Roman Shades

Buying Guide

How to Choose Roman Shades

Roman shades bring the softness of fabric with the neatness of a shade: flat and tailored when lowered, folding into clean pleats as they rise. Because they're made from the fabric you choose, they can look casual, formal or anywhere in between. These are the decisions that shape a custom roman shade.

Flat, relaxed or hobbled

The fold style sets the character. Flat roman shades fold into crisp horizontal pleats when raised and hang as a smooth panel when lowered, which suits modern and tailored rooms and shows off a patterned fabric. Relaxed shades have a gentle curve at the bottom edge for a softer, more casual look. Hobbled shades keep their soft, cascading folds even when lowered, for a fuller, more formal effect.

Choosing the fabric

We offer hundreds of fabrics, from casual linen and cotton to silk, velvet and designer textiles, in solids, patterns and textures. Think about the light each fabric lets through as much as its color: a loosely woven linen glows when the sun is behind it, while a heavier cotton or velvet looks richer and blocks more light.

Delicate fabrics like silk are beautiful but can fade in strong, direct sun, so on a bright south- or west-facing window a lining is worth it. Bring a cushion or a paint chip to your consultation; matching a fabric in your own light is far easier than from a screen.

Choosing a pattern and scale

On a roman shade, the whole pattern shows when the shade is lowered and folds into horizontal bands when it's raised. Large patterns suit big windows, where they have room to show; small patterns and textures suit narrow windows and rooms that already have pattern elsewhere. Stripes can run either way: horizontal stripes follow the folds for a tidy look, while vertical stripes make a window look taller.

Linings

A lining changes how a roman shade performs. It adds body, helps the folds hang neatly and protects the face fabric from sun. A blackout lining blocks the light that would come through the fabric, making roman shades a good choice for bedrooms and nurseries without giving up the look of fabric. Linings also make the back of every shade look uniform from the street.

Stack height

When a roman shade is raised, the fabric gathers into a stack of folds at the top of the window. Depending on the fabric and fold style, that stack covers a few inches of glass. On tall windows it hardly matters. On short windows, or where you want every bit of view, mounting the shade outside the frame and a little higher lets the stack sit above the glass so the window stays fully clear. Hobbled shades have a fuller stack than flat ones, because they use more fabric to keep their folds when lowered.

Inside or outside mount

An inside mount sits within the window frame for a built-in look and suits windows with attractive trim. An outside mount covers the frame, hides uneven or shallow openings, blocks more light at the edges, and can make a window look taller or wider. We measure each window and recommend the mount that suits both the window and the fabric. Handsome, deep trim is worth framing with an inside mount; plain or damaged trim is easily hidden by an outside mount above the window.

Cordless and motorized lifts

Our roman shades come with cordless or motorized lift systems. Cordless shades raise and lower by hand from the bottom of the shade, with no cords for children or pets to reach. Motorized roman shades use battery-powered or hardwired motors and can be controlled by remote, app or voice command, which is ideal on wide windows, where a large fabric shade is heavy to lift, and on windows you can't easily reach.

Pairing with drapery

Roman shades pair beautifully with drapery panels. The shade handles privacy and light, and the panels add height, softness and color. A solid shade under patterned drapery, or the reverse, lets you bring in a bold fabric without overwhelming the room.

Where roman shades work best

Roman shades suit living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms and nurseries, and any room where you want fabric to soften hard surfaces. With a blackout lining they're one of the prettiest ways to darken a bedroom.

They work in almost any room. The exception is anywhere they'll be splashed, such as right behind a kitchen sink or in a shower, where faux wood blinds or composite shutters hold up better.

Roman shades in children's rooms and nurseries

For children's rooms, choose a cordless or motorized lift so there are no cords within reach, and a blackout lining for naps and early summer bedtimes. A durable, easy-care fabric such as cotton makes more sense here than silk or velvet, and a solid or small pattern will suit the room for longer as the child grows.

Common mistakes to avoid

The most common is skipping a lining in a sunny window, which lets delicate fabric fade and shows the light through it. Another is an inside mount on a short window, where the stack of folds hides part of the view; an outside mount set a little higher solves it. A large-scale pattern on a small window is a third, because only a fragment of the pattern shows. And a fabric shade anywhere it will be splashed won't last the way a faux wood blind would.

Cleaning and care

Dust roman shades regularly with a soft brush or a vacuum on low with a brush attachment. Spot-clean small marks gently with a damp cloth, testing first on an area that doesn't show. Delicate fabrics such as silk and velvet are best cleaned by a professional. If something stops working later, such as a stuck lift or a broken part, our repair team can diagnose and fix most problems, and can often source replacement parts.

Questions to think about before your consultation

Which rooms need darkness, and which only need softened light? Are there fabrics, cushions or paint colors the shades should work with? Which windows will get drapery as well? And are any windows wide or hard to reach, where a motorized lift would help? Bring samples of anything you'd like to match; seeing fabrics side by side in your own light is the quickest way to decide.

What to expect

At your free in-home consultation we bring samples, measure each window precisely, and give you a detailed quote, with no obligation. Everything is made to order; most custom products arrive in three to six weeks, and most installations are finished in a single visit. Before we leave, we'll show you how to operate and care for everything.

Serving Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky

We measure and install across Greater Cincinnati, including Hyde Park, Oakley, Mariemont, Madeira and Montgomery, and throughout Northern Kentucky from our showroom in Florence. Consultations are free, and we bring the samples to your home so you can judge colors and fabrics in your own light.