Galaxy Pistachio Green Valance Cabinets

In most kitchens the top of the sink window sits a little below or roughly level with the underside of the flanking uppers. That leaves a strip of wall between the window casing and the cabinet line, sometimes a few inches, sometimes a foot. A valance sits across the top of that strip, fixed between the two uppers, with its bottom edge at or just below the cabinet line.

What matters is the gap left between the bottom of the valance and the top of the casing. A generous gap, a few inches or more, lets the two pieces read separately: the valance as part of the cabinetry, the casing as part of the window. A very small gap, an inch or less, makes them look crowded, as if one was squeezed in after the other. And a valance that overlaps the casing hides part of the window trim, which almost never looks intended.

So measure the height from the window head casing to the underside of the uppers before choosing a valance. The valance height is not published on the live list, so ask us for it, and check what it leaves above the casing on your wall.

The valance fits the opening between the two uppers, not the window itself. Measure cabinet side to cabinet side at the height the valance will sit, then choose the size at or just above that width; an installer trims a valance down to fit, but cannot stretch one.

The standard valance comes in two widths only, so an opening between 37 and 48 inches either takes a premium valance or a standard 54 cut down, which only works if the shaped profile still looks balanced once trimmed. The premium valances cost more than twice as much and cover every width in between. The straight tall valance is a plain board, not a shaped one, for long openings and more modern rooms. The shapes are shown on the valance page; look at them there rather than choosing by code.

A valance makes the opening between two uppers into a single framed element, and that framing exposes any lack of symmetry. If the window is off-centre in the opening, or the sink is centred on the window but the uppers are not, the valance draws attention to it, because its shaped profile has an obvious middle.

There are three ways to deal with it. The first is to size the uppers either side so the opening centres on the window, using different cabinet widths or a filler at the far end of each run. The second is to accept a small offset and choose the straight tall valance, which has no centre point to give the game away. The third is to leave the valance out and let the window casing define the opening on its own. The first is usually best and costs nothing if it is decided at the drawing stage; the wall cabinet page has the widths, and the filler page the fillers.

Check the plan for this before anything is ordered. Measure the window’s position from each end of the wall, not just its width, and put those numbers on the drawing.

The space behind a valance is a small, useful hiding place, and two things commonly live there.

A shade or blind. Roller shades, Roman shades and blinds all have a headrail at the top, and over a sink window that headrail is usually on show. A valance can cover it, so the shade seems to come from behind the cabinetry. Whether it fits depends on the valance’s depth and on the headrail’s size and mounting, and the valance depth is not published on the live list. Choose the shade and send us its headrail dimensions before ordering, and we will check.

A light. A strip or puck light fixed behind the valance lights the sink, which is often the darkest working spot in the kitchen at night because the window above it is black. It should match the colour temperature of the rest of the under-cabinet lighting, and the wiring should be planned with the rest; the light rail page covers the order of trades.

Colour changes how a valance reads, and it changes through the day. In daytime, the valance is seen against a bright window, so it reads mostly as a shape: its outline matters more than its colour. After dark, with the window black and the kitchen lit, it reads as a block of cabinet colour between the uppers, sitting directly above the white or painted casing.

That evening view is the one to plan for. A green valance over a white casing is a clear two-colour stack, and it looks best when the gap between them is generous, so each has its own space. If the window casing is being replaced or repainted as part of the project, consider whether it should stay white, take the wall colour, or, in a strongly traditional room, match the cabinets. Judge it with a door sample held against the casing at night.

A valance is not only for windows. The same part can bridge any opening between two uppers.

• An open shelving bay between two uppers, where the valance ties the tops of the cabinets together across the shelves.
• A coffee or bar niche set into a run, with the valance framing the top of the recess.
• A long run of open shelving or a window seat wall, where the straight tall valance, up to 96 inches, gives a plain, continuous top edge.

In each case, measure the opening the same way, side to side at the valance height, and choose at or just above it. The free 3D design shows the valance on the elevation with the window, the casing and the uppers, which is the only reliable way to judge the gap between them before ordering. The full collection is on the Pistachio collection page.