Checks never really sit out a season. They march the spring catwalks in tartan jackets and plaid skirts, return to summer in picnic gingham mats, and linger in back-to-school uniforms in fall. No wonder these clean-lined grids translate so seamlessly well to window decor as checkered roman shades, bringing that same timeless versatility into your rooms. 

With their unbeatable knack of belonging everywhere, from kitchens to bureaucratic zones, checks have held their ground as a perennial pattern in interior decor since time unknown. In fact, part of their appeal is that they don’t quite belong to one era. They can whisper of Victorian parlours, speak of 1960s kitchens, or report as next season’s runway stars. On roman shades, they fold all those histories together and hang them right on your window. 

If that’s your dream today, you have landed at the correct spot. Sewn brings you hundreds of checkered fabrics ranging from plaids and tartans to ginghams and buffalo checks in various materials and palettes. But before you start your shopping spree, allow our stylists to weave in ideas and inspiration from their fabric-fueled daydreams and slightly obsessive Pinterest boards. Come along! 

MORE FROM THE STORE: Checkered Curtains | Striped Roman Shades | Floral Roman Shades

Served On a Silver Spool: Our Favorite Spaces to Dress with Checkered Roman Shades

Long before checks marched down Parisian runways, these simple grids were crisscrossing looms for centuries across continents. In Scotland, checks became tartans. More than just a pattern, they were identity, signaling clan, allegiance and heritage. Each arrangement of stripes and colours was a code, worn on kilts and carried with pride. Cross over to Asia, and gingham emerged: a lightweight cotton with evenly dyed checks that travelled along trade routes, finding its way from India and Indonesia into European wardrobes. 

Across cultures and eras, checks have held their ground in interiors: tartans by the hearths in Scottish cottages, gingham-dressed kitchens and dining rooms in England and France, and sturdy plaids stitched into American farmhouse quilts and curtains. In the 20th century, checks only grew more versatile in interiors: gingham curtains fluttered in post-war kitchens, while bold plaids upholstered mid-century armchairs in paneled libraries. 

Every era has claimed checks for its own, twisting the pattern to fit its mood. Which is why checkered roman shades feel less like a trend and more like a tradition. Woven from heritage, yet endlessly adaptable, checkered roman shades work in more locales than you’d think. They can evoke the English cottage’s pastoral charm or tilt clean and contemporary with lean palettes.

In this guide, we’ve gathered our favorite spaces to dress in checks, styling ideas, pairings and tips to help you find your perfect rhythm in checks, whether you're after countryside charm, tailored tradition, or a modern twist on the classic square. So let’s unspool some charm, shall we?

Ring in Holiday Vibes with Check Roman Shades

Few patterns say holiday home quite like checks! Red-and-green tartans have practically been adopted as Christmas decor, while bold buffalo plaids conjure cabins with stockings by the hearth. Even a humble gingham, usually a summer staple, can feel festive when paired with twinkle lights and the aroma of cinnamon in the kitchen.

To employ check roman shades as instant holiday mood-setters, we recommend opting for festive palettes. Take cue from the Christmas decor; echo the greens of mistletoe in your fabric choices, or match the reds of a classic wreath to create a coordinated, festive frame for your view. Our favourites for the season include Vivacious Red, Lake Supreme and Shell Touch. 

The best bit? When the wreaths come down and the stockings are packed away, your check roman shades will not lose their charm. They carry on looking right at home, season after season, especially if you choose a palette that pairs your red and green with another non-holiday themed color as seen in fabrics like Garden Paradise or Solid Rock. A classic as perennial as apple pie!

HomeSewn Wisdom: When selecting the fabric for your roman shade, consider the scale of the check pattern. For petite windows, we recommend small-scale ginghams like Luscious Lemon that complement the miniature scale of the window and do not overwhelm. However, such a pattern would get lost in a large room with grand windows. Large-scale buffalo checks like Spotty Buff are better candidates for large windows and rooms where the checks can hold court. 

Dress the Home Office with Bureaucratic Checks

One of the superpowers of checks is to make things seem orderly, even when one might be juggling deadlines and judging questionable wifi connections. Balancing the chaos of cords and calendars, this spiffy pattern cuts through hustle and bustle with its rhythmic repeat, serving as a visual breather amidst screens and papers.  

The clean lines and composed structure of a checkered roman shade in an office reflect the mood of an orderly, focused workspace. Calm, tailored, and purposeful, check roman shades set the tone for a space that means business but still looks good doing it.

Checks are more than a pattern here; they bring a chance to stamp the office-bearer’s style on the space. For example, in the office of a Ralph Lauren man, checks like Liberty Land and Raleigh Green bring a touch of boardroom polish: sombre, grounded, and confidently masculine. For feminine offices, there’s a softer story—muted mauves, dusty pinks, and gentle taupes that pair poise with approachability. You might want to look at options like Bermuda Sands and Mauve Retreat. Whether you’re the spreadsheet strategist or the creative commander, your roman shades can, and should, match your temperament.

We recommend lining your office roman shades to ensure better sound insulation and to avoid waging a war with screen glare. Plus, lining prevents the pattern from looking washed out due to sunlight behind, helping the check lines show with clarity and definition on the face side. 

For fold style, we suggest the back slatted flat fold style for checkered roman shades in men’s offices for their boxy, masculine look. And for a she-boss’ office, opt for European relaxed roman shades. The languorous scallop of the bottom hemline of the European roman shades mirrors the curvaceous aesthetic of feminine spaces. 

