What Are The Benefits Of Roman Blinds?

If you are looking at different options for blinds, Roman blinds offer a choice that has not only stood the test of time, but remains an aesthetically attractive, convenient and effective solution to your needs in the 21st century.

While French blinds are not actually French, Roman blinds really are the real deal. Indeed, if ever there was a good answer to the pythonesque question “what have the Romans done for us”, this may be it.

How Long Have Londoners Been Using Roman Blinds?

They are not the oldest forms of blinds, with this title being disputed between Egypt and China, but they took the original idea of draping a cloth over a window to keep the hot sun out and added an extra element of clever design.

This involved developing a system of enabling the fabric to roll up when a cord was pulled, or cascade down when it was released, providing an elegant system that enabled households to have the blinds down as low as necessary, or up as preferred.

Indeed, Londoners who have them in their homes today may be following in the footsteps of the very earliest residents of the city, which was founded by the Romans in the AD 40s. Alongside the hypocausts, bathhouses and amphitheatre, homes will have had these blinds.

All this was happening long before Venetian or French blinds came along, each offering their own system of covering windows with fabric. But even when they did, Roman blinds did not fall out of favour. They have truly stood the test of time.

What Are The Key Attributes Of Roman Blinds?

That alone may not be sufficient reason for you to choose them over the alternatives, but their attributes may be exactly what will suit your windows best.

Among the greatest benefits is the flexibility of Roman blinds, which can be customised quite easily, both for functional and aesthetic reasons. This means that:

• You can choose various fabrics, from light and attractive materials to heavy-duty blackouts for summer
• You can add different linings, from blackouts to thermal

Roman blinds come with a timeless design that mean they never go out of fashion. The fact that they can use a range of different materials is one of the reasons for this, as patterns and fabrics can come in and out of fashion while the style always stays ‘in’.

The flexibility of the blinds also extends to how much light you can let in or out, as you can have them as much up or down as you want, as well as using different materials that will let through varying amounts of light.

It could be that these were attributes much valued by households in Roman London, as the seasonal variations in light levels and length of day were and are more varied here in the northern reaches of the empire compared with the Mediterranean.

However, while these blinds have been around for a very long time, they can also help to meet some very modern concerns:

• They save space, which can make them fit well with modern minimalist interiors
• They can be very energy efficient as good insulators
• Modern versions offer a range of operating systems, including remote control

Are There Any Downsides To Roman Blinds?

Of course, there are some aspects of Roman blinds that might be seen as a downside. These include:

• Higher cost than some other blinds
• More maintenance and a greater propensity for wear and tear
• Can be bulky and block part of a window when raised

However, every type of blind has its pros and cons. Moreover, after thousands of years of use, the verdict of history would be that the upsides are far more numerous.

Indeed, the answer to the cost point is that you get what you pay for and in this case, it is not just tradition and history, but style, variety, practicality, versatility and great insulation.

Roman blinds can go especially well with tall windows and it does not usually matter when they block out the light at the top. When the sun is so high as to be directly obscured, it is likely to be bright enough that you will need the blinds to be down.

At the same time, when the sun is at its lowest in the sky in winter, when you need to maximise the light, it won’t be the top of the window where it is coming from.

They say “when in Rome, do as the Romans do.” But having this style of blinds is one thing you can do in much the same way as the first Londoners did all those centuries ago.