Choosing ideal shading for the kitchen
Pay the same attention to the shading of the kitchen as you would to a living room or bedroom. The requirements here are specific because of the more frequent fluctuations in temperature and humidity. This article presents the options you have for shading your kitchen.
What to consider before choosing shading for the kitchen
You have a choice of internal and external shading for your kitchen. Internal shading is less expensive and easier to install. However, you also have to take into account frequent cleaning and less effective shading. External shading is more expensive and more difficult to install, but it saves you a lot of maintenance work and provides more effective shading of the room.
First, consider the kitchen layout. Heat, humidity, dirt and dust means the shading will get dirty faster, increasing the maintenance requirements over other rooms. Particularly important:
- orientation of the kitchen to the sun,
- possibility of ventilation,
- distance of the window from the sink,
- proximity of the window to the stove,
- possibly connecting the kitchen with the living room.
The orientation of the kitchen will tell you how much shading is needed. The situation is the worst in the case of a south facing room, when it heats up the most during the day — in this case, choose external roller shutters with lower light transmission. Thinking about insect roller blinds? The truth is that screen roller shutters will partially protect the room. However, consider getting an insect screen along with the shading — especially if you are on the ground floor and have a window facing the garden, or if you have a tree growing outside your window. In these cases, there is a higher risk of insects getting in through the window to your kitchen.
Beware of the humidity in the room. In large kitchens with a hood and a large window, the situation is not so critical. The problem is particularly acute in small, less ventilated rooms. We do not recommend curtains or internal blinds there — they get dirty quickly and can catch mould. Getting mould out of the joints is time-consuming and requires a lot of patience. It’s better to choose external roller shutters or external blinds.
Consider the distance of the window from the sink and stove. Shading near these generally requires more frequent cleaning — water or grease from the hob can splash onto it when you are frying. Increased temperature and smoke can also further damage blinds and curtains. The grease and dirt that settles is then hard to wash off, especially from internal blinds where you have to clean each slat separately.
If you have a kitchen connected to the living room, choose the same type of external shading for both spaces — the room will be uniform in design and you will maintain a constant temperature with plenty of light in both the living and kitchen areas.
Benefits of outdoor shading in the kitchen
Outdoor shading is easier to maintain for one simple reason — it is outside the window and does not catch grease. Just wash the windows once in a while, which takes much less time than cleaning the shading itself. In addition, external shading keeps the room temperature more stable, as sunlight does not get in at all. The disadvantages include higher purchase price and more complicated installation compared to internal shading. Here, we recommend you have the installation performed by an installation company. For external shading, you have the choice of external blinds or external roller shutters.
When combined with the living room, external blinds are a good choice as they have a luxury look and allow you to easily control the amount of light in the room. They are made of durable aluminium and are easy to clean. Further, we offer external blinds with a textured paint that makes the blinds almost maintenance-free, just wash them twice a year. You can order a rolling insect screen for the blinds.
You can buy less expensive textile roller shutters on a cord or more expensive ZIP screens guided in profile, which are also included in our offer. Screen roller shutters have the advantage of being coated with a PVC layer — they are, therefore, resistant to external influences and moisture, which makes cleaning easier. As far as maintenance is concerned, just wash them with water twice a year. Screens also serve as partial protection against insects.
When using roller blinds, consider the permeability of the fabric so that you have enough light in the kitchen (especially when connected to the living room), but also so that the room does not overheat. The ideal temperature is around 20 °C.
If you are interested in external shading for your kitchen, please contact one of our dealers.
