A Guide to Back-Slatted Flat Fold Roman Blinds & Window Shades

 

The wide creative scope of drapery, functional ease of modern blinds, and the cleanest front facade any window dressing can offer - that’s our back-slatted flat fold roman blinds for you. The refined beauty and crisp folds of this style offer the perfect way to finish a pared-back function-oriented decor. Being elegant in a manner of simplicity makes the back-slatted flat fold style especially ideal for certain decor styles and fabrics. If you wish to explore the potential that this style of roman shades holds for your home or your chosen fabric, read on.

What are Back-Slatted Flat Fold Roman Blinds?

 

The most minimalistic roman blind on offer, back-slatted flat fold roman shades are identified by their continuous front facade, uninterrupted by any hems or slats.

Most roman blinds are sewn with horizontal wooden slats positioned at equal intervals to give the blinds a structure of clean-lined even folds. But while front-slatted roman blinds make their signature statement by intentionally showing the slat profiles in front, the back-slatted blinds prefer to not give out a clue of what goes on behind the scenes. Their uninterrupted, flat frontage is in contrast with the ribbed frontage of front-slatted plain fold roman blinds.

This clean minimalist look is achieved by sewing the slats into the lining at the back of the shade, thereby leaving no visible aesthetic impact on the face fabric. When operated, you can only see the blind making creased horizontal folds while stacking neatly, each under the previous fold, and cascading downward loosening one fold at a time - without any hems or optical breaks on the front. 

When Should Back-Slatted Flat Fold Roman Shades Be Your Top Consideration?

 

Back-slatted flat fold roman blinds are a versatile style of blinds that are suited to all kinds of fabrics, save a few exceptions. Some fabrics get an enhanced beauty when stitched in this style as it does not allow any sort of visual breaks on its frontage. Let back-slatted flat fold roman shades be your top consideration if this unique feature of a flat, unbroken facade can add more aesthetic value to your decor, like in these conditions -

PATTERNED FABRICS: Back-slatted flat fold shades sport a continuous surface, unhindered by hems, pleats and slats. This allows for patterns to become the stars of the show, and be presented without any optical breaks. It is one uninterrupted flow from seam to seam,  so that the shapes of the patterns are displayed exactly as it is on the fabric. This means that straight lines appear straight, not wavy - and curved lines smoothly glide, without being jagged or warped. So, if you want to elevate a bold pattern into a design statement of the room, back-slatted flat fold style is your best bet as the motifs shine with all their gravitas.

Simply put, while our front-slatted plain fold shades and relaxed roman blinds command attention by their very structure, the quietness of the back-slatted flat fold structure helps the pattern to become the solo performer. Back-slatted flat fold shades act as a blank canvas on which the motifs of a patterned fabric become a work of art on display. 

In addition, at The White Window, we go an extra mile to make your patterned blinds stand out as a blend of symmetry and artistry. When you order multiple blinds of the same size from a printed fabric, our tailors take extra care to make matching pattern cuts so that all same-sized blinds look identical. If the blinds are ordered at different lengths (drops), we match the pattern cuts at the top starting points so that the symmetry is ensured as much as possible.

CHECKS & HORIZONTAL STRIPES: Our stylists especially recommend the back-slatted flat fold style for fabrics with checks and horizontal stripes. As with many printed fabrics, these fabrics sometimes fall short of a perfect symmetry. While their stripes may ‘appear’ to be straight, they can - in fact - carry minor ‘waves’ and ‘tilts’ from the printing and weaving processes. In these cases, the back-slatted flat fold style of shades offers the best option for these minor asymmetries to go unnoticed. Whereas, on a front-slatted blind, these minor flaws may get ‘exposed’ as they will be pitted against the straight, horizontal lines of the visible front slats. 

