Are Roman Shades Still in Style?

Are roman shades still in style? Yes, they are! Even after all these years! Roman shades originated over 2,000 years ago in Ancient Rome, where citizens initially hung damp cloths over windows and doors to block out the harsh Mediterranean sun, dust, and debris from nearby construction like the Colosseum. This practical solution quickly evolved into a stylish and enduring window treatment. The history of their design spans several key eras.

• Ancient Innovation: Romans famously adapted a system of retractable cloth awnings called the velarium in the Colosseum to shield spectators from the sun. This laid the mechanical groundwork for the horizontal folding shades that we use today.

• The Renaissance: After falling into obscurity during the Middle Ages, the shades re-emerged in aristocratic households as status symbols. They were crafted from luxurious fabrics like silk & velvet and heavily adorned with details like embroidery.

• The Victorian Era: Window treatments became massive interior design staples, and Roman shades saw widespread popularity using more intricate, heavy patterns.

• Modern Day: Today's shades combine drapery-like elegance with modern mechanics. They are available in various styles ranging from flat and tailored to soft, cascading folds, and can be upgraded with motorized window treatments and different systems or energy-efficient thermal liners.

Roman shades still remain a favorite for several reasons. When it comes to talking window treatments, roman shades almost always comes up! They are classic, elegant and have remarkable versatility and are very practical. They can also be layered with other treatments such as, curtains, solar shades and standard blinds, which makes them very practical but also beautiful additions to your space. Unlike other trends that come and go, roman shades have a classic structure that adapts nicely to evolving interior design. They can be made in any fabric, so they never look out of style. They bring a sense of warmth to a room also, with their soft folds and elegance.

Roman Shades are also functional. They provide light control and can be made blackout lined or just with a cotton liner. We offer both options in our roman shade shop. They can also be made with thermal liner. Roman shades are great for light control. They are also great for privacy. With blackout roman shades, you should not be able to see into the house from the outside. With regular lined roman shades, you will still get some privacy but not complete coverage.

Whether your style is a farmhouse style, chic minimalist, contemporary style, traditional or bohemian, a roman shade can be a great compliment to your room’s style. If you check out our portfolio, you’ll see examples of many different styles of rooms and how roman shades work in almost any room and style!

Now a days, there are many different types of roman shades and fold styles. Our roman shades are mostly classic, flat fold roman shades but we also make relaxed roman shades. Flat fold roman shades offer a very clean and classic fold look and stack up in a neat well defined fashion. Relaxed roman shades offer a more casual look and the folds are much looser. Hobbled shades are also available in some other shops. These shades have a folded look to them, even when in the down position. Top down shades are also popular for certain windows where you need more privacy on the bottom of the window and want the top portion to lower.

Classic white roman shades are still very popular and solid color roman shades. Many times, we add ribbon to those shades. The great thing about solid shades and roman shades with ribbon is that they can often match any decor. If you have a lot of pattern in the room and just want something more simple to compliment the pattern in the room, you can add a solid fabric roman shade to add some more simple color or texture to what you have. Or if you have solid curtains already and mostly solids in the room and want to add some pattern, you can layer solid curtains on top of a patterned roman shade. If you don’t want to change out the roman shades often, the white roman shades or solid color is a great choice, so it might go with any new changes you make to the room.