Modern Roman shades are available in lots of different styles. The most popular Roman shade variants include looped and flat styles.
Both types of Roman window treatments are commonly used for curb appeal and to control the amount of light entering a room. Here is a comprehensive guide about “What are looped vs flat Roman shades?” to help you decide which one will be the best option for your taste and needs.
When deciding between looped and flat Roman shades for your windows, it’s important to consider the style of your room as well as your personal taste and preferences.
While looped Roman shades can add a more formal, traditional look to a space, flat Roman shades have a sleek, modern appearance. Moreover, looped shades require more maintenance and care to keep their pleats looking crisp and even.
Similarities between Looped and Flat Roman Shades
Both looped and flat Roman window treatments are popular choices among homeowners for their simplicity, elegance, and versatility. Each can be made from a variety of materials, including sheer, semi-sheer, and opaque fabrics, and they come in a range of colors and patterns to suit any interior decor style.
Differences between Looped and Flat Roman Shades
Looped Roman shades for windows have vertical folds that are created by looping the fabric material over horizontal rods or dowels. This creates a series of loops that give the window shade a distinctive, pleated appearance. The loops of the fabric can be spaced close together or farther apart, depending on your desired taste and style.
On the other hand, flat Roman shades are made from a single piece of fabric that hangs flat against the window opening when fully lowered. And when the shade is raised (or opened), the fabric folds up neatly in horizontal sections.
Pros and Cons of Looped Roman Shades
Also known as classic Roman shades, looped Roman shades are a popular window treatment option for their sleek appearance and versatility. Here are some pros and cons of looped Roman shades:
Pros
- Style and Versatility: Looped Roman shades offer a classic, elegant look that can complement any interior decor style. They come in a variety of colors, designs, patterns, and materials to suit different design preferences.
- Light Control: Looped Roman shades can be raised, lowered, or adjusted to control the amount of light that enters your room. When closed, they provide complete privacy and light-blocking functionality.
- Energy Efficiency: Looped Roman shades for windows can help regulate the temperature in your room by blocking out sunlight and preventing heat loss during the colder months.
- Ease of Use: They can be raised, lowered, or adjusted with a simple pull of the cord or a cordless mechanism, making them easy to operate for anyone.
Cons
- Can be Expensive
Looped Roman window shades can be more expensive than other window treatment options, especially if custom sizing or materials are required.
- Maintenance
Depending on the fabric material used, looped Roman shades may require regular cleaning to prevent dust and dirt buildup.
- Cord Safety: If cord lifts are used to raise and lower looped Roman shades, they can pose a safety hazard to children and pets, as they can become entangled in these lift cords.
- Limited View: When closed, looped Roman shades can obstruct the view from the window, thereby limiting natural light and views of the outside world.
Pros and Cons of Flat Roman Shades
There are several advantages of flat Roman shades, such as light control, privacy, and curb appeal. However, they do have some disadvantages. Here are some of the pros and cons of flat Roman shades.
Pros
- Versatility: Flat Roman shades can be used in any room of your home, from the living room to the bedroom. They can also be customized to fit any window size or shape.
- Light Control: Flat Roman shades for windows provide excellent light control. You can choose from light-filtering, sheer, or room-darkening fabrics, depending on your needs.
- Privacy: Flat Roman shades offer privacy when fully closed, making them a great option for bedrooms and bathrooms.
- Convenience: When the flat roman shades are considered, there is often a factor of convenience that influences the very choice most of the time. The flat type of window blind has to be noted for its simplicity of form and appearance. It is more of a no-frills approach to window dressing than anything else.
- Creating the Right Impression: The flat-bottomed window shades can be put to good use to create the right impression in the minds of those that work in an office as well as anyone who would pay a visit to the place of work.
Cons
- Cost: Like looped Roman shades, flat Roman shades can be more expensive than other window treatment options, especially if you choose custom-made products.
- Installation: Flat Roman shades for windows can be more difficult to install than other window treatments, especially if you are installing them on your own.
- Limited View of the Outside: Like looped Roman shades, flat Roman shades cover the window completely, which can limit your view of the outside scenery.
Things to Consider When Buying Looped or Flat Roman Shades
Once you have decided between looped and flat Roman shades for the windows of your home, office, or other building, you need to consider certain things before making a purchase.
- Fabric
When the fabric is taken into consideration, there are a few aspects of the material of a looped or flat Roman window shade that needs to be pointed out. The color, texture, design, etc. all go together to form the outcome of the window dressing. The modern-day window flat shade has taken to using materials like nylon and even veneers to have the shades done in.
- Situation: By this, it is the physical setting of the particular window or the use to which the window is being put. So, at places where there is an ingress of moisture, it is essential to use a material that can stand up to wet conditions. At times, it is possible that there could be a lot of dust around in a room and this would be the right situation to use nylon or a comparable material that is easy to clean and maintain. In case the sunlight needs to be shielded it is necessary to use a blackout looped or flat Roman blind that could provide the right kind of shielding as necessary. So, the situation does indeed get to decide the kind and type of Roman window dressing to be used.
- The Feel: Before buying a looped or flat Roman shade, you must consider the feel of your room, so it will perfectly match the interior decor.
Where to Buy Looped or Flat Roman Shades
When out shopping for options to dress up the window, it is essential to use a store that offers a fair bit of choices as to the type and kind of looped and flat fold Roman shades that are out there on the shelves.
No amount of choice of material would replace the quality of fabric at a site, and this factor is put to practical use at Affordable Blinds to bring the best of the looped and flat Roman shades to every customer.
At the stores like Affordableblinds.com, you get huge price discounts along with bonus offers, such as free shipping, free samples, and a free lifetime warranty.