HomeSewn Wisdom: Be wary of the front slatted plain fold style for check and plaid roman shades. The horizontal lines of the check sometimes come with slight imperfections - like a minor tilt or wave in the horizontal stripe - due to the printing or weaving process. While such inconsistencies are barely noticeable on slat-free surfaces of back slatted flat fold and European relaxed roman shades, they get highlighted when placed against the surgically straight raised silhouettes of the slat lines in front slatted plain fold style. 

Freshen Up Your Rustic Kitchen with Check Roman Shades

Checks are the unsung heroes of rustic kitchens. They nod to picnic blankets, sunlit farm tables, and jam jars lined up on open shelves, bringing a sense of casual cheer that feels effortless. On roman shades, the pattern plays with sunlight, folding and unfolding in rhythm with the day and your schedule, softening the glare while keeping the space bright and inviting.

A gingham in a buttery yellow or soft blue, like Jade Tinge, feels like a whisper of summer, pairing beautifully with whitewashed cabinets and copper accents. Bold plaids in vibrant colors or abstract detailing, like  Spring Green or Garnish can add a playful, energetic punch, perfect for spaces where the family gathers around breakfast or an impromptu lemonade stand. 

To nail this easy-breeze aesthetic, choose the European relaxed fold style, one that settles into scallops and soft pleats at the bottom, tendering the straight lines of checks and plaids into homey hearthiness. Amidst the clitter-clatter of a utilitarian kitchen filled with pots and pans, fabric curling up into swagging folds is always welcome to soften the ambiance.

If you are dressing a south-facing window that’s high on sunshine, privacy lining is recommended to protect your drapery fabric and other furnishings. For other placements, it’s worth considering leaving your shades unlined or constructed with lightweight fabrics to maximise sunlight in your kitchen. Avoid heavyweight fabrics like velvets in kitchens because thick fabrics don’t breathe as well and trap moisture, which can become a breeding ground for mold and mildew. 

HomeSewn Wisdom: For small kitchen windows, consider mounting your roman shades outside the window frame, instead of inside the recess. Position them a few inches above the frame, while only slightly overlapping the window trim. This masks the true starting point of the window while creating the illusive notion of a taller window. Similarly, consider extending them a few inches on both sides, so that, when closed, they provide better coverage and render the illusion of a larger window behind when closed.

 Anchor a Traditional Home with Check Roman Shades

Checks have always felt at ease in traditional American interiors. They carry a sense of lineage, polished and orderly, while still offering warmth to the room. In New England farmhouses, gingham softens kitchen windows against wide-plank floors. In Southern parlors, bold plaids punctuate tall windows framed with crown molding. In Federal-style studies, neat grids lend quiet geometry to spaces prized for their symmetry. On roman shades, checks continue that history, balancing formality with approachability.

To style them well, play with grounded, heritage-inspired palettes. Deep greens, russets, creams and soft browns recall the tones of early colonial interiors. We naturally lean on options like Meetplaya or Babylon. Basically, choose colours that feel time-honoured and rooted in the natural landscape, rather than chasing trend-led hues, to preserve that enduring sense of tradition.

When pairing checks with antique or period furniture, consider proportion and placement. A small gingham repeat feels balanced against fine Chippendale detailing or spindle-back Windsor chairs, while a larger plaid can stand up to the grandeur of tall windows and paneled walls. 

Finally, employ trims as your finishing masterstroke in classical settings. A simple tape or cord trim sharpens the look of checks and nods to Federal restraint. For a Victorian flourish, add a more ornate edging like a tassel or fringe-tassel trim in a complementary hue. 

To complete this rather regal picture, consider layering your roman shades with valances in traditional styles that feature curves and/or flowing jabots. We would nudge you towards styles such as our board mounted swag valance and the scalloped valance. Valances like these are a timeless finishing touch - a crown for your shades -  that frame the window beautifully and add just the right hint of old-world elegance. 

MORE FROM THE STORE: Roman Shade Trims

Stamp Any Space with Masculine Suave with Plaid Roman Shades

Few patterns carry as much swagger as tartans and plaids. They stride into a room already weighted with centuries of lore—Scottish clans marching in their colors, American lumberjacks felling timber in buffalo check, college boys in Ivy blazers sipping Scotch in paneled libraries. And you can bring home this rugged aesthetic with checkered roman shades as your trusted ally. 

Our top recommendation here for fold style is the back-slatted flat fold style. The unembellished structure, along with its straight and sleek boxy silhouette, is exactly what the checkered pattern needs as a partner in welcoming home a masculine aesthetic. Avoid the European relaxed fold style for its scalloped hems that dilute the pattern’s masculine strength. 

As for material, we recommend heavier, tight-knit fabrics that bring a sense of gravitas with their weight, preventing the roman shade from looking too flimsy and feminine. A fabric with tactile depth grounds the pattern, lending it the quiet authority that defines masculine design. 

Color is your next cue. Opt for rugged masculine tones like grays, deep greens, coffee browns, navy blues, etc. Our top picks for a room high on testosterone would be King Cross, Grey Shadow, and Greenhow Moss. 

To complete the look, layer in Americana trinkets that nod to your personality, culture, and hobbies. Maybe a baseball glove on a shelf, jazz records leaning against the turntable, or a framed Route 66 map, whatever brings to mind ‘you’. And that would be all, really!

To Sew It All Up

If you’ve been waiting for a sign to invite checks to your home, this is it. Try out the ideas our stylists have laid out, explore our fabrics, and let our checkered roman shades make the statement they were born to. We’ll be here—pins and needles at the ready—waiting to see the vision you conjure. All the best, mate. Shop away at Sewn!