My Thrifty 50s Kitchen Renovation: Windows, blinds and herbs

_{Some items have been gifted}

The latest phase of my kitchen makeover is tackling the windows so read on to see my attempt at DIY blind installation and how I’ve started my very own mini herb garden…I’ve got two windows in my kitchen, which makes it a lovely bright space – when the sun is shining, that is! But it also means that my kitchen is the most overlooked room in the house, so I wanted to sort out something to cover the windows that would still bring the light in. I need my privacy for making my morning cup of tea!For a few months, we just hooked up old tab-top curtains. We didn’t have any rails, we just hooked them to the old fixing points in the wall. So, they couldn’t really be opened and having thicker fabric at the windows really did make the whole room seem rather gloomy. Plus, the sink is right below one of the windows so the length of a curtain would have to be exactly right to prevent it from dipping into the water.Pretty early on I decided that a blind was the way to go. I didn’t mind whether it was a roller, Venetian or vertical blind; I just knew that a blind would fit within the recess of the window frame and could be pulled all the way up to reveal as much as light as I needed. I still want to get nice photos of my recipes!But, whatever style I chose, I knew the blinds would have to be custom-made. The windows are both very different sizes – one is exceptionally long and the other is wider and shorter. I just couldn’t imagine finding something ‘off the peg’ that would fit both windows. I DID look – I took the measurements with me into DIY stores and homewares departments but what I wanted didn’t exist.After a lot of shopping in store and online, I decided on some Venetian blinds by Style Studio, custom-made to the precise measurements of my windows. I chose a wider 50mm slat and picked a matt white finish. Seeing as there can be a lot of moisture in the kitchen when I’m cooking or washing, I decided to get blinds that were suitable for this kind of environment. Kitchen and bathroom blinds are moisture resistant and won’t bend or warp like wooden blinds might.They were easier to install than any other blinds I’ve put up on the past. Just two brackets needed to be fixed to the top of each window recess and they clipped neatly into place. I love how flexible they are. I can angle the light away when it’s too sunny, I can bring more light in to wake me up in the mornings, they still offer plenty of privacy and I can pull them all the way up to illuminate my bakes when I’m taking photos.

Now that I have blinds at the windows, I realised that I’ve got myself a little extra storage space because I can use the window sills! Now that the curtains are gone, I’ve got some wide sills above the sink that are the perfect spot for potted herbs.I’ve always wanted to grow cute pots of herbs in my kitchen so that I’ve got fresh leaves to hand when I’m cooking. I think I’ll be much more likely to throw in a handful of basil if there’s right there in my kitchen. I picked up these adorable little white pots from Red Candy and decided to plant some rosemary and chives in them.I love the little stands – they make the space on the windowsill still feel really airy. And I think they feel a bit ‘mid-century’ too, which is ideal for my 50s style kitchen. I’m probably going to add another couple of pots (they come in black and green too) to my indoor ‘herb garden’ so that I can grow mint and basil too.Can you think of any other herbs that I might need on a regular basis? I like coriander in curries so I might get that as well. Let me know what you grow at home by leaving me a comment below, and what do you think of my new kitchen blinds??

Some items in this blog post have been gifted to me and the pink links indicate a gifted product, affiliate link or information source. All thoughts and opinions in this post are based on my own experience and I am not responsible for your experience 🙂