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Your Comprehensive Guide To Roman Blinds

Roman blinds will always be a popular choice for interiors, commercial and domestic alike, as they represent a stylish and elegant option for window dressing while still remaining highly cost effective, since less fabric is required than with curtain installations.

To help you decide if these products are right for you and your living spaces, here’s a comprehensive guide that should prove useful.

If you need any further advice or if you’d like to book a professional design consultation with the Pret A Vivre team, either in person at one of our London showrooms or over the phone/video link, just give us a quick call!

What are Roman blinds?

Roman blinds are made of fabric that can easily be folded to form horizontal pleats when the blinds are up. 

When the blinds are down, the fabric rests flat near the window, with a chain typically used for raising and lowering. However, motorised blinds are now readily available, making manual handling even easier and far more efficient.

At Pret A Vivre, we offer beautiful bespoke made-to-measure Roman blinds in a wide range of different styles and finishes, including hand-stitched designs, inset borders, machined blinds, UV blinds blackout options and simple privacy rollers.

Which rooms are best for Roman blinds?

The good news is that Roman blinds work well in several parts of the house!

If you need something beautiful in the dining room, these blinds would look wonderful, while you can use them in a small bedroom with a blackout option to ensure a good night’s sleep.

You can also easily install them in WCs and small cloakrooms where moisture might be less of a concern than in the bathroom or kitchen.

What are the best fabrics for Roman blinds?

As with any window dressing, fabric choice is paramount with Roman blinds. Think about what kind of visual effect you want to achieve, as well as the practical requirements of the space in question.

Some of the best material options include polyester and cotton blends, cotton, linen and damask, all of which deliver on structure and will really make your windows pop. For texture and insulation, meanwhile, consider the likes of wool and chenille.

Fabrics to avoid are any that are too delicate or too rigid and any materials that are prone to stretching.

How do you measure for Roman blinds?

To fit Roman blinds within the recess of the window:

Step 1

Measure the width of the window from the top, using the edges of the window recess to guide you.

Measure the width across the middle and bottom of the recess. Once you have your three measurements, the smallest will be the final one.

Again, take three measurements of the height of the window from the lintel to the sill, measuring the left, right and middle. The smallest one will be your drop height.

To fit Roman blinds to cover the entire window:

Measure the width of the window frame across the top, then add a few cm or go sill width to ensure full coverage.

Measure across the middle and bottom of the window, taking the smallest measurement as your final figure.

Repeat to find the drop of the blind, measuring below the window ledge to ensure that the blind provides complete coverage.