Lining Options for Roman Shades from The White Window
Image by Jacob Snavely Photography
A significant part of window shades shopping is dedicated to finding the perfect fabric that coordinates with the decor style and color palette. But, something just as important, is the selection of lining for your roman shades as the lining has a significant role to play in amplifying the visual appeal and functionality of the shades.
'Lining' refers to the added layer of fabric sewn to the back of the roman shades to protect the face fabric from sun damage, increase the longevity of the roman shades, and enhance the roman shade's insulative benefits.
Choosing the right lining for your custom roman shades is a key decision as it impacts both the functional efficiency as well as the look of your shades. But, how do you go about this selection? Well, our stylists are here to the rescue! From taking you through the benefits of lining to discussing the types of lining available at The White Window, this blog attempts to rest all your queries and concerns.
What are the Benefits of Lining Roman Shades?
Image by Anna Spiro Design
While the lining may seem like just another layer of fabric behind your roman shades, it - in fact- shoulders the significant responsibility of enhancing both form and function. No wonder window treatment stylists recommend adding lining to all roman shades (except sheers of course), and here are all the reasons why:
LONGEVITY: Roman shade fabrics, particularly natural ones like cottons, silks and linens, are prone to sun damage. Lining these fabrics can significantly enhance their longevity as well as that of other soft furnishings in the room, by providing an additional layer of protection against the sun and its harmful UV rays.
COLOR-FASTNESS: Color-fastness refers to the ability of the fabrics to retain their original color saturation over long periods. Adding a layer of lining enhances the color-fastness and prevents color-fading, thereby preserving the vibrance and beauty of the roman shades.
INSULATION: Being an ‘extra layer’ to your roman shade fabric, lining enhances the insulative properties of your shades. It creates an additional thermal barrier that reduces heat transfer through windows, effectively regulating the indoor temperature and contributing to potential energy savings on both heating and cooling.
ENERGY SAVINGS & SUSTAINABILITY: Incorporating lining - especially blackout lining - can significantly reduce energy loss by up to 30%. Beyond the economic benefits, this energy efficiency aligns with sustainability goals, promoting eco-friendly practices and minimizing the environmental impact associated with excessive energy consumption.
ENHANCED PRIVACY: Lining adds to the opacity of your custom roman shades, enhancing the privacy of your home. In rooms where privacy is a key concern - such as bedrooms, bathrooms & nurseries - lining allows the shades to act as a more efficient visual barrier, preventing any interior shadows or silhouettes from being visible to those outside.
RICHER FACE FABRIC COLOR: The colors of unlined roman shades may look washed out when strong sunlight falls behind them. The lining adds a layer behind the face fabric, making the roman shade ‘more opaque’ and allowing for the true fabric colors to show and shine, without seeming washed out from sunglare. This, in turn, also enables patterns to show their distinct shapes and contrasts. Furthermore, the yellow warmth of the sunlight can affect how the face fabric colors ‘read’ to the eye. A bright white roman shade may end up looking like warm ivory due to sunlight behind on a sunny afternoon. A thick lining - such as our blackout lining - can help minimize this color distortion.
NEAT CRISP FOLDS: Since the lining lends more weight to the roman shades, it helps form crisp and shapely folds. Whether you order slatted shades or the relaxed roman shades with swags forming at the bottom, lining enhances the structure and fold for every style.
SOUND INSULATION: Linings - especially blackout linings - tend to further absorb and dampen sound, reducing noise transmission between indoor and outdoor environments and contributing to a quieter, more acoustically controlled space.
What are the Different Types of Lining?
At The White Window, we offer two types of lining for roman shades:
PRIVACY LINING
Our privacy lining is a standard mid-weight white polyester fabric.
One of the primary functions of this kind of lining is to reduce the sun's harsh glare and protect the expensive face fabric. By incorporating this lining into your roman shades, you can create a more comfortable and visually appealing environment by softening the harsh sunlight streaming into a room.
However, it's important to note that while privacy lining effectively cuts down the sunglare, it does not possess room-darkening capabilities beyond what any standard drapery/mid-weight fabric can offer.
Clients prioritizing both light control and sound insulation may find a better match in blackout lining.
BLACKOUT LINING
Our blackout lining is a specially coated, thick-woven fabric, produced specifically to block incoming light to a considerable degree. Since heat is associated with light, the lining also blocks heat transmission which is of great help during summer to keep the home’s interiors cool. In winter, it reduces energy spendings on your boiler and heating system as it reduces the loss of thermal energy through the windows considerably. The thick weave of the fabric also helps to muffle sounds, making your roman shades capable of blocking out shrill external noises substantially. In short, blackout lining helps the shades substantially block light, heat and sound.
