What Are Roman Blinds?

There are many different kinds of blinds, but Roman blinds are a particularly popular choice. Here, we delve into their origins, the history of their use and, most importantly, why they offer you a distinctive alternative to other types of blind.

Many people are familiar with the Pythonesque question: “What did the Romans ever do for us?” People living in London can see the answer in the fact that the city exists in the first place, founded in the AD 40s, not to mention scores of other towns and cities.

To that could be added many of our roads around Britain (especially the very straight ones), pubs, Latin words, our method of counting and even the name ‘Britain’ itself. They also gave us lots of reasons to be interested in archaeology.

However, while people tend to think about the Romans in terms of emperors, marching armies, very long walls and gladiators in the Colosseum, there was also everyday life and as most of the Empire was much sunnier than Britain, keeping cool and shaded was important.

What Was The Origin Of Roman Blinds?

Blinds were not originally invented by the Romans, with the ancient Egyptians and Chinese getting there first, but they developed their own adaptations. This included several pioneering innovations that advanced the technology and materials in use:

• They were the first civilisation to use cloth to cover windows
• The cloths used became more decorative over time
• They developed systems for rolling the cloth that meant the covers could be rolled up or down to cover or uncover the window.

Further developments included the use of attached cords to pull the blinds up or down, while cordless mechanisms are a much more modern version, offering you a practical choice of the best methods.

How Do Roman Blinds Differ From Other Types Of Blinds?

This feature makes Roman blinds distinct from various other types of blinds, which have some different characteristics.

• Wood blinds, which come with slats
• Venetian blinds, which also come with slats, which can be rotated
• Vertical blinds, which can be opened and closed laterally
• Woven shades can be made from materials like bamboo or jute, some of which are among the oldest materials used in blinds
• Cellular shades, which fold up like an accordion
• Matchstick blinds, made from bamboo sticks that look like matchsticks and are clustered close together to keep out light and insulate

As can be seen from this list, there are many different types of blinds, so when you choose what to have in your home, you can compare the materials, style and mechanisms of Roman blinds with those of the alternatives as you decide what would be best for you.

Describing the virtues of Roman blinds for The Spruce, interior designer Laureen DeBello said: “Roman shades effortlessly add softness to a space, especially when made in a linen fabric,” adding that they are “the most luxurious aesthetically”.

This is certainly a good reason to choose Roman blinds, but you may have all sorts of considerations in mind when choosing the best blinds for your home and its requirements.

That means it makes sense to weigh up the pros and cons of Roman blinds versus the alternatives.

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Roman Blinds?

Pros of Roman Blinds:

• They are elegant and timeless, the latter being an obvious virtue for a style that has had such a long history
• Their appearance can be tailored and customised, with lots of different designs and patterns
• You can choose different fabrics, from light ones that allow some sunshine in to blackout blinds to help you sleep better in summer
• Being able to raise or lower them gives you lots of flexibility when deciding how much light to let in
• They are great insulators, so they improve your home’s energy performance
• They don’t take up a lot of space

Cons of Roman blinds:

• They do need more maintenance than some other types of blinds
• Not as much flexibility in controlling light as some slatted blinds or shutters, which is a disadvantage if you need to control light levels with great precision.
• Their bulkiness may slightly limit the view out of the window

Some may add cost to the downsides, but while Roman blinds do have a higher price than many other blinds, the old adage that you get what you pay for applies here.

This means you are acquiring blinds with a lot of style, high-quality materials, beautiful design and something that will enhance every room you place them in.

So, if anyone you know asks “what did the Romans ever do for us?”, you could show them your beautiful, freshly-installed Roman blinds and they will have the perfect answer.