Roman Shades For French Doors & Patio Doors: Top Ideas & Tips

 

Elegant, light-filtering and functionally efficient, French doors and other styles of patio doors beautify the home’s interiors as much as the rear facade. While the classic white-coated chunky wooden casement doors punctuated with glass panes add a traditional flair, the latter-day sleeker versions adapt to contemporary homes embracing diverse palettes, materials and finishes. Loved for centuries for visually connecting the indoors to the outdoors, French doors and patio doors fall short only in ensuring privacy and light control. Perhaps that explains why you’re shopping for roman shades for your French doors/ patio doors today. 

Well, before we go any further, let’s give it up to you for your excellent choice of window dressing. It reflects your preference for handmade, sustainable and artisanal decor over mass-produced blinds that look impersonal, unadorned, and often cheap and plastic-like. Carefully curated roman shades speak of craftsmanship, high-end quality and an eye for detail. Besides, their fabric-making provides a boundless range of choices for bringing color, embellishment and detail into the space. And that, by far, is the most befitting way to accentuate the unparalleled elegance of your gorgeous French doors and other styles of patio doors.

But this fruitful exercise of dressing your patio doors - French doors or other styles - with the softness, charm and personality of roman shades is not without its challenges. Hence, window shade specialists at The White Window Blinds share their insights on how door roman shades can beautify and add functionality to your home when approached thoughtfully. On to their styling tips:

Choose the Mounting Position Wisely

Unlike other types of doors, framed doors offer two ways for mounting roman shades, each with its own perks and matters to consider. It will be wise to start your patio door dressing project by deciding about the mounting position of your shades. These are the two ways to mount roman shades for French/ patio doors and the considerations to be made concerning each -

Mount the Roman Shades on the Wall

 

In this arrangement, the roman shades are affixed to the wall above the doors, offering substantial coverage by overlapping the architrave, thereby reducing light leaks from the edges. And, the doors get to flaunt their characteristic shape, as they are not sharing their space with the shades. 

Here are a few points to keep in mind when mounting the shades on the wall above the patio French doors:

• SIZE OF SHADES: Minimize light leaks by extending the shade a few inches beyond the architrave if flawless light control is a priority.
• MOUNTING HEIGHT: Mount the shade high enough to ensure that its minimized, stacked form sits entirely on the wall. This is done to ensure that it does not block the functioning of the door. If the door opens outward, this will not be very concerning.
• NUMBER OF DOOR PANELS: For a double or multi-panel patio door, consider adding multiple shades instead of one for maximizing convenience. Since a single, large shade will be heavier - multiplying the number of shades means dividing the weight and thus, ensuring ease of operability. The second advantage is that you’ll have the liberty to leave a select shade folded up for accessing the doors while all others remain shut to ensure privacy or light control. 

Mount the Roman Shades on the Doors 

 

This is a style of mounting specific to French doors, where the roman shades are affixed to the upper portion of the door’s frame. If you live in a period home or follow a country-style aesthetic, this is the most apt mounting position, considering how rooted it is in traditional practice. 

Mounting the shades on the doors has its own set of advantages. The roman shades do not command any more space than the door itself. Affixed to the door panels, the roman shades blend with the shape of the doors, not adding a presence that competes for attention. But, the ease of operation is what makes it most praiseworthy. 

To access the patio when your roman shades are drawn, you don’t have to first raise the shades to open the doors, as you have to do when the shades are mounted on the wall. Instead, you can have direct access to the door’s handles and you can walk out the door just as you would through any other kind of door. Furthermore, with roman shades, you have the added advantage of a noiseless operation, unlike industrially produced blinds that often produce rattling noises when the plastic slats beat on the swinging door.

