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Window treatments are a key element of decorating any home. They add to the aesthetics of all your rooms, build privacy and help control sound and light inflow. For these reasons, one needs to choose window treatments that meet their individual priorities both functionally and aesthetically.
In this article, we focus on the top factors to consider when you’ve decided to opt for custom roman shades as your choice of window dressings.
1. Fabric & style
The kind of fabric material and style that you choose – whether for roman shades or custom drapes – will have a great impact on the look and function of your window treatments. Silks and velvets – for example – are better suited for formal rooms, while materials like cotton and linens are more fitting in kitchens, bedrooms, and places with a casual vibe. Similarly, you may choose sheer roman shades if you want more light to filter in, or blackouts if you want total room darkening and privacy.
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As far as the style is concerned, there are three styles that are popular amongst homeowners and designers. These are:
- Flat fold roman shades with front slats – Roman shades of this style have a minimalistic design with horizontally stitched slats which are visible in the front with their hemlines. The folds stack in structured straight lines. The overall look is clean and functional, and especially well-suited for plain, monochrome, and textured fabrics because the visible slats add an element of architectural interest to an otherwise plain dressing. This style is not recommended for fabrics that contain bold patterns as it does not allow the pattern to be displayed uninterrupted.
- Flat fold roman shades with back slats – Roman shades of this style are extremely popular because the slats are stitched into the lining at the back and therefore not visible at the front and offer a clean structured look. The style offers the advantage of showing off any patterns without any visual breaks, making for a smooth and seamless look for a modern aesthetic and a clean look. Because the slats are sewn into the lining, this style is not possible to be constructed with sheer fabrics.
- European/ relaxed roman shades – relaxed roman shades are the most casual and ‘unstructured’ of the three options. They have a smooth front with a gentle swagging curve at the bottom, making them a softly elegant choice for decorative purposes. These are highly well suited for plains and sheers and you can layer them with drapery to achieve a beautifully balanced set of window treatments.
2. Lining or no lining
Depending on the purpose of your room and roman shades, you’d need to decide whether you want to have your custom roman shades lined or not. For rooms where privacy is not a high priority, perhaps you’d like light and airy sheer roman shades and leave them unlined. For other rooms, choose privacy lining to block sun glare without compromising your privacy. You should consider blackout lining for bedrooms, nurseries, and home theaters where room darkening might be desirable.
3. Mounting Position
You will have to choose the mounting position suitable for your windows. In an inside mount roman shade, the window treatment gets mounted within the window’s frame, and an outside mount will be on the wall outside of the window. You can therefore make a choice between the inside mount and outside mount as per your style and decor requirements.
If your window frames are too shallow and can’t accommodate hardware for an inside-mounted shade, outside mounts are often a suitable option. Outside mounted shades can also make your windows look larger if you extend them a few inches outside of the window frame.
Inside mounted shades are the perfect choice when you-
- Need a space-saving solution
- Prefer a minimalist look
- Like to show off any decorative trims of your windows
4. Control of light
Roman shades come with sheers or opaque fabrics with privacy lining or blackout lining. Some of them do not have a lining. Choose your fabric and lining based on how much light you want to block. If you want your bedroom to provide a relaxing effect, and be dark and quiet, you may benefit from thicker fabrics like velvets with blackout lining. Similarly, sheers will let in the lightest so might be well suited for small rooms that you’re trying to keep bright and airy.
5. Ease of maintenance
Some fabrics like silks and velvet will require dry cleaning. Therefore, you must prioritize looking at the cleaning options for the type of fabric you choose for your roman shades. If you are ordering shades for a kitchen where spills are likely, or for a kid’s room where your tiny tot may scribble and smudge, selecting the material that you know will be able to clean easily will allow you to maintain it better and increase the longevity of your roman shades.
7. Width and height
Measuring the length and width of your roman shades with precision is absolutely critical. In the case of inside mounts, you have to be especially careful. If the width is noted higher in error, the shade won’t fit inside the recess. If a bit narrow, the light will leak through gaps on the edges. Outside mount shades don’t need the same level of precision, but you still need to measure carefully. For outside mount shades, you also have the option to mount the shades a few inches above the window frame, so when you roll up, the shade clears the frame completely – thereby allowing maximum light inflow.
Conclusion
We have listed all the essential things you need to know when buying roman shades for your Privacy linings allow you to maintain privacy without darkening a room. If you are looking for light blocking, you can go for blackout linings and select a dark fabric for your room. Choosing the right size in terms of width and height is critical for roman shades. In addition, the type of fold and mount position that you select is also significant.
