Roman Shade Folds Explained

Two roman shades can use the same fabric, the same window and the same motor, and still look nothing alike. The difference is the fold - the single decision that sets whether a shade reads tailored or soft, architectural or romantic. Here is how each style is built, and where each one belongs.

Flat fold

The cleanest of them all. A flat-fold roman hangs as one smooth panel when lowered, with no folds at all until you raise it - then it stacks into crisp, evenly spaced horizontal pleats. Battens sewn into the back are what keep those lines straight rather than sagging.

It is the fold we specify most often in Miami and Fort Lauderdale condos, for two reasons: it suits contemporary architecture, and it is the only fold that lets a large-scale pattern or a beautiful weave read uninterrupted. If you have chosen an expensive fabric, flat fold is what shows it off.

Hobbled fold (also called teardrop or looped)

A hobbled roman carries soft, permanent loops down its entire length whether it is raised or lowered. That look costs fabric: the shade is built with roughly one and a half to two times its finished length, with cascading folds held every few inches.

The result is softness and depth - closer to drapery than to a shade. It suits traditional and transitional rooms, bedrooms, and windows where you want the treatment to feel substantial even when fully down. The trade-off is that hobbled folds partially obscure the view and take a deeper stack, so they are less suited to a wall of glass you want fully open.

Relaxed fold (soft fold)

A relaxed roman has no battens across the bottom. Left unstructured, the hem falls into a gentle smile - a shallow curve that dips in the middle and lifts at the corners. It is casual by design.

This is the coastal fold. It looks right in linen, in a kitchen or a guest room, and in the beach houses we dress from Bay Harbor to Palm Beach. Two cautions from the workroom: a relaxed fold needs a fabric with enough body to hold the curve gracefully, and it is best kept to narrower windows - past about five feet the smile sags rather than swags.

London shade

A London shade is a relaxed fold with structure at the top: inverted pleats set in from each edge create two soft swags with tailored tails at the sides. It is more formal than a relaxed roman and less full than a balloon.

We use it where a room needs a decorative moment without heaviness - a powder room, a dining room window, a stair landing. It is a shade that looks intentional even when it is doing nothing.

Balloon shade

The most decorative of the family. Gathered rows of fabric puff into deep, rounded pouf at the hem, and the shade keeps that volume whether raised or lowered. Balloon shades want lightweight or sheer fabric - anything heavy turns the pouf into a lump.

This is a period fold, and we specify it sparingly: formal dining rooms, traditional interiors, and occasionally a hospitality project where the brief calls for drama.

Dog-ear (or "eared") fold

A variation rather than a category of its own: the bottom corners of a relaxed or London shade are drawn up slightly, giving the hem two soft points. It adds a little tailoring to an otherwise casual shade, and reads well in a room that is coastal but not quite casual.

Choosing between them

• Modern room, patterned or luxe fabric, big glass → flat fold
• Traditional room, want softness and body → hobbled
• Coastal, casual, narrower window → relaxed
• A decorative accent with structure → London
• Formal, period, sheer or light fabric → balloon

Three things the fold decision affects

Stack. Every roman keeps its fabric at the top when raised. Plan on roughly 8 to 14 inches for a typical flat fold, more for hobbled and balloon because they carry extra cloth. On a view window that stack is the difference between an open outlook and a permanent valance across the top - which is why we confirm mount depth on site before anything is cut.

Lining. The same fold behaves differently lined and unlined. A privacy lining adds body and protects the face fabric from Florida sun; a blackout lining makes the shade light-tight for a bedroom; interlining adds weight and quiets a room. See our blackout shades for where full darkness matters.

Operation. Any of these folds can be built cordless or motorized. We build ours on Lutron, Somfy and Crestron systems, and for homes with children or pets we recommend removing cords entirely - see automation.

Made here, not ordered in

Every roman shade we sell is cut and sewn in our own South Florida workroom. That matters more with romans than with almost any other treatment: fold spacing, batten placement and hem weight are judgement calls made panel by panel, and they are what separate a shade that hangs beautifully for a decade from one that goes crooked in a season. Browse the full roman shade collection, or see them installed in our Turks & Caicos villa project.