When mounting the shades to the doors, these are the points to consider:

• DOOR'S MATERIAL: Mounting the shades on the doors is ideal only for solid wood doors or similar, hardware-compatible materials. Metal doors are not compatible with most mounting hardware.
• LIGHT LEAKS CANCELLATION: Higher light leaks can be expected from the edges, as compared to shades mounted on the wall. This can be handled to some extent by extending the shades as much as possible on the door’s frame, well past the contours of the glass panes.
• LAYERING WITH DRAPES: Mounting roman shades on the doors preserves the opportunity to layer them with drapes. If, indeed, you want a layered look and will, at some point, install drapes as an overtreatment, mounting the shades on the doors is ideal. So, you can choose the fabric with the view of maximizing its ability to complement the drapes anticipated to join later.

Pay Attention to the Rear View

 

On any glass doors, the roman shades will be visible on the patio even when the doors are shut. If you have a thoughtfully decorated patio area, you’ll ideally want the rear side of the roman shades to join the choir rather than stand out as a lone feeble voice.

So, choose the fabric carefully if you’re opting for unlined roman shades for your French doors/ patio doors. The fabric should have a presentable rear side in this case. Therefore, you’ll do well by avoiding embroidered fabrics and one-sided printed fabrics, to name a few.

For lined roman shades for French doors/ patio doors, consider that the lining’s color will contribute to the view on the reverse side, and not that of the face fabric. The White Window’s lining options offer a versatile range of three neutral hues capable of blending with most color schemes, however, if you require a customized lining to coordinate with your patio decor, do reach out to us with a special request.

Note that the cords and lift system behind the shades are an unavoidable sight, but their self-effacing white coloration helps minimize attention.

Make Provision for Light Control, Privacy & Insulation

The functional requirements that made you consider covering your French patio doors with roman shades should be your guide when making all design choices. Do you want to soften the harsh afternoon sun glare? Or, drown out the outdoor view for a more intimate or distraction-free space favorable for your office work and children’s homework? Or, do you want to top up the insulation of the house for defense against extreme weather? Whatever the jump-off point for choosing roman shades for French doors or patio doors, here are the points to consider when choosing the fabric and making other design decisions:

Light Control

 

One of the advantages of fabric treatments is that you can choose from among fabrics of varied thicknesses and opacities to meet the desired level of light control. For soft diffused light, go for sheers or semi-sheers. For more substantial light control, consider mounting lined non-sheer roman shades. And, for total blockage of light, consider roman shades that may comprise blackout face fabric or blackout lining or both. Blackout drapery fabrics and linings are specially designed to block light out completely and darken the room, making them apt choices for bedrooms, media rooms and nurseries.

In addition to choosing the right fabric and lining, extending the shade sufficiently on all sides is of great help. When mounting the shade on the wall, make sure to extend the shade a few inches beyond the architrave. Similarly, when mounting the shade on the door, let the shades extend onto the wooden frame. This little excess serves to curb the light leaks from the sides of the roman shades.

Privacy

 

Depending on which room the patio door is connected to, you might want to consider the level of privacy required. For kitchens, dining rooms and casual living rooms, patio doors can do with sheer roman shades that offer semi-privacy during the day. But for bedrooms, you may want to consider non-sheer/ blackout roman shades for flawless privacy.

Insulation

 

For patios attached to bedrooms, nurseries, home-office rooms and media rooms, insulation is a priority. But French doors and other glass doors fare poorly at insulating the room compared to solid doors. In summer, you tend to spend extra energy to cool the room and, in winter you tire the heating system out due to the loss of thermal energy through the glass panes.

So, the solution lies in choosing insulative and thick-face fabrics like heavy cotton, velvet and blackout, and fortifying the shade with blackout lining. 

Pick a Fabric That Meets Your Aesthetic Goal

While roman shades are excellent at fulfilling their functional duties, what gives them an edge over other perfect-fit blinds is their aesthetic potential. And not exploring that avenue would be a lost opportunity. Unlike frameless glass doors, framed glass doors add an element of visual detail that can translate into a feeling of cosiness, a whimsical delight and a touch of historic charm. Well-considered roman shades can accentuate that effortless beauty.

Here are some aspects to be considered from the perspective of visual appeal -

Palette

Since patios connect the indoors to the outdoors, soft neutral hues and muted earthy hues are apt to keep up with the mood of the space. So, warm cream, buttery yellow, tan and beige, pale dove grey, pastel green and powder blue are some of the colors most featured on roman shades for French doors and patio doors. But the omnipresent all-time favorite one is plain white - light-welcoming, sophisticated and clean.

