Have you ever been to Rome?  No?  I haven’t either, but  from looking at television, photos and movies I do have some idea of what Italy and the other Mediterranean countries are like.  I love Italian food and Italian wines, and I love Roman Blinds too!

Mediterranean climate is warm and dry.  In ancient times, before there were modern paved roads and when people rode on horse or donkey, or walked on foot the air was often filled with dust.  Imagine, all those carts rolling down an unpaved road in the heat of summer, with a light breeze blowing and picking dust up into the air.  Yes, it would have been dusty and dry during summer.  Dust would get everywhere, on clothing and it would also find its way inside of people’s houses, inside meeting placed and other buildings.  It would most likely even get into their food and their water or wine pitchers.

Not only did travel churn up dust, but buildings were made those days out of stones and stones were carved, creating even more dust especially in heavily populated areas or in cities.  With all that dust in the air, what did people do to keep the dust out of their homes and inns, and out of their food too? They invented blinds!

Yes, historians believe that the Roman Blinds were invented for such a reason, to hang over open windows and prevent dust from coming into their houses.  They soon realized that the blinds kept out the sun and the heat too and thus they became a regular sight in the average Roman houses and villas.  Of course, women will go to any length to decorate their houses, and make them look attractive and Roman women were no exception.  In fact, Romans delighted in richly decorating their houses and so they decided to decorate their blinds. Soon blinds were richly and lavishly decorated and the Roman blinds became a regular part of Roman home decor.

Roman blinds today are vastly different than blinds from ancient Rome.  Nowadays the blinds have a string or cord attached on the side of the blind so that it can easily go up and down.  And rather than only being made of cloth, they  are now made from a variety of different materials including bamboo, wood and other material. But the basic reason for having blinds remains the same. They are used to keep out sun and dust, and to decorate houses just as they were in Roman times.

Roman blinds have been around for centuries. They are still, today, a very popular choice when it comes to decorating your home, and are often a first choice when someone is wanting the classic, elegant look in their home.  If you haven’t considered using them, or if you are in fact deciding whether to decorate your home with them here are some reasons why you might want to consider it.

Classic Look:  There’s no question about it, there’s something very classy and classic about Roman Blinds. Perhaps it’s because they’re associated with the ancient Romans and the Mediterranean look, which is always considered very classic.  Whatever the reason, they have the ability to transform your room from a mediocre, same-as-everyone-else style living area into something very chic and unique. Honesty, I have seen a room totally changed just through installing roman blinds on all the windows. It tends to give a very fresh, modern and refreshing feel to the room.

Want to show off a beautiful view, or allow a soft sunlight to glow into your room:  They can be made to be either translucent, allowing a very soft light into the room through closed blinds, or they can be completely opaque shutting out all light just as normal blinds do. I have even seen transparent blinds that offer a slightly fuzzy view of the outside world which was a very intriguing effect.

Cheaper Alternative:  It’s not cheap to re-decorate, and curtains can be one of the more expensive items you add when redecorating.  If you want something nice, yet a little cheaper than conventional curtains you really wouldn’t go wrong with these blinds.  In my opinion, if you don’t have a lot of money to invest in curtains you’re far better off investing in some nice higher-end roman blinds than in spending the same amount of money on cheap-looking fabric curtains.  You can get a much nicer look for the same amount of money with blinds.  Achieving the same look with fabric curtains can often cost you more than you’re willing, or able to outlay.

Easy to Measure:  Ever  been totally confused when measuring for curtains. Do you double the width or triple it?  How much do you allow for the edges and hems?  I have gotten so confused at times that I ended up with curtains that were an inch too short and they didn’t close properly (this was when ordering via catalog. Of course if you have a professional come in and measure they’ll get it right.)  Well, all of the mystery of measuring for curtains is taken out when you choose roman blinds. They are so easy to measure for, it doesn’t get any easier in fact.  Just measure the width of your window, and decide how long you want them to be.  Voila!  It’s as easy as 1-2-3!

Easy to Install:  Not only are they easy to measure, but they’re so simple to install that even I can do it.  I am very challenged when it comes to anything that involves hammers, or screws or attaching anything to a wall, but I was able to get my lovely new roman blinds up in about 15 minutes. And yes, they were straight!

Readily Available:  Most curtain and blind shops sell them, or you can order them on line. And the great thing is, that you can feel perfectly safe and secure about ordering on line because you’ll have your measurements down pat.

Choice of Material: They are available in many different materials, and something is sure to suit your home’s decor. There’s bamboo, wood, canvas, material–whatever your choice, chances are you’ll be able to find the perfect blind.

If you’re not convinced already, go ahead and look in some catalogs, or on-line curtain and blind sites and check out the photos and other details.  There’s nothing like seeing actual photos to give you a good idea of whether they’re what you’re looking for.

You have your new home or you are re-doing your living room or bedroom and you’re wondering what type of curtains to choose?  If you’re looking for something cost effective, yet very classy, you would do well to consider the roman blinds.  Roman blinds can be elegant, classy, decorative and they are also very useful and easy to clean.  Bamboo Roman blinds are a great complement to a room where wood is featured, and they are fairly inexpensive. If you want to limit the light that comes into a room you could try hanging blackout Roman blinds. Ready made Roman blinds are easy to purchase and just as simple to install.

Here are some ideas of when you might want to consider choosing roman blinds for your windows.

To show off the view:  These blinds can be folded up even above your actual window which makes them the perfect choice for the window with a view.  Too often I’ve seen beautiful views partly hidden because of heavy curtains that cover up half of the window even when they’re opened.  If you have a beautiful view, show it off.  Let your whole window frame the beauty of nature.  If you have a large window it is still easy to find made to measure Roman blinds, or have them made to order.

You want a Mediterranean feel to your room:  What  better way to achieve this could there be than with Roman Blinds?  Especially if it’s a lazy, sunny summers day and there’s a light breeze blowing, these curtains give off the impression that you’re sitting on the banks of the Mediterranean enjoying a lazy day and a cocktail.

You’re busy, and don’t have a lot of time or money to spend cleaning curtains:  Look no further when it comes to ease of cleaning, especially if you get curtains made from bamboo or even canvas.  Cloth curtains are hard to keep clean, and they fade in patches where sunlight hits them.  The roman blind folds up during the day and is not exposed to uneven sunlight, and they’re very easy to keep clean.

To complement other curtains in a subtle way:  If you already have curtains in your room but you’re wondering just what to put over that little window that needed something, why not try the roman blind.  If you choose the right color and material it can be very unobtrusive, not drawing any attention to itself, yet it can cover the window when needed.

Used in conjunction with other curtains: Another quite stylish use I’ve seen is to mount the blinds on a window, but still have delicate curtains hanging to either side of the blind, or have a fantastic retro floor lamp set off to the side to highlight them. This can look very nice and stylish, and the great thing is if you have the blinds then the curtain material does not have to be heavy, or even lined if you don’t want it to. It can be more something to show off, or side-case your blinds.

Roman blinds come in different styles and colors.  You can choose the more classic form of blind that uses fabrics or you can launch out and try bamboo or even fine wood slats for your blind.  There are so many alternatives for decorating your room with Roman Blinds, that they really could be the perfect choice for you in redecorating! If you are handy at sewing you could even try to make your own. There are many sites that give detailed instructions on how to make Roman blinds.

Still not sure? Have a look at different ideas and tips for decorating either on line, or in decorating magazines.  If you take a look at some photos and see how other people have been decorating using this type of blind, you’ll probably get lots of ideas on how you can do it.