Floral designs have been offering a glimpse of nature’s grace and wowing the design world in every era. Their journey from the picturesque Victorian depictions of flora and fauna to the bold modern tropical prints testifies to their amazing adaptability. Therein lies the secret behind their forever ‘trending’ status that has clinched a special place for floral roman blinds and botanical window shades in the world of home decor. In Cape Cod cottages surrounded by wildflower hedgerows, floral roman blinds speak to the serene charm of the views framed by the windows. Whereas a Washington rowhouse shrouded by urban concrete counts on these same beauties for a delightful escape.

For all these homes - each as unique as its inhabitants - our collection stores options galore. And since you've chosen to shop with Sewn today, instead of grabbing something off the rack at a big-box store, you're already on the path to hand-sewn, custom-crafted perfection. However, to make the best out of this opportunity, please do take a moment to go through a few styling tips from our expert designers before starting your shopping spree:

MORE FROM THE STORE: Floral Curtains | Damask & Paisley Roman Shades | Toile & Chinoiserie Roman Shades

Prune the Posies: Styling Tips for Floral Roman Shades & Botanical Blinds

While floral roman shades can add life to any room, not all florals are cut from the same cloth, so knowing which one suits where is key to nailing the look. In a cozy country home, earth-toned roman shades - adorned with oil-paint-like bunches of ranunculus - may twirl and waltz with charm. Meanwhile, a modern condo may strut its stuff with bolder, larger-than-life prints in a contemporary palette. 

So, consider the visual compatibility of a floral blind with your current settings before ordering. And, if you feel a bit lost given the wide choice spectrum, don’t worry, our designers share their three-factor checklist to staying on the path to perfection:

SIZE OF THE SWIRLS: CHOOSE SCALE WITH FORETHOUGHT

Determine the scale of your floral and/or botanical pattern by first addressing if you need the roman shades to be the focal point in your room, or to recede into the backdrop while making the stage ready for another statement element. Once you have your answer, you can pick the right scale with the thumb rule that the larger the scale, the greater the impact.

While choosing the scale of your florals, also consider the size of the window and room along with the decor style. For example, a large-scale floral print is a befitting choice for a spacious Grand Millennial home where it will not overwhelm the eyes and also tally with the decor style. On the other hand, a small-scaled chinoiserie or ditsy print is proportionally and aesthetically perfect for the small windows of a dainty country-style setting. 

So, opt for large floral prints if the window and the room are generously scaled while ensuring that they align with your decor style. Conversely, if your design style favors diminutive florals or if your window/room is small, tone down the scale.

HomeSewn Wisdom: Pair the curvacious florals of your roman shades with straight-edged patterns like stripes and plaids for visual harmony. For example, if your roman shades feature large-scale floral motifs, consider bringing small-scale stripes/ plaids on your cushion covers or table runners, as long as they maintain a cohesive color palette. 

PALETTE OF THE PETALS: CHOOSE COLORS THAT COMPLEMENT

Taking up a considerable amount of visual realty at eye level, your roman shades have the unique potential to relay the color story of the room. Failing to capitalize on this opportunity is missing the chance to build color-cohesiveness and visual harmony within the space. So, bring the primary and colors of your room’s palette on the floral shades. You can also do it the other way by choosing the floral blind that piques your eye and then picking colors from its pattern to weave the color story of the room.

However, it is not enough to ring in the overarching palette; paying attention to their saturation levels is also crucial. Bold colors and high contrasts can make the blind a focal point, while subtle, low-contrast versions of the same color will have less of a visual presence.

The saturated red blooms of Mid Summer will garner attention and stand out more than the slightly toned-down delicate pinks of Tikuli, even if they share the same pattern and overarching palette. So, alongside the scale, make sure to factor in the palette and its nuances while deciding on the right floral fabric for your custom roman shades. 

If you think that the pattern is vibrant and has to be balanced by a toned-down palette, consider neutral schemes. Hushing down the colors enables you to engage in highly detailed designs without having to worry about signing in for an overwhelming visual sight.

HomeSewn Wisdom: Frame your floral roman shades with plain curtains echoing the accent tone of the pattern. The interplay of a solid with the floral pattern will bring balance and visual interest. Order stationary panels that only fulfill a decorative purpose, or go for full-coverage custom curtains that also aid in enhancing the light control and insulation of your overall window treatments.

BLUEPRINT OF THE BOUQUET: CHOOSE LAYOUT IN SYNC WITH SCALE

The layout and density of the florals — whether all-over or island-style — also affect how the pattern reads to the eye. Complementing the scale and palette, the layout determines how demanding or dainty the pattern appears. 

