You know, I personally do not like the look of curtains and shades on indoor items, especially on bookcases. Perhaps on a wall, they would be pretty, but no thanks else wise.

Laura
http://www.grafxnerd.net

The roller curtain on the bookcase seems seems pretty useless, but the quaint little curtains on the kitchen armoire is a nice way to keep the dishes dustfree, which has always bothered me about the idea of open kitchen shelving.

I completely understand the curtains hiding the unmentionables beneath a kitchen sink, but overall, I would have to agree with the above comments. If anything, I'll accept curtains hanging in entrance ways or as replacements for closet doors.

This is just odd-looking. If I wanted closed shelving, I'd go with classic glass-front doors. Though I'll admit that I do like the look of pretty curtains used beneath vintage sinks or vanity tables.

I once used pieces of bamboo rollup blind on the bottom of a media cabinet that was a bit messy. The bamboo looked fine with the wooden shelves (about the same color) and was easier to DIY than actual doors. (Cheaper, too.)

But I don't think I'd want to use fabric blinds -- they would not hold up to frequent use and would probably quickly curl at the edges and look tacky. (In windows, they are open more than shut, and when shut, usually you are asleep or entertaining and don't care. Plus you often have curtains covering those edges. For shelving the opposite would be true.)

I like this idea, though the second pic just looks like a cheap metal blind stuck on a cabinet.

I just wanted to comment for Austinites that there is a 50% off sale going on in Austin for Furniture in the Raw on the their 7718 Burnet Store. Get there as soon as possible because good stuff if selling out.

I just did this for my bathroom hutch! And here I thought I was all clever and unique!

I have a SMALL bathroom in my apartment. We have no storage at all for our personal items, they are all stored out in the open on shelving above the toilet. No matter how you organize your personals, it will be ugly and cluttered, and sometimes embarassing, to have guests use your toilet.

What I did was install a small curtain rod on the top shelf, and got matching shower curtains. One for the actual shower, the other I cut to fit the shelving. It looks pretty nice if you ask me, and now when i have guests over, I can hide my stuff!

I think if you had to use a shelf for storage, as opposed to decor items, a shade would be a great way to make it look nicer. For a kids room or pantry storage, you could paint something fun on the shade.

The mini blind on the cabinet is fascinating. I"ll have to ask my therapist why that appeals to me.

I find it very stylish!