nicely with your cabinets, and connects the spaces nicely when you have it all the way to the window seat.

As for the LR drapes, if the brown alone is too dark (is it?) then you could always try my favourite design technique, shopping :-) Take a piece of the valance fabric along as well as your paint colour and look for something that harmonizes or compliments.

If you can do the valance fabric throughout that might be interesting. It might be too much of a good thing or too dark though.

One thing I also notice about your space is that it has both white and beige in it. It looks nice, but in observing other spaces where people are trying to match things to this look, it seems to me that picking out either one to coordinate with seems to make the other one look wrong. So for what it's worth, I might avoid excess white or beige in the drapes you choose. I could be wrong on that, but it might be worth keeping in mind.

KarinL

Karin, I'll have to get the pic I have of the brown drapes posted in a little bit. I didn't care for them for a couple reasons. One was that they just seemed boring. Two, they don't go well with the brown chair. I do like the the buffalo check but is there a reason you think they are not the right style? I'm not really sure what style they would be considered. And I'm really not sure what my sytle is--maybe ecclectic/traditional or transitional, but then I like a little of the French too. Really, I just want it to look good.

What a pretty home you have! I have to say I lean towards the buffalo check drapes because that type of pattern is what I prefer. So I love them in your LR. I like the bamboo shades in the kitchen a lot and I think they might look nice on their own without the valances/drapes. I was wondering if maybe lowering the rods in the LR more like the height over the window bench would make a difference. I would love to see bamboo blinds hung under those buffalo drapes!

I love both sets of curtains however, the checks really stand out nicely! I also want to say that I really love the bamboo blinds alone, without valances or draperies, especially since you clarified that the checks are BROWN and white. Lovely, Lovely home!

Are you really set on creating a window seat in the open kitchen/dining area? I notice it looks like you still have tags on the pillows in case they don't work out.

Is anyone really going to be sitting there? It is not very deep and it is not in a quiet area of the house. This recessed window area looks to be made just perfectly for shutters. The recess was created so when the shutters are open they don't swing into the room interfering with traffic flow.

Wide slat shutters would help coordinate with the horizontal lines of the buffalo check in the LR. I would not bring in more buffalo check into the kitchen or DR, or else the LR drapes will lose their "Wow" factor becoming diluted. White shutters would provide some interest to the kitchen and DR and keep it bright and fresh while maintaining the traditional yet contemporary feel to the home.

I am loving all this feedback! Thanks for the nice compliments. It's so intimidating posting pictures when people have such gorgeous homes and decor. Everything I do just seems to be trial and error.

dilly dally--you bring up an interesting thought about the window seat. No, it really isn't very deep or comfy to sit at. One of the neighbors had cafe shutters and they looked so nice. Would you do shutters on the window above the sink too, and what about the french door? I don't mind investing in them if they are the best choice. Also, how would you address the seat? With or without a cushion?

So many different opinions but I'm weighing it all. Thanks again!

Oh darn, I did like the bamboo shades,I thought they were a nice way to continue the wood tones in the cabinets into the windows. But I'm not a big fan of wood blinds, too many horizontal lines for that lovely window seat area. In fact, I thought the same shades would look great in the living room under the new panels and would serve to blend the two rooms together without the distraction of wood blinds. The shades look nice pulled up and out of the way giving for an open view.
Shutters would work, too, they have a wider slat and not all the strings involved, but the price tag is larger.
I don't think you need valances if you have the shades, and if you do valances, they would look nice if you could incorporate some of the checked fabric

"Also, how would you address the seat? With or without a cushion? "

I would stop thinking of it as a 'window seat' and think of it as a 'ledge'. I would put wide slat blinds on the windows or flat Roman blinds, and maybe a row of potted herbs on the ledge. Or keep the ledge clear and use plantation shutters or bi-fold. You probably will want them open during the day?

Or maybe something flat against the window that includes a self valance to hide the shade when up. Roman shades can work for the rooms but choose ones that don't bulk up into big folds when they are raised. That way you will be able to use the same window covering on the window and the door. Hunter-Douglas Silhouettes are a good choice too.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hunter Douglas Silhouettes

I'm a novice at naming styles (the usual limits of my decorating vocabulary have been "that's nice") but if I were to give it a shot I would call the buffalo check a western/country/rustic/log cabin look. I think your names for your usual style are pretty good - French, traditional, also maybe formal, a bit dressy.

For me, those styles don't have an intersection point with each other, but maybe for other people they do. At the moment with those drapes in the living room, it strikes me like wearing sweat pants and high heels together. That is to say, some people do it, but that doesn't make it a good thing :-)

The valance at the "ledge" strikes me as good whatever you do to cover the window, because without it the window is so stark compared to the kitchen immediately adjacent.

KarinL

I like your new paint color. Although I like the buffalo check, I'm more of the safe and predictable type so I like the original drapes better. They seem to fit better with your style. I love the idea of plantation shutters. I splurged last year for plantation shutters and I haven't regretted it. I'm not using window treatments with my shutters. I may eventually get window treatments, but right now I'm content with the clean look.

I'm in need of new furniture for my family room and I was considering this Broyhill Shona Chair. It might would work in your room as well.

I was looking at overstock.com this a.m. and I saw this rug and thought about your room, so I thought I would post the link to it below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Overstock Rug

I hadn't commented on the shades in my earlier post, but maybe a lighter, natural,wood tone would be better and not heavy? I like bamboo shades in a kitchen. They add warmth and functionality.

I forgot to mention that you could also add plates above the kitchen window. I plan to do something like this over my windows that I showed you earlier.

Take a look at this old GW thread. It may give you some ideas. I love soonermagics window treatment and aktillery's plates above her kitchen sink window.

Here is a link that might be useful: Old GW Thread about what's over your kitchen sink

Well I hit my favorite remnant spot today and got this fabric to go on the window seat "ledge." It seems to tie in with the buffalo check better than what was there before. The pillow is the same fabric as the kitchen valance. Maybe the cushion wont work if I get shutters but I'll have to wait on those anyway, or do a different blind. Now I want to recover my dining chairs.

I know the thing above the window is too tall but I borrowed it from another room to see how something like that would look. I like the look, and also like the idea of the plates on top. Thanks for sharing all the pictures. Love the chair and the shutters.

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}
Here's that chair again. Maybe a rug similiar to that with tans and a dark brown would be good. This one looks like it has black in it. Would that go with tan and cream?
{{!gwi}}

I love the Buffalo Check and the window seat fabric is perfect. I was hoping you could share where you got the curtains and what color paint your were using in the living room. It looks great.

Thanks cyrus1! The curtains came from JCPenney and the paint color, well that's a mix of several different colors. I tried so many different colors and finally just combined them all in a bin and put it up. I should just say it's a custom color to make it sound good.

Thank you...well, it's a good job on "custom paint" color and I love your rooms. I especially love the check curtains, but I don't see them on the Penney's site anymore, maybe they are all sold out. Anyway...I love them in your room.

I tried looking as well and don't see them. They were in the clearance section online but now there's hardly anything. Thanks again for the nice compliments.