All-over layouts sport continuous end-to-end florals, so that the colors are distributed across the fabric. The exact silhouettes of the pattern, therefore, may not register in the mind in full clarity - but the colors make the first and final impression. Undoubtedly, this layout yields a visual bustle but might be  just the break a room dominated by plain colors needs. Thus, your floral blind can instantly double up as the showstopper feature of the room, the default focal point that adds life and dynamism to the space.

Whereas, in island layouts, the ‘floating’ motifs are scattered and more attention-grabbing as the generous empty space around them serves to highlight their details and colors. Here, the motif’s shape is the star as its details register easily on the mind. Floral shades in this layout are apt for rooms that already have patterns at play because an all-over layout can potentially overwhelm the space.

For small rooms and decor styles that prefer to use patterns sparingly, island layout florals in demure colors, like Fresh Flora from our collection, are more apt as they don’t look busy and will not, therefore, overwhelm a small space or a monochrome setting. Larger spaces and vibrant decor styles, on the other hand, can embrace bold-hued all-over prints like Autumn Ridge as they appreciate that gush of visual energy.

Both the layouts can hand over an extremely compelling or visually quiet floral blind. How they fare on this level depends on several factors such as palette, intricacy, contrast, and scale, not just the layout. So, each floral blind must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis in the context of each room you are going to decorate rather than make a sweeping judgment independent of the settings where the blind will be hung.

THE RIGHT FOLD STYLE FOR FLORAL ROMAN SHADES

Once you've selected your floral fabric, it's time to consider the fold style of your roman shades. The choice hinges largely on the scale of your pattern and the decor style of your space.

In general, our stylists advise avoiding the front-slatted roman shades for fabrics where the pattern is the hero, since the raised silhouettes of the front slats optically interrupt the motifs. Instead, the back-slatted roman shade style is usually a more ingenious candidate for showcasing floral and botanical patterns like works of art on the uniform surface of a blank canvas. Also note that if your decor style predominantly features clean lines and straight finishes, the flat-fold style falls in line perfectly.

If however, your decor style is more relaxed, more embellished or feminine, you will love the European relaxed fold style which features a scalloped bottom. Its gentle swag and curved folds mirror the floral swirls and twirls, accentuating the delicacy of your floral roman blind and landing the space on a decorative note. The delicate curvy folds of this style do need some time to develop ‘fold memory’ before they set, but rest assured, a little manual assistance in setting the folds in early days is a sweet labor of love rewarded to the full in due time.

For more details about the fold styles on offer, please refer to our Roman Shades Fold Style Guide.

A Glimpse of Eden: Sewn’s Floral Roman Shades Collection

Given their timeless allure and versatility, florals and botanicals are as likely to grace a minimalist loft in Tokyo as they are to bloom in a rustic farmhouse in the rolling hills of Tennessee. And this perennial presence of florals is honored and celebrated at Sewn with our collection of over 500 gorgeous floral prints. To give you a headstart on your shopping spree, let us introduce you to a few.

Fabrics like the aureate Zubeen or Wonder Lake are apt for period homes with gilded inlay work and elaborate decor. While Jacobean-style florals like Dragonfruit and Almond Soak, are great choices for bringing in an air of old-world grandeur without relying on lustrous accents.

To weave in vintage charm into your home, consider toile prints like Inland Sea, chinoiserie-inspired Storm Veil, and ditsy sprigs like Baruna. Whereas, the idyllic beauty of Zion and Serce makes them just right for countrified themes and rustic aesthetics. To add an eclectic flavor to your boho decor, we bring you candidates like North Gate and Kailini, inspired by the mahals of India and the coastal tropical islands. 

If your decor style leans toward modern urbane design sensibilities, our large-scale colorful floral prints like High Living and Lariat are ideal. But, if you want to fulfill your promise to minimalism consider hush-hush options like Seashell Crystal and Slate Mine that are as serene as a white dandelion.

So, identify the overall leanings of your decor style and pick the floral that helps you to endorse it effectively. Patterns are the first giveaways of any interior design style, so use your floral roman shades to highlight yours with candor.

Shop Floral Roman Shades & Botanical Window Blinds

With all the insider trade secrets now at your fingertips, browsing through our collection and shopping for your new floral roman shades will hopefully be a joyful garden stroll. Dainty flowers and chirpy birds from our collection eagerly wait to make your acquaintance. So go forth, let nature inspire your home, and Sewn's floral roman shades transform your space in style!