See How Pillowcases Instantly Revamped These Windows (So Vintage!)

Cafe curtains have been trending for the past few years, but some people are more resourceful at dressing their kitchen windows with this style of window treatment than others. Take Carly Fuller of My City Apartment, for example. The content creator thought outside of the box when it came to adding curtains to the area above the sink in her Upper West Side rental. Rather than buying a traditional set of cafe curtains, she repurposed pillowcases she already had on hand, and the end result is incredibly elegant. 

“The pillowcases came from Garnet Hill with a matching duvet cover, but I spilled tea on the duvet cover and couldn’t get the stain out,” Fuller says. The bedding was too beautiful to part with for good, so she figured she’d find other uses for the pieces. The duvet cover became her go-to picnic blanket, and she continued to use the pillowcases with other white bedding sets until one day when she had an idea. “I wanted white, delicate French-style cafe curtains, and I thought the pillow cases would be perfect,” Fuller says. 

Turning the pillowcases into curtains ended up being an extremely simple no-sew DIY. “I didn’t have to do any alterations except cut off the back side where you insert the pillow,” Fuller explains, noting she did this only because the opening was obvious when the sheer fabric was held up to the window. 

From there, her technique was all about folding. “Then, I folded down the top to make them shorter so that you can see the crochet design.” To create a classic pleated curtain look, Fuller folded the pillows five times, accordion style, long ways where her curtain clips (an inexpensive Amazon buy) would be placed. Then, she ironed them in order to reinforce the folds. To install the curtains, she purchased a simple gold tension rod from a local hardware store. 

If you love this look and don’t have extra pillowcases on hand at the moment, keep your eyes peeled for other viable textiles around your home. For example, Fuller notes, tea towels and fabric remnants would also be excellent for this type of DIY. 

You could also scoop up some pillow cases at a flea market or thrift store. Cafe curtains can be pricey, so this hack is a good way to get a high-end look and potentially save a little cash.