Can You Put Curtains with Roman Blinds?

Roman blinds are a popular form of window covering for modern homes, bridging the decorative draped effect when pulled up, with the privacy and convenience of full coverage when the blinds are rolled down.

They can be motorised or installed with a manual pull-up and pull-down system, with the pleating in the full stretch of fabric alleviating the need for a roller across the top of your windows. This creates a clean finish in modern homes and really emphasises the aesthetic beauty of the chosen fabric.

But while luxury Roman blinds themselves are a decorative form of window dressing, can you take the next step and combine these with curtains too?

The Benefits of a Combined Approach to Window Dressing

There are both practical benefits and aesthetic advantages to combining both draped Roman blinds and curtains.

For one thing, while installing blinds on the inside of a window creates clean lines and a balanced finish, it can leave gaps around the outsides where light is able to shine through. During the summer months in particular, this can impact sleeping patterns without the layered advantages of curtains, which close over the blinds and help minimise light leakage.

Another benefit of layering curtains and Roman blinds is that doing so makes windows look bigger and become more of a feature in your home. From installing the curtains a few inches above the top of the window, to extending the curtain pole outwards to ensure the curtains don’t impede on light flow when open, there are plenty of ways of making the layered effect work in your home.
It all depends on how you style your window layering, and which finishes you opt for…

Choosing the Right Colours and Fabrics

When combining Roman blinds with curtains, should the two use the same colour palette and fabric? Should one be patterned or textured, and the other plain?

It all depends on the aesthetic finish you want to create – however, for the most part, we recommend making this choice based on the size of the room and the window.

• If you want to add a pattern, do so on the Roman blinds – framing these with a simpler and more neutral curtain, or go for the opposite and keep the blind neutral with more of a patterned curtain.
• If your room is small, keep the texture and the colour palette of both as light as possible.
• In a large room, block colours that match both the blinds and the curtains can be an eye-catching feature.
• When in doubt, opt for two different shades of the same colour – usually with darker curtains framing a lighter Roman blind.

How to Complete Your Window Dressing

Natural light is undoubtedly a valuable asset in any home, and so choosing the best window dressing has to be done with consideration for the placement of windows, and how the light impacts the ambience throughout your space.

At Feran, our team offer a hands-on approach to window dressings and designs, helping clients create their perfect home with consultations and time spent in our studio. Get in touch for more information.