ROMAN SHADE STYLES GUIDE
Decisions, decisions…
Think all roman shades look the same? Take another look. Roman shades come in numerous styles, each with its own unique nuances of form and function. Below is a quick recap of the three most popular styles. Go on, check which one works best for your room.
Flat Fold Roman Shades With Back Slats
The most minimalist shade on the block. With horizontal slats stitched into lining at back and stacking folds at bottom, these are clean, modern and highly functional for frequent use.
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Flat Fold Roman Shades With Front Slats
Our most popular style. With horizontal slats at the front and stacking folds at the bottom, these are clean, modern and highly functional for frequent use.
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Relaxed/European Roman Shades
Just the right bit of casual. Constructed to appear "unconstructed", the smooth front is tailored to fall into a gentle curve at the bottom.
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Fixed/Faux Roman Shade Valance
Love the look of a modern roman shade but don't need it fully functional? Our cost-effective, faux roman shade valances are for you.
More ImagesFlat Fold Roman Shades With Back Slats
Special feature: No seams in front. Structured construction for clean lines and folds.
Works for: All fabrics except sheers. Equally good in formal and informal spaces, and high and low use windows. Goes with most décor styles.
Pros: Seamless look shade with sleek contours and zero visual breaks in frontage. Looks great with floral and continuous print fabrics to show off the pattern.
Cons: Not possible to construct with sheer/unlined fabrics; only works on shades with lining at back.
Flat Fold Roman Shades With Front Slats
Special feature: Visible slat seams/pockets in front.
Works for: All fabrics and high use windows. Goes with most decor styles through more popular with casual/semi-formal spaces.
Pros: Sturdiness, structured look with solid construction. Looks good in both narrow and wide spaces.
Cons: Seams/slats add visual breaks which in rare cases may not show off prints in the best light.
Relaxed/European Roman Shades
Special feature: Most ‘unstructured’ roman shades style. Luxurious curved folds when shades are raised.
Works for: Low use windows where raising and lowering of shades is kept a minimum. Looks gorgeous with soft, slightly feminine décor styles like shabby chic and Scandinavian. Our stylists recommend combining with drapery to get the best of functional ease and roll-out-of-bed good looks.
Pros: Softer, relaxed and elegant look. Excellent for lightweight and sheer fabrics.
Cons: Not highly functional for everyday use. Used primarily as stationary shades as folds do not stack as neatly as other structured styles. Not recommended for extra narrow (less than 24 inch width|) or high-use windows. Not as effective at preventing ‘light leakage’ from side gaps as the other two styles.
Fixed/Faux Roman Shade Valance
Love the look of a modern roman shade but don’t need it fully functional? Our cost-effective, faux roman shade valances are for you.
These valances are intended to be decorative in a stationary position and do not roll up and down. We stitch them with a 2.5 inch rod pocket, so they can be mounted inside a window frame with a tension spring rod (ideally one inch diameter) or outside window frames on a decorative pole (hardware *not* included).
Prefect for spaces where privacy and light control are not a concern.