Café Curtains are  an older styled curtain developed to keep the lower portion of the window covered. Quite often the café curtain can be found in Europe, France, and England at a breakfast or café establishment. For those who have an European flare to the décor in their home, a Café Curtain would create that added touch in the breakfast nook or kitchen area of the home. The Café Curtain is a far more attractive and less expensive option than the choice of obscured glass windows.

What is a Café Curtain?
Café Curtains are a special type of typically permanent curtain that is hug from a pole or rail and covers only the lower half of the window. The main purpose of this type of curtain is to provide privacy or to hide an unwelcome view from those on the interior and exterior of the home. Most often, this curtain is made of a permanent flat panel that allows you to see above the curtain at a certain determined height. There are a few variations available depending upon your taste and preference. Wooden free-standing folding frames allow you to create an unusual look while offering you the ability to fold the curtain to one side and opening up the window completely, especially when used in conjunction with matching full length curtains.

Fabric Options
Being made of ordinary curtain fabric, the Café Curtain creates a quite different effect from nets or screens which remain opaque. Stripes are smart and in pastel Neapolitan ice-cream shades will create a cool, continental look, while flounced florals appear pretty but old-fashioned. These curtain fabric options are the perfect companions for stripped pine brass rails and other traditional furnishing touches. Lace cafe curtains with frills, fringes and other trimmings are useful for adding interest along the lower hem, but can also be applied around all four sides of the curtain and used in conjunction with conventional simple heading tape as a softer alternative to the tabbed and scalloped style. Unlined curtains will allow some light to filter through during the daylight hours, whereas lined curtains are more substantial. If you do choose to use a heaver material or you decided to line the curtains, the appearance and hang will make a difference as well when the curtains are in place.

Café Curtain Style
The curtain headings can be decoratively scalloped or tabbed and are either slotted directly on to the slender pole or rail, or hung with small or even large metal rings. Your curtain height will be determined by you and the height of the window the curtain will be hung. The  curtain usually covers the bottom quarter part of the window. If you desire to do so, a top portion or panel may be added with a small gap in between the two curtains. Some Café Curtains include top panel curtain to match with the lower small panel. While not creating a totally flat effect, this type of curtain does not feature dense gathers, although the scalloped headings can sometimes be hand pleated.

Making Your Own Café Curtains
For those of you who are able to sew your own Café Curtains, a do-it-yourself guide will help you thru the process of creating the perfect curtains for your home. Items needed to make these curtains are: Curtain fabric, matching thread, paper pattern (purchased at your local fabric store or drawn by you), lining fabric if desired, cafe curtain rods with rings, and or wooden folding frame. Be sure to measure correctly and check out the many different styles of Café Curtains available online before making your final decision.