A Guide To Bespoke Roman Blinds: Everything You Need To Know
July 5, 2025
What is a roman blind? Why is it a popular window dressing? Discover why this classic and timeless window dressing is a must-have for your home.
Roman blinds are a favourite window dressing, as they are both versatile and a beautifully elegant design option. With their crisp clean lines and timeless design style, bespoke roman blinds offer a stunning classical elegance, as well as longevity, which makes them a wise design choice that will be worth your investment.
The fact that roman blinds are still popular 2,000 years on from their inception means that it is fair to say that they are not a passing trend.
Roman blinds have developed and undergone a level of modernisation over the last couple of decades in terms of how they operate, and in particular since 2014 with the introduction of safety standards.
Today’s roman blinds are fitted with a sleek, modern aluminium headrail with a hidden Velcro attachment to allow the blind to be hung and removed with ease. Their controls too have evolved and now use using a geared cog and chain system to raise and lower them. These changes provide a sleeker, elegant appearance, and a greater degree of control over the blind’s positioning, and most importantly, have hugely improved the workings of the track and the way in which roman blinds are made, to ensure they are meet the child safety regulations.
Made to measure roman blinds are a must-have window dressing and I hope this blog post provides you with some inspiration for your home.
We will look at the benefits, how roman blinds work, key features, the all-important child safety aspect of blinds, how they benefit insulation in older properties, suitable fabrics, and linings and how to style bespoke roman blinds for that timeless and elegant aesthetic in your home.
So let’s get started!
Helen Izzard is a Somerset based interior design studio, creating timeless, quietly elegant interiors. Our design philosophy is underpinned by our ethos of timelessness, quality, longevity, and craftsmanship. We are drawn to natural materials, which are inherently beautiful, practical and sustainable. Our speciality is bespoke curtains and blinds, using sustainable fabrics from UK independent fabric designers, alongside our Moorland Collection of Artisan British-Made Trimmings.
How does a roman blind work & what makes them different?
Roman blinds have been used for window dressings for centuries. The history of the roman blind originally evolved from Rome, unsurprisingly! The Romans created them to keep out dirt and grit from their homes during the construction of the Colosseum. In earlier days, they used strips of damp cloth, thick paper and even animal skins, secured to the windows which in those times, did not have glass. They were also used for blocking the sun and heat, keeping their homes much cooler.
Over the centuries, roman blinds have evolved and increased in popularity, becoming more extravagant with fabrics and embellished with ornate trimmings. The simple piece of fabric developed to incorporate wooden dowels and cords to lift and lover the blinds. in fact, the folds of the blinds originally folded backwards which is the opposite to how we make then now. No one really knows why this changed but it was no doubt an influence of fashion and changing ideas for interior design.
Bespoke roman blinds remain, quite simply, a panel of fabric created to fit the window, whether hung inside or outside the recess. They are lined and have a system of rods in lining pockets and cords which allow the blind to be raised and lowered. As with curtains and any soft furnishings, there is so much choice for suitable fabrics, which means we can craft a beautiful bespoke, made to measure roman blind for your home.
So how do they work? When the chain is pulled, the cords are all pulled simultaneously, and this creates soft folds in the fabric. The number of folds is always determined by the height of the window and the number of rod channels in the lining. The rod channels and cords are all discreetly hidden on the reverse of the blind and are never visible from the front. This simple and highly effective technique makes it possible to make bespoke roman blinds from a wide variety of fabrics, textures, and weights.
On site visits, I will always spend time with the client, standing in front of the windows discussing the options of whether we choose roman blinds or curtains, or even both sometimes, and the benefits of both options. This allows the client to fully consider the options and the style of window dressing. As with curtains, there are always a number of things to consider, and it is always worth taking time to consider these.
A beautifully dressed window often requires both a roman blind and floor length curtains, subject of course to budgets. This is a perfect solution for older listed properties with single glazed, very draughty windows. The roman blind is often used in the winter to create a warm and cosy room, and the curtains are often used in the summer.
What are the best fabrics for roman blinds for my home?
