The Softer Side of Roman Shades

Roman shades can bring a lot of variety and style to your space. In addition, they are very useful in providing privacy and insulation. They are made with a variety of fabrics, and lifts into folds. A very elegant and classic window treatment, roman shades come in a variety of styles. Let's take a look at a few of the most popular styles.

Flat Shade: The flat shade is one of the most widely used roman shades available. This shade has a simple design with no horizontal seams or stitching. The flat roman shade will work best with a nicely designed fabric, since it does not have any fabric interruptions. This is the ideal solution when you are trying to create a simple, classic, tailored look. Heavy fabrics such as jacquards, canvas, heavier linens, create a structured look, while softer fabrics such as silk and light weight linen create a more relaxed shade.

Hobbled Shade: Has soft folds when completely lowered. The hobbled roman shades are very formal but can also be used in a casual setting by adjusting the fabrics used. When lifted, the fabric has the appearance of being a valance at the top of your window.

London Roman Shade: The London roman shade is flat across the top, but has the tucks at the bottom create a lavish swag at the bottom of each panel with fan shaped tails on the ends. Some refer to this panel as "dog ears" because the tails resemblance. Shades longer than 70" will have more than one swag. Softer fabrics drape nicely with this shade, and do not need much maintenance. Heavier fabrics will require dressing each time they are raised.

Balloon Shade: The balloon shade is more formal then the other shades. It has a waterfall of balloon shaped poufs at the bottom. Swoops are spaced equidistant across the width of the shade. When fully extended, the shade has a permanent fixed pouf. When the shade is drawn up, the pouf as it stacks at the bottom, becomes larger and has a tendency to curl back towards the window. Because of the amount of fabric used for this shade, a balloon shade can be very heavy. Of course the size of the shade plays a part in this also. Softer fabrics drape nicely and do not need much attention. Whereas heavier fabrics require dressing each time they are raised.

Austrian Shade: The Austrian shade is a Victorian style window shade in which the fabric falls in a series of puffy festoons created by vertical rows of shirring. This shade is most attractive with softer fabrics such as sheers or lightweight silks or cottons. The Austrian shade is very stunning alone, but often used as a compliment to draperies.

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