Spring Break – Refresh your homes with Roman Shades

Enjoy the spring breeze with Elegant Roman Shades.

The smell of spring is in the air as the spring breeze comes in through open windows bringing with it the sound of children who have ventured out once again. We can look forward to the treat that nature is going to offer our five senses and prepare our homes to open out to the wonders of the coming seasons.

We are well aware of what to expect, weather wise, during the coming months – the mildness of spring when everything buds around us, urging in us the sensation to participate, to be followed by the intense brightness and heat of summer until it lets up to return to the mildness and extraordinary beauty of fall, before returning to winter that we have just emerged from.

To experience the best that the coming seasons have to offer us, we need to take a good look at our windows and the coverings that adorn them. For windows with a view and for those positioned east or west, directly in the path of the sun, think of Roman Shades. If you have not had an affair with these shades, it may be a good idea to get familiar with them this season.

Roman shades differ from other types of shades because they are designed to fold into pleats when the blinds are raised. The folds have character that can be used to attract attention. Folds can be flat or soft cascading. They are ideal for blocking out the sun and are very distinctive from other types of shades because of the stack up design – the panel is smooth when fully closed and stacks up into neat and even folds at every stage of the opening up process. They pull up in sections with the help of a traverse cord or Roman shade cord and look elegant and streamlined in the up, down or partly drawn position.

Commonly made from fabric, Roman shades made of silk, hemp, cotton, and linen are all standard. As with every other type of window scheme, synthetic material is also widely used for making Roman shades. The wide choice of material gives Roman shades the versatility needed to fit into a variety of interior design schemes in terms of texture, color, utility, unique mechanism, and distinctiveness. Translucent material like cotton and silk possess properties to filter in the right amount of light and keep a room well lit and cool in summer with wide open windows. In winter when the windows are closed, and the shades are down light still filters in and the cold is kept out.

Roman window blinds are available with lining to add insulation and block out light, and without any lining to allowing diffused light even when fully closed. Most popular shade mounting fixtures fit well for Roman shades. They can be plain or ornamental with a variety of finishes to create a customized look for the general theme of the decor.

The styles and designs of roman shades.

A visit to any web site will open up and dispel any preconceptions that one may have had about Roman shades. They can be the centerpiece window treatment option for any interior design. Roman shades are available in a variety of styles. For instance, Looped Roman Shades and Classic Roman Shades introduce a depth and adds dimension to space. The folds of Looped Roman Shades cascade down the face of the shade that results in giving an impression of depth. The Roman blinds that come with classic pleated design are called Classic Roman Shades. Variations include shades in a seamless style, which provide a smooth and even a flat shade face.

When the application is more rugged like for the exteriors and areas of high humidity like bathroom ventilators Roman shades made of faux leather and other plastic composite fabrics can be used. They are easy to clean and with appropriate coating, they can withstand sun, rain, wind, snow and ice and plug vulnerable points effectively to provide very efficient thermal insulation right through the year.

The construction of Roman shades is very simple as mentioned above – a panel made up of appropriate material supported by cords or rods. The variation and consequent decor effect come from the ingenuity employed in the pleating that happens when they are drawn up. Hence, the control mechanism is also relatively straight forward because it only involves lifting, holding and dropping. Patented control mechanisms like AeroLite Cordless come with adjustable speeds. These are more expensive than the traditional cord mechanism. Statistics of causalities’ that come in annually from accidents caused due to cord control mechanisms has made reputed manufacturers like Norman, Crown and Graber to provide safety tension devices. The safety angle is well researched and includes motion analysis studies that indicate that controls located on the right are safer when looked at from a Childs safety point of view.

With colors like black, brown, blue, grey and color shades like Pebble Rich Gold, Loden Green, Deep Ocean and Claret, there is nothing that should stop you from looking seriously at Roman Shades as a window treatment option.