This is a question we are frequently asked. The simple answer is there are many fabrics which are suitable, and as a designer with a passion for natural fabrics, I always use linens, wools, cottons, and silks as my go-to choice. It is important to choose the right fabric for your room as well as for the choice of natural yarns, but there is so much choice now. I always avoid synthetic fabrics as I find they do not give such a beautiful finish as natural yarns do, but that is my personal choice.
Lightweight voiles are also popular for made to measure roman blinds, as they are not only lightweight, sheer, and breathable, they create beautiful light roman blinds which gives a room privacy as well as allowing lots of light through. In fact, they make perfect structured roman blinds and relaxed roman blinds too.
There are some important questions to ask yourself when choosing fabrics.
Is your window in a sunny location? If so, should your fabric be thick enough to reduce some of the light or would you prefer a lightweight fabric such as voiles, to give you privacy and allow light through?
Are your windows old and draughty or in a listed property and therefore cannot be changed? If so, you could consider heavier fabrics to help reduce the cold draughts, or if you love lighter weight fabrics, use an excellent quality lining and interlining to help keep the warmth in.
Consider the scale of the pattern size and repeat. Larger patterns look incredible as curtains, but they may not look quite as good as a roman blind, as the fabric will be flat against the window when the blind is pulled down. Another consideration is whether you will see enough of the pattern when the blind is pulled up.
Stunning Belgium & Irish Linens To Order By The Metre
It is the perfect time to highlight some of the beautiful linens which you can order from us. They are perfect for your bespoke curtains or made to measure roman blinds, cushions and lampshades.
Pure linen is an essential and well-loved fabric for interiors. Linen is a sustainable, hard-wearing fabric, naturally breathable & absorbent, with anti-bacterial properties.
Linen fabric is made from fibres found in the flax plant. It is a light to medium weight material that has a variety of uses in your home, perfect for interior design and soft furnishings.
We have two weights of linen to offer, a Belgium Chunky Laundered Linen which is ideal for roman blinds and heavier weight curtains, and a medium weight beautiful Irish Linen which is woven in a mill with a rich and long heritage in the Irish Linen industry.
Both Belgium and Irish Linen are renown for their high quality cloth and traditional weaving history.
How to choose between lined & unlined bespoke roman blinds
This is another question I am often asked, and we have covered it a little above. As always, there are some pros and cons for both lined and unlined bespoke roman blinds which I will cover here.
The Pros of Lined Roman Blinds
Light Control: Linings will help to reduce light penetration, in particular blackout linings, which are designed to create a much darker room and is a perfect choice for bedrooms.
Warmth & Insulation: Thermal linings and good quality interlinings will help to keep out the cold on old draughty windows and can help to regulate temperature by trapping heat. Both thermal linings and quality cotton interlinings are an excellent choice for period properties or rooms prone to cold.
Longevity: Linings help to protect the fabric from sun damage, and general wear and tear, which helps to extend their lifespan.
Choice of Linings: as well as the usual cotton sateen lining or blackout linings, I often use a ticking stripe cotton to add a gentle colour and texture which is visible from outside the window. These linings are slightly heavier too and help to increase warmth.
The Cons of Lined Roman Blinds
Linings add additional weight: attaching linings always adds additional weight, which is something to bear in mind with larger blinds. However, the modern child safety operating mechanisms are robust and are built to manage large or heavier blinds.
Filtering Light: Dependent upon on the type of lining used, less light will filter through the blind with linings.
The Pros of Unlined Roman Blinds
Natural Light: Unlined roman blinds allow beautiful natural light to filter through, which is perfect for light cottons or linens or lightweight sheer fabrics. They also offer a degree of privacy and are perfect for bathrooms and living rooms.
The Cons of Unlined Roman Blinds
Light Control: There is less light control as light can easily penetrate, which makes them perfect for rooms that do not need darkness, such as bedrooms. However, you can combine a light airy voile roman blind with heavier curtains in this situation.
Can roman blinds be fitted inside or outside the recess?
The simple answer is both and this depends on a few factors such as size of window, how much light you would like to let in and aesthetics too.
When deciding on a roman blind, the next thing to consider is whether you would like this fitted inside or outside the window recess. Fitting a roman blind outside the window allows you to maximise the amount of light through the window and allows you to use or dress the windowsill. As the roman blind is wider than the window recess size, this also helps to reduce light penetration when the blind is down.
