Flat fold
One flat panel of fabric when lowered, folding into clean horizontal pleats as it rises. The modern choice, and the best one for a patterned fabric.
Roman Shades
Roman shades: the tailored fabric window.
Folds of real fabric, linen and cotton blends to silk, lined for privacy or blackout, lifted without cords. Centerpiece™ Roman shades bring drapery fabric to the window without the drapery. Measured and installed by PAPABLINDS in Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, and Redmond.
Three fold styles.
The fold is the personality of a Roman shade. It decides how the shade looks lowered, raised, and in between.
Flat fold with batten back
Battens sewn into the back keep every fold straight and even, so the raised shade stacks in tailored, subtle pleats.
Soft fold
Fabric cascades in soft loops down the whole length of the shade, lowered or raised. The traditional, furnished look.
Fabrics and linings.
Polyester, linen blends, cotton blends, and silk, in whites, creams, beiges, grays, blues, browns, blacks, and specialty tones. A translucent lining keeps daytime privacy; a blackout lining makes the shade a bedroom shade.
Whites and creams
Beiges and linen naturals
Grays
Blues
Browns
Blacks and charcoals
Families, not exact colors. The fabric books come to the visit, and edge banding or ribbon banding can trim any of them.
Rooms where a Roman shade belongs.
Fabric without curtains
The softness of drapery on a window that has no room for a rod and panels.
Blackout lined
A linen face on the room side, a blackout lining on the window side. Cordless for the window over the bed.
Pattern and color
The one window covering that carries a print well. Flat fold keeps the pattern readable.
With the right fabric
Polyester fabrics handle steam. We steer silk and linen elsewhere.
Roman or SmartFold™?
SmartFold™ is Norman’s roller-based fold: the look of a Roman on a roller mechanism. The two suit different windows.
| Centerpiece™ Roman | SmartFold™ | |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanism | Fabric folds and stacks at the top | Fabric rolls behind the valance, folds as it lowers |
| Raised | A stack of folds at the top of the window | Rolled away; more of the glass open |
| Fold sizes | Flat, flat with battens, soft | 6, 7, or 8 inch folds |
| Backing | Translucent or blackout lining | Sheer backing behind the folds for a soft peek-through |
| Widths | Standard windows | Designed for larger windows |
| Lift | AeroLite™ cordless, cord loop, SmartRelease™, motorized | PrecisionLift™ cordless, cord loop, AutoWand™, motorized |
Options on Roman shades.
- AeroLite™ cordless, certified Best for Kids
- Cordless Day and Night: two fabrics
- Continuous cord loop or SmartRelease™
- Norman Smart Motorization or AutoWand™
- Edge banding and ribbon banding
- Translucent or blackout lining
Roman shade questions.
Do Roman shades block the window when raised?
The folds stack at the top, typically covering the top portion of the glass. For a window where the view matters more than the folds, SmartFold™ rolls the fabric away instead.
Can I get them cordless?
Yes. AeroLite™ cordless lift is standard on Centerpiece™ and certified Best for Kids. Motorized versions run from a remote, the app, or a voice assistant.
Are they private at night?
With a translucent or blackout lining, yes. Unlined sheer fabrics show silhouettes with the lights on, so we line bedroom and bathroom shades.
Can I use my own fabric?
The Centerpiece™ collection is what we order from. It is a wide collection; bring the room’s colors to the visit and we match from it.
Roman shades for Seattle-area living rooms and bedrooms
A Roman shade is a panel of real fabric that folds as it rises. It gives a window the softness of drapery without a rod, a return, or panels on the wall, which is why it suits the living rooms of older Seattle homes with deep window casing and the bedrooms of newer Eastside houses alike. Norman’s Centerpiece™ line comes in flat and soft folds, in polyester, linen, cotton, and silk fabrics, with translucent or blackout lining. PAPABLINDS measures and installs them in Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, and nearby communities.
Choosing the fold
Flat fold reads modern and shows a pattern cleanly; flat fold with battens keeps every pleat even when the shade is up; soft fold cascades and reads traditional. In a room with clean trim and painted walls, flat; in a room with wood and texture, soft. We bring samples of each.
Lining for privacy and dark
A translucent lining keeps daytime privacy and protects the face fabric from the sun. A blackout lining turns the same shade into a bedroom shade. On a window that gets afternoon sun through the summer, the lining also keeps a linen or silk face from fading.
Roman shades in bathrooms and kitchens
Polyester fabrics handle steam and wipe clean; linen and silk do not, and we say so. For a bathroom window we usually suggest a polyester Roman, a cellular shade, or a faux wood blind instead.
Request a free in-home visit and we bring the fabric books and fold samples to your windows.