How to Choose The Right Roman Shades For Your Home

Roman shades can transform your living space. They let you decorate your windows in an uncluttered, clean way. They also do a great job of controlling the light that gets into your room while offering unhindered outdoor views when you want. Roman shades work perfectly as window treatments and offer you much-needed privacy, insulation, and light filtration. 

Not only that; they also add color, texture, and liveliness to a room. If these sound like the functional benefits you want, then roman shades are the perfect choice for you.   

The Fabric

Just like custom curtains, custom roman shades can be created in virtually any fabric – thick to sheer, plain to printed, silk to cotton to polyester to linen. You can choose fabric as per your budget and liking.  If you want full privacy, go for a thicker fabric. If you want some light filtering in, go for sheer or semi-sheer fabric. You can also get lined roman shades that can block light effectively and still show off the pretty fabric at the front.

Your roman shades can complement or contrast with your space’s color palette depending on your choice of fabric. If your room accessories are bold and bright, you can choose neutral roman shades to create a backdrop that lets the colors pop without becoming loud. On the other hand, if your room is minimalist and neutral, colorful roman shades with bold patterns can create a focal point. 

Three Popular Styles of Roman Shades

Flat Folds with Front Slats

These roman shades come with front slats that are stitched at equal intervals showing the seams on the front. Flat fold roman shades with front slats are structured and sturdy with a tailored look. 

They work with any type of interior décor. The slats make it easy for the form to fold seamlessly, making this style a perfect choice for windows that you frequently open and close. The architectural finish of the shades also makes them best suited for semi-formal and formal rooms. 

The important feature of this style is that the slat silhouettes and seams are visible on the front.  Therefore, this style is especially recommended if you’ve chosen a plain fabric for your shades because the horizontal slats add an element of architectural interest to an otherwise plain shade.

Flat Fold with Back Slats

Are you looking for the perfect window treatments for your minimalist interior décor? When the fullness of custom curtains may prove too much, flat fold roman shades with back slats style are close to perfect. While these are also stitched with slats, you cannot see the seams in the front because the slats are sewn into the lining at the back of the frontage. 

Apart from the aesthetic appeal of a highly clean and minimalistic look, these shades also offer the benefit of more light blockage and additional insulation because of the lining sewn at the back.

This style is an especially great pick for fabrics with bold patterns since they have no visual breaks on the frontage, and will allow you to show off the pattern uninterrupted. One other benefit of this style is the efficient functionality it offers, especially for windows that require opening and closing frequently.

You may also like: Contacts Any Homeowner Needs To Have To Efficiently Run Their Home

European/Relaxed Roman Shades

People say you can’t eat your cake and have it. Well, not with the European/ relaxed roman shades. This style of roman shades delivers the curvy and plush features of drapes with the aesthetic and functionality of shades. They fold up forming scalloped curved bottoms with no slats. They are most suited for relaxed spaces due to their unconstructed look. 

Relaxed roman shades are also ideal for feminine and traditional styled décors. They are undoubtedly luxurious and come out best when they are stitched in delicate materials. If you are opting for this style, consider layering them with drapes to create a high-end look and provide more light control.

Other styles of roman shades that you can check out are hobbled fold style, reverse fold style and Tuscany natural grass style.

The Mounting

When shopping for roman shades, you’d need to choose the mounting position for your shades. There are two types of mount positions – inside mount and outside mount. The question is – which is the right mounting option for you? Let us look at the two options and their inherent benefits.

Inside Mount Roman Shades

There are numerous benefits of having inside mount roman shades. Apart from privacy and light control, they effectively accentuate your décor style. Whether you have ornate casements or sleek, modern trims, these shades will look good in the space. So, when it comes to choosing where to mount, the first thing to consider is the window’s architectural design. 

Inside mounts require that you fix the hardware to the ceiling of your window frame. This makes everything fit perfectly into the recess. Inside mounts for roman shades come with several benefits. They include:

  • Sleek and stylish look: Installing roman shades inside the window frame recess brings out a stunning minimalistic neatness that adds to the elegance of your room.
  • Tailored look: There is a sense of bespoke charm that comes with inside-mounted roman shades. So, whether your choice is a set of cascading relaxed roman shades or a minimalistic flat fold style, they will fit nicely in the frame, giving a precise, streamlined, tailored look.
  • More insulation: Since the shades are installed close to the panes, they provide more insulation. They are often recommended for west-facing windows that are exposed to the sweltering sun.
  • Show off window trims: Since the shades are mounted inside the window recess, this style allows you to show off any show-worthy, ornate, decorative window trims and moldings. 

Outside Mount Roman Shades

Outside-mounted custom roman shades come with their own set of charms. They work best for shallow window frames. If your windows are not deep enough for installing hardware inside, an outdoor mount is the right – and often the only – choice. Here are some advantages of outside mount roman shades:

  • A great choice for shallow window frames: If you can’t install hardware on the inside of your window frames, then an outside mount is great for you. Outside mount roman shades are directly installed on the walls or ceiling outside the frame and are not affected by the depth of the frames
  • Less worry about precision in measurements: Unlike inside mount roman shades, for which you need to measure very precisely to ensure the shades will fit neatly inside the recess, there is no such concern associated with outside mount shades. A minor human error is forgivable.
  • Introduces more light into your room: Outside mount also helps with versatile light control when you install them a few inches over the frame. With this installation, you can fold them up to reveal the window completely and allow maximum natural light to enter the room, and on the other hand, if you want to keep the light and sun out, simply drop them. 

Conclusion

Roman shades can transform a room just as draperies would. They give your space a stunning and stylish look and the best part is that they are quite easy to install. Try the above-mentioned tips when you plan on choosing the roman shades for your home and also share your thoughts.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *