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Roman blinds can really set off a room, they're elegant, space saving and add a touch of drama to your decor. It's important, then, that you get the most out of your roman blinds, that you get them just right. We've put together five handy hints and tips which should help you pick the perfect roman blinds for your home.
Pick The Right Style
Broadly speaking, roman blinds come in two styles, standard and cascade. It's fair to say that they both suit most spaces. However, depending on the ambiance you're trying to achieve and - importantly - the fabric you've selected, one style may be the better choice.
We've discussed the differences between standard and cascade roman blinds before so we won't go into great detail here. With a standard roman blind, all the folds are the same size and stack neatly on top of each other when open. A cascade roman blind has folds that get increasingly longer, this creates a waterfall or cascade effect. It's much more ornamental and dramatic than a standard roman blind.
When closed, the blinds will look the same.
Standard roman blinds are considered more contemporary and crisper with cleaner lines. If your space is modern, you may want to consider a standard style. Equally, if your fabric is striped or plain, a standard roman blind might just be your best bet. Standard roman blinds will be pulled all the way to the top of the window when open, this allows more light into the room - perfect if your space is a little starved of natural light.
Conversely, a cascade roman blind can work wonders if you're trying to create a warm cosy space in a living area. Roman blinds really come into their own if you have a particularly patterned fabric. As more of the blind is on show when it's open, more of the pattern can be seen. As a cascade roman blind does not open all of the way, it lets a little less light into the room. Controlling the amount of natural light in your space can be useful if you have a bright or white monochrome decor which can feel quite harsh if there's an abundance of light.
Embrace Bold Fabrics
You're likely to see much less fabric with roman blinds than you would do with curtains, this offers you a unique opportunity to really push the boat out with some bold and beautiful fabrics such as Luca Dragonfly from Prestigious Textiles. Geometric or motifs are particularly effective when coupled with roman blinds. It's all too easy to think about window treatments as secondary to your decor, but they're really effective at supporting your whole theme.
Do you have a room based in maximalism? Plainer blinds offer the eye somewhere to rest and help to really tie your whole room together. Perhaps your decor is more restrained and contemporary? Bold and bright fabrics are perfect for injecting some life into your space! Consider your roman blinds early on during the planning stage of your home makeover - you won't regret it.
If you're struggling to pick colours that go well together or you're trying to contrast your hues, a color wheel is an invaluable tool.
Consider The Architecture Of Your Space
Roman blinds are very effective at accentuating and highlighting certain aspects of your room's bones. If you have a room with a sizable floor plan, you can really underline this aspect by incorporating horizontal stripes - making the whole room look even more spacious. Equally, high ceilings can be reinforced by using horizontal stripes. Horizontal stripes are a particularly effective roman blind fabric, even if the blind is open the stripes are still visible and aligned.
The flip side of this is if you're wanting a smaller room to look larger, stripes are your friends. Don't underestimate the power of patterns like these on the perception of your space.
Opt For Bonded Lining
Bonded lining is a specially designed roman blind lining that really uplifts your roman blinds. Bonded lining has an extra layer of fleecy material within the lining and what this helps to achieve is roman blind which looks far more luxurious and fuller. In additon to a much more premium visual appearance, the padded bonded lining also helps to insulate your home too - keeping it warmer in the winter months.
We offer bonded lining in ivory sateen or blackout, helping to eliminate intrusive light.
Combine Your Roman Blinds With Curtains
If you're looking to control the amount of natural light in a room with your roman blinds, siting them inside the window recess will really help to cut down on light streaming into the room. However, to really create a pitch black room - for a child's bedroom perhaps - combine with a set of curtains to block out all the light!
Combing the two window treatments really adds an elegant wow factor to your home. This also allows you to further play around with colours and textures, a plainer blind fabric combined with a more attention drawing curtain fabric or vice versa is a great way to add extra personality into your space.
