Erin Napier's Gorgeous Kitchen Window Skips Traditional Treatments And Adds Extra Space

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Window treatments can affect both the privacy and the aesthetic tone of your kitchen. Ideally, those treatments should offer light filtration without obstructing your view. To that end, some home cooks opt for cafè curtains, which cover only the lower half of the window and add major European flair to any kitchen. Lace cafè curtains have the potential to steer your kitchen's aesthetic in the "granny chic" direction (which is super on-trend right now). However, if you prefer a sleeker, more modern look, Erin Napier has a kitchen window treatment idea that will elevate your cooking space.

In an Instagram post, the home design pro shares a photo of her home kitchen. Glass floating shelves, mounted slightly below the halfway mark of the window's height, span the width of the window. They sit comfortably within reach for easy access, allowing her to grab items off the shelf as needed and adding extra space in the kitchen. In the post, Napier's shelves are shown holding a bounty of fresh produce. Tomatoes are neatly arranged in a row along the shelf, and okra is stacked into a pyramid. Another window shelf holds a potted plant. Indeed, displaying small plants on a glass window shelf both creates a beautiful visual and helps them get all the sunlight they need to grow. A window shelf could even make an ideal place to grow an indoor herb garden. 

Window shelves could also be used to stash other oft-reached-for items like spice jars, helping you optimize vertical storage in the kitchen. Or showcase prized mugs on that shelf, keeping them easily within reach when brewing your daily coffee. Pro tip: Narrow vases or drinkware made from colored glass would look especially eye-catching here. As light passes through the window, it will illuminate the colorful glass and cast those colors into the room.

As you brainstorm which items to place on your glass window shelf, keep weight capacity in mind. Napier's shelves appear to be supported by large ceramic jars positioned underneath. Alternatively, clear plastic shelves could provide a lightweight alternative to capture this look on a dime (and are perfect for narrower window ledges). These transparent acrylic shelves by Lifewit brand (currently $19.99 for a two-pack on Amazon), for instance, mount directly to kitchen windows using heavy-duty suction cups. The slightly raised front and side edges help prevent items from falling off the shelf — no need to fear accidental bumps or a particularly strong gust of wind. This renter-friendly model doesn't require any drilling and offers an overall weight capacity of up to 10 pounds.

Want to store heavier or larger items? These three-tier hanging shelves by OtNiap brand ($28.99 on Amazon) hang on hooks mounted to the top-underside of your window frame, offering stronger weight support than suction cups alone might be able to handle. This model is longer and deeper (16-inch width and 6-inch depth), and is also available in two- and four-shelf designs to suit an array of different storage needs and window sizes.