DIY Kitchen Cabinet Curtains
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Just before Christmas, I got an email asking if we would be open to having a photographer shoot our home for an upcoming issue in a magazine. I immediately said yes, and got busy prepping the farmhouse, which meant lots of cleaning, lots of styling, and lots of little projects. And one of the projects I worked on were these DIY kitchen cabinet curtains! I made my own cabinet skirts / curtains for our microwave cabinet in the kitchen, and I also made one to hide the beverage cooler in the coffee bar area. Both curtains turned out so good that I knew I needed to share them with you here on the blog!
If you’re new here, we actually re-built my grandparents’ 1800’s farmhouse here in North Carolina. (You can take a virtual tour the old house and see all the before photos right here on the blog). In the old house, the kitchen cupboards were open, and the lower cabinet actually had a cabinet curtain too! I like to base a lot of my design choices off of the old house and how things looked back then. So it means a lot to me that I was able to incorporate a kitchen cabinet curtain in our new / old kitchen, as a nod to the old house!!
Kitchen Cabinet Curtains vs Open Cabinetry
When we designed the new kitchen cabinet layout back in 2018, I knew I wanted the microwave to be out of sight. So we opted to put it in the island in a microwave cabinet. It’s nice because the microwave is still very accessible to everyone in the family, but it doesn’t have to be a focal point in the kitchen. But the one thing I don’t love about this set-up is that this space collects a lot of dust. I don’t know if it’s worse because the cabinet is lower to the ground or just because it’s not an area I think to dust regularly. But either way, I’m hoping the curtain will help cut back on some of the dust we have in the open part of our cabinetry.
How to Make Your Own DIY Kitchen Cabinet Curtains
Alright, let’s get on to the “how to” part of this post. If you can cut fabric and sew in a straight line, this will be the easiest sewing project ever! Essentially all you’ll need to do is find a fabric you love, sew one or 2 curtain panels, and hang the curtains inside your cabinet with a curtain rod.
Determining How Big Should the Curtains Be?
You’ll want to cut the material for your curtains slightly longer than the cabinet opening to allow for the hem and the rod pocket. For example, my cabinet opening is 16 inches, but my cut fabric measured 19.5 inches. I added .5 inches for the bottom hem and 2 inches for the rod pocket.
The width will depend on how full you like your curtains to be. I like mine pretty full, so made to curtain panels both measuring the full width of the cabinet opening. Be sure to add a little extra material for the side hems. If you’re making two curtain panels, add an extra inch to the width of each panel to allow for a .5 inch hem on each side.
How to Sew Your Own Kitchen Cabinet Curtains
Sewing tip: use your iron before you start hemming! My iron is used explicitly for sewing projects y’all. None of my clothes are fancy enough to need ironing. But I still own an iron because it is very helpful with projects like this!
Once you have your curtain panels cut, fold over .5 an inch at the bottom of the curtain and iron your hems before sewing. Repeat this step on the sides of the curtain panel. Then fold 2 inches over at the top of the curtain and iron. This will form your rod pocket. Sew the rod pocket closed and you’re done!
How to Hang Your Cabinet Skirt / Curtains
Hanging a cabinet skirt or curtain is very simple and honestly super affordable too! I use these $3 tension rods from Walmart here at the farmhouse. I especially like these because you just twist the two sections of the rod to extend or to shorten the rod for a quick install. (Unlike these tension rods with the screws and the spring that require a screwdriver to resize Take my word for it and go with the cheaper Walmart ones. We have both in our home, and the Walmart ones are way simpler and easier to use.) They get the job done, and there’s also no sense in spending any more than that because you’ll never even see them / notice them.
Choosing Patterns & Fabrics for Kitchen Cabinet Skirts
Cabinet skirts and cupboard curtains can play up that vintage cottage, old farmhouse feel in your kitchen. So consider some of those more traditional, vintage patterns and fabrics to fit the vibe. Ginghams and plaids, vintage looking florals, ticking stripes, and even toile could work. I opted for a classic black and white toile fabric for our kitchen, and I chose a black and white ticking stripe for the coffee bar area.
I loved making my own DIY kitchen cabinet curtains, and I’m excited to finally share them here with you on the blog! Seeing them in our home brings me back to my granny’s kitchen, and I hope seeing them on the blog brought you a little inspiration and joy today too. If you loved this post and this project idea, you have got to see the DIY tie-up curtains I made a while back!! This was another super simple sewing project that made a big impact in our home!
And if you love vintage toile patterns as much as I do, you’ll also want to check out our vintage toile bedding from Red Land Cotton. I styled it for Christmas and it was the perfect addition to our French country farmhouse bedroom. Thanks for stopping by the blog today, and as always, thanks for following along…
