I got rid of the old plastic and wood blinds in my house years ago. I’m officially team roman shades. I have two types in my house: woven and fabric (sourcing below!). I have even mixed and matched in the same space.
There are two way so install roman shades. Inside and outside mount. Inside mount are installed inside the window frame. You have to be able to secure the shade to the top or side of the frame. Outside mount means the shade is secured to the wall, usually above the window frame.
I have used both mount types in my home for different reasons which I’ll provide below.
Majority of the time I prefer inside mount shades because I love to hang curtains with the shades. I love a linen shade with drapery for a super polished look that (I think) looks really luxe.
I’ve also paired woven shades with drapery as well for my larger windows. Linen shades of this width would have to be custom and I’m not willing to do custom window treatments at this point in my life. I like to change things up too much to spend big money on window treatments.
I also used inside mount in my kitchen, the reason being the window is surrounded by tile and I didn’t want to create holes in the tile for a window treatment, nor did I want to cover up the tile with a shade.
So when do I use outside mount? In very specific circumstances: I’m not using curtains. I have two windows in my house where curtains are not feasible. The first is a picture window on the second story of my foyer (see first picture). Although most people would probably not use any window covering on a window like this, I value my privacy and like being able to shield from prying eyes in the evening. I live on a heavily populated street and it’s best not to have anyone looking in, even accidentally.
Another instance where I decided to forgo curtains was in my son’s room. His bed is directly in front of the window and curtains were too fussy and constantly being pulled when his bed moved (from him jumping off). So I opted for an outside mount roman shade and it’s the best option.
How to install:
Inside Mount
If you’re going to be using curtains with your shades, then you’ll need inside mount shades. The easiest way to measure for your shades is to take a tape measure and measure the height and width INSIDE the window frame.
Once you have these numbers, find the shade that matches your width. Most shades will be cut ¼-1/2” short to accommodate the width and provide extra space for maneuverability. Make sure the shade is also long enough when fully extended to cover the length of your window as well.
Outside mount
You’ll once again need a tape measure, but this time your measurements will include the trim around the window. So if your window measures 35” wide, and the frame is 2” on each side, your total width measurement will be 39”. I asked my friend who owns her own custom window treatment business how much the shade should extend past the edge of the frame for an outside mount shade, and her suggestion was 1-2”. So in this case, you’d be looking for a shade that has a width of 41-43”. You could even go up to 44” as I did below.
Sourcing
As I mentioned above, I get all of my woven blinds from Amazon. They have different colors you can choose from. I like the warm colored ones best for my home, but they also have cooler options as well.
Now for the linen shades. I have purchased fabric shades from Amazon and Wayfair, but at the end of the day they always felt cheap (and looked it up close).
Finally, I hit gold when I purchased linen shades from Pottery Barn. The difference was night and day! I will be the first to admit, their shades are not cheap. And they rarely go on sale. However, you can buy them at most Pottery Barn outlets! Here’s a complete list of all Pottery Barn outlet locations.
But what if you don’t have an outlet near you? The next best option is eBay! Tons of people buy from the outlet deeply discounted, then resell on eBay. Here’s a link to all of the options available for each measurement (be sure to check the length, it can be 48” or 64”). Be sure to check the measurement in the listing before purchasing.
And there you have it! All my best tips on shades. Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below!
I will definitely be using these tips for my remodel as I update my window treatments!