Choosing a blackout face fabric for your roman shades can offer all these benefits of course, but finding a blackout fabric that perfectly suits your aesthetic and palette can sometimes become a challenge as the choice spectrum is limited. And that’s when blackout lining comes to the rescue!
If there’s a non-blackout fabric that speaks to your style, it only takes blackout lining behind it to transform your regular shade into a blackout window dressing. And just like that, the choice spectrum widens to include the whole 2500+ strong fabric collection of The White Window.
And, knowing how good a well-insulated roman shade is for a home exposed to extreme weather conditions, some clients even opt for a blackout lining behind their blackout roman shade fabrics. Because who doesn’t like a double dose of something so awesome!
Before we move on, we must mention that although the blackout lining is quite effective at blocking light, it is not 100% light-blocking. During brightest hours, daylight may diffuse through the lining of roman shades and be visible like a soft glow on the frontage. There also are other factors beyond just the lining itself that play a role in how well-contained light leaks can be. More from our experts on this below:
How to Make the Most of the Blackout Lining
Image by Dane Austin Design
While you may think that once you choose blackout lining, it’s all done and dusted, that’s not really the case – there’s more to consider. Once you’ve added blackout lining to your roman shades order with us, there are a few more steps you can take to further enhance the effectiveness of your investment.
Below are some key decisions that will support the cause:
MOUNTING STYLE & MEASUREMENTS: If you are planning to mount your roman shades within the window recess, you must consider that inside-mount roman shades may not be as effective at guarding against light leaks as those mounted outside the window frame. Therefore, if blackout is a priority, such as in bedrooms, it is advisable to position the shades to cover the window frame entirely from the outside. Additionally, we recommend extending the outside-mount roman shades by 2-3 inches on all four sides of the window trim to ensure better coverage and minimize light leaks from the edges. To learn more about the pros and cons of mounting your roman shades within/ outside the window frame, refer to our blog post on Outside Vs. Inside Mounting Positions.
EXPECT FACE FABRIC TO PLAY A ROLE: Blackout lining is capable of blocking light to a high degree by itself, but it works in tandem with the roman shade's face fabric. Therefore, the degree of its effectiveness can vary slightly based on the color and composition of the face fabric. For example, you may find that the blackout lining ‘seems’ to block light more efficiently when sewn behind a darker face fabric, than when sewn behind a lighter-hued fabric. Similarly, fabrics with denser weaves such as velvets and heavier cottons work better at blocking light with blackout lining than, say, a loose-woven linen, since thicker fabrics provide ‘additional support’ to the lining. So, if a thicker fabric falls in line with your aesthetic, know that it is a plus point as your blackout lining will do a better job with its assistance.
How to Choose Between the Two Types of Linings
Image by Martina Gemmola
When deciding between the two types of linings, consider the specific needs of your space to make an informed choice.
For rooms where room darkening, sound insulation and acoustics are a priority - such as bedrooms, nurseries, media rooms and home offices - blackout lining is often the default choice. Its dense, chemically-coated composition not only blocks light effectively but also helps muffle external noise, creating a more tranquil environment. Similarly, if insulation against drafts and cold is a key concern, blackout lining remains a popular choice. The added thickness and insulative properties of blackout lining contribute to temperature control, making it ideal for windows in spaces where maintaining a comfortable temperature is crucial.
Conversely, consider areas like sunlit living rooms, where you want to enjoy ample daylight without compromising on privacy. Here, privacy lining will fit the bill. Likewise, in kitchens and laundry rooms, where a bright and airy atmosphere is desirable, privacy lining lets you maintain a welcoming environment while still affording a high degree of privacy. The same holds true for bathrooms, where you may want to create a spa-like ambience with abundant natural light while ensuring a discreet setting.
Lastly, do note that while sheer and semi-sheer fabrics can be lined to achieve certain benefits, the lining does take away from their translucence, airiness and breezy feel. Therefore, we advise clients to consider their personal preferences and priorities before specifying lining behind semi-sheer/ sheer roman shades.
In Closing
Image by Heidi Caillier Design
Now that you know the importance of lining your roman shades and the nuances of the different types of linings offered at The White Window, we hope you’ll find it much easier to make your choice while ordering your roman shades from The White Window.
So, get on with the best bit of the experience - shopping! Enjoy retail therapy to the fullest and browse through our collection of over 2500 fabrics for roman shades online. Find the one for your home-sweet-home and shop away!