Roman Shades
Real fabric in soft horizontal folds. The warmth of drapery without the bulk of panels crowding the window. Fitted and installed across Boise and the Treasure Valley.
Fabric That Folds Instead of Rolling Flat
A roman shade is a single piece of fabric that gathers into horizontal folds as you raise it and lays smooth when you lower it. There are no slats, no vanes and no cords running down the face of the window. What you see is cloth.
That is why people choose them. A roman shade brings the softness and the texture of a curtain to a window without the bulk, and it stops at the frame rather than spilling onto the floor and eating the wall on either side. In a room where a flat shade would read as too plain and drapery would read as too heavy, this is the product in between.
Hunter Douglas builds these as Vignette Modern Roman Shades, with folds in four inch or six inch depths depending on how pronounced you want the effect.
The One Real Decision: Rolling or Stacking
This is where roman shades get interesting, and it is a choice no other Hunter Douglas product offers. The same shade can be built to roll or to stack, and the two behave completely differently at the top of the window.
The two photos below are the same bedroom, the same window and the same fabric. The only thing that changed is which style was ordered.
Rolling style. The fabric rolls up inside the headrail and disappears completely. Nothing sits above the glass, so you get the whole window back. This is the one to choose when the view is the point.
Stacking style. The folds gather and sit above the window the way a traditional roman shade does. You lose a few inches of glass, and you gain the softer, more classic look. It is also the only one of the two that offers top-down bottom-up.
Light Above, Privacy Below
Order the stacking style and you can add top-down bottom-up, which gives the shade two moving rails. Lower it from the top and daylight comes over the shade while the bottom of the window stays covered.
For a street-facing dining room or a bathroom, that solves the problem no ordinary shade solves: you keep the light without putting your room on display.
How Much Light You Let In
Every roman fabric sits somewhere between sheer and room-darkening, and the fold structure means the same fabric reads differently here than it would flat on a roller.
A sheer keeps the room bright and softens the daylight. A light-filtering fabric gives an even glow and privacy after dark. A room-darkening fabric cuts most of the light, which is what you want in a bedroom.
There is also Duolite, which is genuinely clever on this product. A sheer or light-filtering shade rolls down the front, and a room-darkening panel is built into the same roller behind it. Once the front shade is fully down you can deploy the back panel for privacy or darkness. One shade at the window, two completely different rooms depending on the time of day. It runs on PowerView automation.
How It Opens and Closes
UltraGlide uses a slim retractable wand that self-lowers, so the cord never grows long as the shade comes down. It is the standard choice and it keeps the window clean.
LiteRise is fully cordless. Push it up, pull it down, nothing hanging at the window, which is the safe option around children and pets.
EasyRise is a continuous cord loop for larger, heavier shades.
PowerView automation moves them on a schedule, from a remote or from your phone. It is the obvious answer for anything above a stairwell or a tall entry, which is what the photo below shows. See motorized window coverings.
Where They Fit in a Boise Home
Roman shades are a living-room and bedroom product more than a kitchen one. They suit rooms where you want warmth and texture: a sitting room, a primary bedroom, a formal dining room, a stairway that everyone sees on the way up.
For a kitchen or a bathroom where the covering has to shrug off steam and grease, a roller shade or a solar shade is the more practical pick. And if the room is cold in winter and hot in summer, cellular shades are the only product here that actually insulates.
Questions People Ask About Roman Shades
What Is the Difference Between Rolling and Stacking?
Rolling style rolls the fabric up inside the headrail so nothing sits above the glass and you get the entire window back. Stacking style gathers the fabric into folds that rest above the window, which is the traditional roman look and costs you a few inches of glass. Vignette is the only Hunter Douglas product that offers both, and stacking is the only one of the two that can be built as top-down bottom-up.
Do They Block the Light Completely?
With a room-darkening fabric they cut most of it, which is enough for a bedroom for most people. Because the fabric hangs inside the window frame, some light will come around the edges. If you need a genuinely dark room, either mount the shade outside the frame or look at cellular shades with the LightLock system.
Are They Safe Around Children?
Choose LiteRise, which is fully cordless, or PowerView automation, and there is no cord at the window at all. UltraGlide uses a retractable wand rather than a loose cord, which is also a considerable improvement on an old-style pull cord.
How Do I Clean Them?
Dust regularly with a soft cloth or vacuum gently with a brush attachment. Spot-clean marks with a soft cloth, warm water and a mild detergent, blotting rather than rubbing. For a deeper clean there are professional ultrasonic services. We give you the care guidance for your specific fabric at install.
Can I Use Them on a Wide Window?
Yes, and where a single shade would be too wide we can run two on one headrail so they operate together and read as one line across the glass. We measure and confirm what your opening allows.
Can I See the Fabric Before I Decide?
That is the whole point of the in-home consultation. Justin brings the Hunter Douglas samples to your house so you can see the fabric and the fold depth against your own window, in your own light. Our showroom at 2615 W Main St in Boise is open too if you would rather come to us. Call ahead so we can be sure to be there.
See the Fold Against Your Own Window
Rolling or stacking, four inch fold or six, is a decision that is far easier to make holding the fabric up to your own window than reading about it. Justin brings the samples, measures, and gives you a straight recommendation. The in-home consultation is free and there is no pressure to buy.
Or call (208) 808-8676
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