Pattern 

 

Owing to the patio’s proximity to the outdoors and the casual nature of the space, nature-inspired patterns find special relevance here. Look out for floral, botanical and animal prints that can bring nature themes to play besides adding a touch of quaint charm. If you’d go for relatively less detailed patterns, consider country-style checks and stripes that can immediately add a laidback feel to the space with their simplicity.

Texture

 

Fabrics with rich texture and organic appeal that point to nature’s simple raw elegance are especially suitable for roman shades for patio doors and French doors. This is even more true for plain fabrics, as textured finishes can add a modicum of detail and tactile quality to an otherwise unadorned solid-coloured rpman shade. So, linen, cotton and textured sheers are often topline choices. 

Decor Style

 

Besides vibing with the outdoor views and the light-loving airy character of a patio-attached space, the roman shades have an important duty to voice your decor style. A crisp white poly-linen roman shades is apt for a modern minimalist home, a beige gingham cotton roman shade is perfect for a rustic farmhouse, and a nautical-striped cotton roman shade airs a coastal home’s love for the seas. Similarly, a gossamer lace roman shade adds to the coziness of a Bohemian oasis and a dreamy pastel floral roman shade completes a shabby chic design, and more so if accompanied by a dainty border trim. So, be keen to relay your decor style when picking the fabric and decorative details for your French door/ patio door roman shades.

Border Trims 

 

Small details often make the biggest difference in design, and that fact is well demonstrated in a roman shade garnished with trims. From incorporating colour, pattern, texture and embellishment to stamping your roman shades with the hallmark of bespoke elegance, trims carry out several cosmetic objectives with their dainty presence. They add a moment of soft allure, the most fitting finishing touch for a French door opening to a light-soaked patio. 

Be it the plushy pompom trims or swirling bauble trims that offer an easy-going vibe or the clean-lined ribbon trims and lush fringe trims that proffer a touch of sophistication, roman shades assume a more personalized character when rigged up with border trims. This is the luxury of custom roman shades that a decor enthusiast should ideally not miss, especially for roman shades for French doors or patio doors.

Define the Mood with a Suitable Fold Style

 

The fold style is another design aspect that contributes to the visual appeal of the roman shades as well as its functionality. You can choose from between three popular fold styles at The White Window, each catering to a different taste. For a detailed probe, you can refer to our Roman Shades Style Guide, but for a brief preview, stay with us right here.

Our flat-fold roman shades that feature straight-lined even folds come in two versions: the front-slatted plain fold style and the back-slatted flat fold style. The major difference between both is that the front-slatted style allows the slat silhouettes to be visible on the frontage, while the back-slatted style sports a continuous clean front, concealing the slats at the back. Both styles function smoothly, fold evenly and stack neatly. 

Our European relaxed roman shades feature a scalloped, curvy bottom when folded up, offering a decorative touch and lazy charm most favorable for an outdoorsy space. 

While flat fold shades offer a modern, clean-lined finish, European relaxed roman shades depict a countrified charm. So, choose the fold style that best relays your decor style and meets your functional expectations.

But, just in case, you’re not looking for any functionality at all, we’ve also got faux roman shades for you. These are stationary shades that hang like a valance on a drapery pole. They do not fulfil any functional purpose but dress your patio doors with the same soft and chic beauty as fully functional shades. If it’s only a garnishment that you aim for from your roman shades for patio doors, faux roman shades are apt.

Shop Roman Shades for Patio Doors & French Doors at The White Window

 

There are indeed several challenges and moments for deep consideration in the process of curating roman shades for French doors or patio doors, but well-considered design decisions, as described in this blog, will yield gratifying results. The magnificent doors that frame your sundeck deserve the most fitting dress to emphasize their elegance, and our breezy roman shades are awaiting your call to get to this delightful task. So, wait no more, get to the best part - browse and shop at The White Window, your one-stop destination for custom roman shades for French patio doors!