However, many of my clients also prefer roman blinds in the recess as it creates a simple understated aesthetic and looks beautiful with curtains too. The main point to consider is light as while fitting the blind inside the recess might be the preferred option, the raised blind will block some daylight from your window. For rooms or windows with a lot of light, this may not be a problem, however if your windows are small and the rooms have limited light, this may be a factor to consider.
Are Roman blinds safe in households with young children?
This is a particularly important question and something we take very seriously. Traditionally, roman blinds have caused accidents involving blind cords and young children, some of which have sadly been fatal. Roman blinds typically feature looped cords or chains as part of the mechanism, which allows the blind to open and close. These can pose a threat to young children who do not understand the potential dangers if they are playing near the blinds and cords.
The 2014 changes to The General Product Safety Regulation child safety requirements of BS EN 13120:2009 and the A1:2014 changes, place an obligation on all in the industry to sell and install compliant products. The main changes, which came in to force in 2014 affect all homes and all public buildings and some areas of commercial buildings and has led to improved product safety standards. New blinds with looped cords must have child safety devices installed at the point of manufacture or sold with the blind.
The Make it Safe campaign from the British Blind and Shutter Association (BBSA) promotes window blind safety in all homes, public buildings, and other environments where babies and young children may be present. I would highly recommend visiting their website to learn how the rules apply to all types of blinds, not just roman blinds. They have some good advice and tips to make older blinds safe too.
For roman blinds must have ‘breakaway’ points which allow the cords and chains to ‘break away’ from the blind when tension is placed on the cord or chains. The Roman Blind safety side control and the toggle breakaway clips ensures we can make all our traditional blinds safety compliant.
The blind safety side control mechanisms release action guarantees that once weight is pulled on the chain, the cog or gear will pull away from the side control, and the chain will come away from the blind. The second breakaway is the use of toggles at the bottom of each cord, which eliminates the old cord loops of older traditionally made roman blinds. This will ensure that with any weight or force, the cords also come away and hang separately with no loops, and can even with sufficient force, wind up inside the roman blind track profile out of reach.
All our bespoke roman blinds come with fitting instructions (if you decide to install the blinds yourself) and also instructions on how to use the blinds safely, which includes information about the breakaway devices used and guidance on how to reinstate the cords and chain easily, should force be applied.
Made to measure or ready-made roman blinds, which is best?
Bespoke roman blinds are worth the cost and effort. While ready-made blinds may seem more cost-effective, the main disadvantage is there are limited sizes available, which often do not match the dimensions of your windows. This often means you need to alter them to fit your windows.
Made to measure blinds are always made to your exact measurements and have a far superior finish in comparison. We see our role as the expert guiding hand to help you make every design decision. We also have a very experienced member of the team who will install your bespoke roman blinds for you.
Is there anything else I need to know about roman blinds?
There are some design options that you may wish to consider.
Relaxed Roman Blinds
This softer style of roman blind is becoming quite popular too. They only rods at the bottom to keep them straight, and the rest of the blind pulls up softly and with a slight drape. Choose a soft linen, voile, or wool to allow the fabric to drape well. Blackout lining will change the effect and make them look crisper and may not drape as well. They do require a little more attention and dressing each time you use them to make them sit well, whereas standard romans can just be pulled up with little fuss.
Finishing touches
Trimmings and borders are also a consideration. Borders can be added to accentuate the main fabric with a plain coordinating fabric on the side edges or bottom edge. Trimmings are an extremely popular choice. I often use our fan edge trimmings and onion tassel pom pom trimmings on the bottom edge to add some understated detail.
I hope you have enjoyed reading this article and have discovered why bespoke roman blinds have become a fundamental window dressings choice. If you would like help selecting curtains and blinds for your home do get in contact with me.
We supply made to measure Roman blinds in a huge range of fabrics to suit all types of windows. All our blinds are handcrafted in Somerset, ensuring a flawless fit every time.
If you are planning to start an interior design project and would like some help, please get in touch to discuss your ideas and how we can help you. You can also follow us on Instagram or sign up to our regular newsletter to receive interior design news, inspiration, tips and offers directly in your inbox.
