Roman shades are one of my favorite treatments both to make and to see in homes. They blend function and style perfectly. With roman shades, you get to feature a beautiful fabric (and trims if you want) while at the same time creating privacy, light control, safety, and security. There are a lot of choices to make once you decide you want a roman shade in your design.

Style #1: The Flat Roman Shade

When a flat roman shade is lowered, it is just that . . . flat. I usually add a permanent fold at the bottom of flat roman shades, because otherwise it tends to look like a big flat piece of fabric if it's lowered. With a permanent fold, however, it continues to look like a roman shade, even when lowered. These shades look great both mounted inside of the window frame and outside mounted.

Pro: Versatile. It can be inside or outside mount and still cover the glass.

Con: Can look like a flat sheet of fabric when it’s closed unless you choose a permanent fold at the bottom.

Style #2: The Relaxed Roman Shade

Relaxed roman shades are nearly the same as flat, but they have a smile at the bottom along with at least one if not two permanent folds in that “smile.” This creates a softer look that feels more casual and fits well in less contemporary designs. Keep in mind, though, if it is an inside-mount, that smile may result in the bottom corners of the window being uncovered. So if you're using it in a bedroom, consider an outside reverse mount to fully cover the window if blocking out light is important. If all these terms are overwhelming, no worries. A future blog post will demystify all of that.

Pro: Softer look

Con: Can look better as an outside mount when it’s closed all the way. (notice the picture has them open)

Style #3: The Balloon Roman Shade

Balloon shades were popular in the 80s, yes the 1980s. And now they are coming back. These are similar to relaxed shades, but are fuller and tend to have more folds than a traditional roman shade. Personally I think they will be quickly dated again, so unless you have a vintage, history, or Victorian interior, I'd stay away from these.

Pro: Can look luxurious in the right setting

Con: It may become dated quickly. Don’t go with a trend, go with what you love.

Style #4: The Hobbled Roman Shade

Hobbled romans can be lovely to look at when they are lowered. They have extra fabric at the folds, so when the shade is lowered, this extra fabric adds dimension and volume to the window covering. They do take quite a bit more fabric than a traditional flat shade, but it can be beautiful if you are looking for something not as sleek as a flat roman.

How to Hide Roman Shade Hardware

When using a roman shade, the hardware can be unsightly. In a waterfall roman (where the shade comes over the front of the headrail), the sides will still be exposed, so if those sides are not hidden inside the window frame, then we add a side flaps to the shade.

In a reverse mount (a shade that comes off the back of the headrail so it is as close to the glass as possible), a valence is needed to cover the front of the mechanism and the grommets that allow the strings to pass from the headrail to the back of the shade. In this close-up of the top of such a shade, you can see the holes that are covered by the top valence. Don’t worry, this small valence is sufficient. No one will be looking under the skirt like this on a regular day. However, if it is a clean line you’re looking for, then a waterfall mount is your way to go.

Other Options when Choosing Roman Shades

In addition to style choices that are discussed above, there are a number of other considerations to make when choosing roman shades. Inside mount, outside mount; waterfall or reverse mount; motorized, chain pull, or spring lift; fabric and trim choice. All this can lead to a lot of questions and which is why using some random online "custom"-but-not-really-custom site can result in results that are not ideal. We are here to walk you through everything from taking measurements, selection of fabric and style to how it will operate once it’s installed.

Have a question about Roman shades? We are here to help...reach out to talk to us! We love chatting window treatments.

Until next time,

The Pros and Cons of The Most Popular Roman Shade Styles