Both roller or roman shades are very popular choices in the Tucson area for homes. Both types give you many different options in the fabrics, from light and airy for light filtering to luxurious and heavier fabrics for room darkening and everywhere in between. Learning all about both types of shades will help you to make an informed decision as to which of these will work best for you in your home.
What Are Roller Shades?
Roller shades have quite a simple design for very clean lines in your home. They look like a solid sheet of material when they are down and when you raise them, the fabric rolls up onto a roller at the top of your window. The roller can be enclosed in a cassette to be further streamlined, or the roller can be exposed if you wish. Roller shades are very budget-friendly and sleek in their design with no pleats to supply you with a low-profile appearance so that the other elements in your rooms can shine.
What Are Roman Shades?
Roman shades are very elegant in any setting as window treatments. These shades are also made of fabric in any weight you may choose, and they raise and lower with a cord system and rings on the back of the fabric. When you open Roman shades, they fold up in horizontal folds at the top of your window. They are constructed for folding upward and downward, but not rolled as roller shades do.
What Is the Difference Between Roller Shades and Roman Shades?
The biggest difference between roller shades and Roman shades is how they appear. Roller shades are sleek and seamless window treatments, and Roman shades make folds when they are raised at the top of the windows. Roman shades are considered much more elegant, while roller shades are considered to be more affordable and practical.
Roller or Roman Shades: Styles & Choices
Roller shades and Roman shades give you literally thousands of choices in fabrics with different colors, styles, themes, and patterns from which to choose. Each may be coordinated with other items in your room or your decor style. Roller shades have one basic style because of the simplicity of their design, however, you can add some extra personality to them with a scalloped hemline or by adding beautiful fabric tape to the fabric.
Roman shades have several styles from which to choose. The most common are the flat Roman shade and the soft fold Roman shade. The flat panel looks the same as a roller shade when it’s down, when you raise it, you see neat and tidy horizontal folds at the top of the window. The soft fold style shows folds both when it’s down and up for more elegance in any setting.
Roman shades also give you the option of the top-down bottom-up orientation where you can open one half of the shade and leave the other half closed for precise lighting control. This option isn’t available in roller shades though.
Both types of shades can be motorized for convenience in opening and closing them with the simple touch of a button or by programming them on a set schedule.
Roller or Roman Shades: Light Filtering & Privacy
Your choice of fabric for either roller or Roman shades determines the amount of light that enters your windows when the shades are closed. Choose from modern lacey fabrics in pastel colors for light filtering in either type of shade that has the pattern illuminated on your floor or walls when the sun shines through it. Instead, choose a thicker fabric to be room darkening and give you the ultimate privacy at the same time. If instead, you fall in love with a lighter fabric, you can add a room-darkening backing to it, so it still looks the same but gives you great privacy.
Roller or Roman Shades: Cleaning and Maintenance
Roller shades are the clear winner when it comes to simple cleaning and maintenance. Because of their flat fabric that rolls up into a protective roller or cassette, you simply lower the shades and wipe it down on each side with a feather duster to keep it debris and dust free.
Since Roman shades have folds, especially the soft fold style, dust, and pollen can collect and settle on the horizontal folds, which can be a bit harder to keep clean. You can vacuum Roman shades paying special attention to the folds either with your household vacuum and the brush attachment or with a hand-held vacuum. If your shades get a stain or splash of something on them and the fabric is machine washable, you can wash and dry them at home.
Roller or Roman Shades: Cost
Roller shades are very affordable depending on the size and the fabric you choose, which is fused to a roller backing. Roman shades take more time to fabricate because they have more involved processes of the addition of the pulley system and the rings on them, so you can expect to pay more for your Roman shades.
How to Make the Decision between Roller or Roman Shades
Consider if you are in the market for something with simple and clean lines so as not to compete with other items in your room. If this is the case, you will likely choose roller shades in a solid color. If your room is monotone with a little color, the addition of Roman shades can really make a lovely focal point in any room with a luxurious fabric in a beautiful print.
If you want to preserve your view outside of your window when your shades are raised, you should choose roller shades, because they don’t block the view at the top of the window like the folds of a Roman shade when it is raised.
At Desert Window Wear, we have over 35 years in business for Tucson window treatments of all types to beautify your home. We are considered your premier window treatment specialist for roller shades in Tucson with the most options available in the state. Contact us for a FREE in-home consultation for your roller or Roman shades in Tucson today!