Another thing to consider is the head-rail, there are three basic types: Batten, aluminum with cord and aluminum with a chain. That’s the order of their cost; however its well worth paying the extra for the chain system as it’s far more robust and smoother to operate. The aluminum with cord is robust but not as smooth to operate and you are left with unsightly strings hanging bedside the blind. The most primitive is the old fashioned batten which can be plain wood, lined or even self lined, this time the main disadvantage would be the cleat that has to be attached to the wall so that the cords can be wrapped around it, that’s what keeps the roman blind in your desired height position, which is far from ideal.
You will need to choose the best lining too, I always recommend against interlining for roman blinds unless the fabric is of a very light weight. Otherwise you should go for the best quality 100% cotton sateen in ivory, white or cream, stay away from Polycotton unless you are highly budget restricted. One more option is blackout, normally white or cream, now this is where you need a bit of background knowledge. A hand stab stitched blind will not have and unnecessary holes showing through, whereas a machine stitched with standard tape will look dreadful as the parallel stitch marks are prominent when the sun shines on it.
Another thing to consider is bay windows and adjacent windows because a lot of online retailers will not pattern match the blinds as standard, what does this mean I hear you say? It means that when the hung they would not match from either the top or the bottom, but mostly the top. The finish would be very substandard and amateurish, so my advice would be to ask about pattern matching well before you make a purchase of any custom made soft furnishings online.
Sandra was the author of this article and for more details just click here.