FREQUENTLY OPERATED SHADES: For windows where you expect frequent operation, either of our flat-fold, slatted blinds - i.e. front or back slats - offer the optimal level of functional ease that clients desire. The slatted structure enables the shades to form consistent, straight-lined even folds at a gentle tug on the cord. Whereas, the slatless construction of styles like the European/relaxed shades make them slightly more reliable on your assistance to settle their folds in place. Therefore, slatted roman blinds are recommended for frequently-operated windows, while slatless-shades - like our relaxed roman shades - serve more of a decorative mandate. 

When Should the Back-Slat Style Be Given a Second Thought?

 

The back-slatted flat fold style of roman blinds is suited to all kinds of fabrics, with a special mention of patterned fabrics, but certain fabrics and decor styles may compel you to take a deeper consideration. These exceptions are:

PLAIN FABRICS: If you’re a hardcore minimalist, a plain, monochrome back-slatted roman shade could well sum up your pared-back aesthetic language with candour. However, some clients may find that the plain frontage of a back-slatted flat fold roman shade on a plain fabric is, well, a bit too plain. To these clients, we recommend our front-slatted plain fold blinds or European/relaxed shades instead. Refer to The White Window Blinds Style Guide to read more about all the fold styles on offer.

SHEER FABRICS: If you have chosen a transparent or semi-transparent fabric for its light-filtering and airy quality, the back-slatted flat fold style calls for deeper consideration. Since the slats in this style are sewn into the lining, it is not possible to construct a back-slatted flat fold blind without lining the blind. And, if you add lining behind a sheer/semi-sheer fabric, it will defeat the purpose of its transparency. So unless you chose a sheer roman blind for an aesthetic reason and not necessarily for its transparency and ability to allow light and air in, the back-slatted flat fold style may not be the best pick.

How to Measure Length & Width for Back-Slatted Flat Fold Roman Blinds

 

That a roman blind fits a window like a glove to the hand is the telltale sign of a “made-to-measure” blind. If you chose a great fabric that perfectly syncs with your decor style, features the most attractive pattern one could find, is spot-on in every other way, but got an ill-fitting blind made out of it… well, that’s the stuff tragedies are made of. So, taking precise measurements is imperative to relaying the grand bespoke value of your blind. 

 

Refer to our Roman Blinds Measurement Guide for easy-peasy, bite-sized steps to measure like a pro!

 

But before you rush to take that step, do make up your mind on the mounting position for your blinds because the measurement method varies as per the mounting technique. Roman blinds can be mounted within the window’s recess in an ‘inside mounting position’ or outside the window’s frame in an ‘outside mounting position’. Each of these positions comes with specific benefits and is suitable for certain situations.

To learn more about these and make an informed decision, refer to our blog on Inside Vs. Outside Mounting Positions.

How to Install The White Window’s Back-Slatted Flat Fold Roman Blinds

 

Mounting a back-slatted roman blind is a very simple process that our clients - with a bit of DIY experience - can execute on an easy afternoon without any professional help. Alternatively, if you want to outsource it to a professional or a skilled friend, this will not take more than a few minutes. 

As regards the hardware requirements, The White Window’s blinds do not need any extra investments from your end. Whether you’ve ordered the roman blind to mount inside the window recess or in the outside-mount position, your roman blinds arrive with the full package of hardware required to install them. All that you have to do is follow our step-by-step guide based on the mounting position you have chosen. It is that simple. 

 

Refer to our Roman Blinds Installation Guide for easy-to-follow steps and handy reference images that make the mounting process a breeze!

In Closing

 

We hope that you have found all the information that you were hunting for regarding our back-slatted flat fold roman blinds. This is the fold style that will ensure that the dramatic twirls of your classical damask and the sharp ends of your geometric prints will be aired with their full energy and integrity. Furthermore, its straight bottom hem and smooth functionality qualify it for frequently operated windows. So, if you’ve been looking for a window treatment that encapsulates the warmth of drapery, the chic of blinds and the vibrance of charming motifs, bravo, you’ve struck the smartest deal. And we at The White Window Blinds are here to make it happen! So, go ahead, explore our collection of over 2000 fabrics and shop made-to-measure roman blinds online.