I think you could use either a return rod or a tension rod.
Your colors are beautiful. I love the red accent.
Can you tell me the name of the "gold/tan"? Thanks

First let me just gush about how beautiful your kitchen is! It's clean and modern and fresh, but still warm. Beautiful choices!

Maybe I'm overly simplifying your question, but why wouldn't you just use conventional, non-decorative window hardware like this:

they have double hooks so you can hang the sheer on one hook and the valance on the other and the valance would hide the non-decorative rod. They're skinny and could go in your 1" space or right into the window frame itself.

You do have a beautiful kitchen! Can you sew? Or do you have the budget for custom?

Try running a tension rod across the window and hang a short piece of fabric over it just to see what it looks like before you decide what to do. I'm afraid its going cut your windows off (making it look squatty) and totally change the beauty of the arch instead of highlighting it.

A raised swag treatment on small medallions would be perfect for those windows. There would be 1 medallion at the top/center of the arch and then an outside medallion at the edge of the trim between the arch and lower window. I wouldn't suggest deep droopy swags, but shallow to show the arch. You could hang a stacked jabot on the outside medalions along the side window frames.

I'm putting a link to a raised swag - now this one is more formal looking and not exactly what I'm suggesting, except to show you the style. Note only the blue silk raised swags - not the sheer swags beneath and not the bows/double jabots between the windows!

Notice how the 2 swags are raised up with the big medallion at the top - you could do something sort of similar but not as full or deep and on a smaller medallion. And with the fabric you linked it would have a more casual/kitchen feel. The raise on the swags has to be pretty high because your arch looks to have maybe a 15" to 16" radius.

You could then do a blind, sheer, or roman on the lower window for privacy and sun control.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Your kitchen is simply gorgeous as it is and I wouldn't put any window treatments over those beautiful windows.

I love your windows the way they are!!!!! Just wanted you to know :-)

Your kitchen is divine! Those windows are so beautiful I just couldn't see covering them up if they were mind. This would be about as drastic as I'd go as far as curtains:

I would more likely do something similar to one of these with Gallery Glass...

Thank you all for the kind comments on my kitchen. I really do love the way it is turning out so far! I also agree that my kitchen windows are a nice focal point and I really don't want to take away from the beautiful arch top and wood trim that contrasts with my walls and cabinets. I still feel like a small valance might add interest in both texture and color that would tie in with my overall color scheme.

I am looking at tons of pictures on the web to narrow down the look I am going for. I appreciate all the good ideas offered here also. I did find a picture of a valance that comes fairly close to what I am thinking about. I photoshopped the picture of the valance onto my kitchen window picture. It is of course not my fabric, but it does have the same color burgundy and is a general style and size I would consider doing. I want to be able to fully visualize the arch top of my windows since that was one of the reasons I painted an accent color on the wall there to set off the window trim. After doing more measuring I am thinking the valance would be no more than 10-12 inches tall in order to minimize coverage of the window. Again I am just looking for a splash of color and texture in this area. What do you all think about this? Do you still think it cuts the window off too much and messes up the appeal of the windows?

Iris16 - My gold wall color in the kitchen is a color match of Restoration Hardware's SAFFRON. We used Behr Paint for the color match.

Maggiepie11 - I think I may very well end up using conventional curtain rods since I am thinking a return rod will work best in my space and if I make the valance with casings instead of tabs or loops I won't need to expose the rod

Downsey - Yes I am on a budget and I can sew basic, uncomplicated curtains so that is what I am going to try to do. Thanks for your link to the swag curtains but I think I want to go more minimalistic and prefer not to cover up my arch top at all. It looks like a good idea though to use the medallions.

Ingrid and Yayagal - thanks for the kind comments. I think my windows could stand alone and still look good also!

Oceanna - those art glass images are really cool! I have a small arched glass window over the entrance to the master bedroom that I may consider putting art glass into. Thanks for the pics!

Still trying to visualize my windows in the kitchen and figure out what valance style I can sew safely without botching up the job. Appreciate any more comments or ideas on style, size and hardware!

Lmalm, that's cool. You can do it right on your existing window yourself. Go talk to them at Michaels. They have all sorts of patterns, so if you can color in a coloring book, and if you have a bit of patience, you can do it yourself. I have done five windows now... well, one is not quite done yet.

Your kitchen is absolutely gorgeous.
Would you be interested in doing individual roman shades in those windows and on the door? Each window would have two roman shades attached inside the frame. That way you wouldn't be covering up those gorgeous moldings on the windows. This probably would only work if you don't plan put screens in those windows .
I have casement windows in my kitchen and that is what I did.

Nice to see the photoshopped version. I keep scrolling back and forth and my initial response holds. No fabric! I think you did what you needed to do with the paint around the windows and adding anything is just gilding the lily.

Knowing when to stop is often half the battle! You can stop now. :-)

this is what I was talking about.

I think downsy is right - the photoshopped valance cuts the window in half and changes the beauty of the arch.

Well it sounds like the overwhelming majority thinks I should leave my windows alone! :)

I don't totally disagree, but I know I will need to have shades as the bare minimum. The entire kitchen is surrounded by decking and stairs used by various service men (ie the leaf blower, furnace/AC repairman etc.) On those early mornings I don't want to be standing at the sink in my skivvies and get surprised by a face staring back! Plus we do need to curb the late afternoon sun at times.

These are pics of my original kitchen right before we started tearing out the countertops.

I used to have Duette shades with a color border that coordinated with the wallpaper. My windows are casements and we have a whole house attic fan so we use screens in the windows especially in the Spring and Fall to feel a breeze through the house.

I plan on checking out the new types of Roman shades and shade fabric choices so it may be that will be all I need. I still have a notion of trying to make a simple valance in my Waverly fabric just to see what it would look like.

I did note last night that my Waverly fabric would also work in my adjoining sunroom if it turns out I don't use it in the kitchen. Its not what I was originally envisioning for the sunroom but I hate to just let it go to waste.

I still welcome more opinions and suggestions. I am not going to rush this decision, I need to let it percolate in my mind for awhile. I can always do window treatments at a later date, but I am open to any other decorating concepts for these windows.

Here's another view of the new kitchen from a little different perspective if it helps.

I have the same window in my kitchen and didn't know what to do with it either. But after taping up some fabric & standing back & looking at it, I decided my window looked much nicer left alone. All of my windows have inside blinds, but I chose to take them out of this window because it just looked so much nicer without. I didn't need them for privacy since I have a house of children, so I don't run around "indecent" anyways. But if privacy is an issue, I do like the roman shade look on the lower part of the windows and you could get fabric ones, so you could bring in the pattern & color you are looking for. The valances looked alittle too much for me in your 1st mock up. Good Luck! You have a Beautiful kitchen!!!