A Guide to Front-Slatted Plain Fold Roman Blinds & Window Shades

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Roman blinds are an intelligent combination of the soft elegance of drapes and the operational ease of perfect-fit blinds. You get bespoke grandeur as well as modern chic in one stroke. So cheers for the great choice! And now, if you’re exploring the various styles of roman shades to make your next logical design decision,  The White Window’s ultimate guide to the front-slatted plain fold roman blinds is at your disposal. 

If tailored looks and simple elegance win your heart every time, our front-slatted blinds may be for you. The visibility of the silhouettes of the slats on the frontage of the blind is the signature feature of this style that differentiates it from all others. But, does this style fit your purpose and taste? Explore the nuances of our front-slatted plain fold roman shades so you can answer this question for yourself.

What are Front-Slatted Plain Fold Roman Blinds?

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Most roman blinds are supported by slats at the back to render sturdiness and create a neat structure of crisp and even folds. The front-slatted plain fold style converts this structural aspect into an aesthetic statement. The slats are stitched in a way so that the raised and rounded silhouette of the slats is visible on the front side. This creates an almost ‘sculptural pattern’ of clean, horizontal lines on the frontage of the roman shade rendering it a distinctly tailored look. Roman blinds featuring front-slats cascade gently with clearly defined even folds that resemble the pleats of an accordion.

When Should Front-Slatted Plain Fold Roman Blinds Be Your Top Consideration?

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Front-slatted plain fold roman blinds are perhaps the most sturdy and versatile fold styles of all. A true classic, this style has a highly tailored appeal with its even folds highlighted by the profiles of its slats. These reasons contribute to the front-slat plain fold being one of the most sought-after fold styles for roman shades.

The solid structure of this blind style enables the fabric to hold shape and fold with a neat finish, no matter what its composition - a lightweight sheer, heavy cotton, plush velvet or loose-woven linen. Whether it’s the lustrous elegance of silk roman blinds or the earthy texture of linen roman shades, the flat-fold with front-slat style wears them all with grace and panache. 

While suitable for the majority of fabrics, our stylists especially recommend the front-slatted style for plain fabrics. Let us explain why. 

If your chosen fabric is solid monochrome or textured, imagine it as a plain, flat roman shade with no additional visual elements to garner attention. On the contrary, horizontal slats running across the length of a plain fold roman shade add a tactile detail with their softly rounded silhouettes, while also giving the blinds an architectural visual appeal. Therefore, unless you’re keen on a very minimal and clean look for your blinds, a front-slatted look comes highly recommended for textured and plain roman blinds.

In summary, the secret behind the versatility of the front-slatted plain fold roman blind style lies in the way it is constructed. Two aspects make front-slatted plain fold roman blinds special: their long-term sturdiness and the pattern created by the horizontal slats. So this style must be your top consideration if these aspects can add either aesthetic value or functional efficiency to your chosen fabric.

When Should the Front-Slatted Plain Fold Style Be Given a Second Thought?

 

While the front-slatted plain fold style is compatible with most fabrics, it deserves a thoughtful pause when it comes to certain types of patterns. So, if you have chosen a patterned fabric, please do take a moment to consider the following notes from our stylists to ensure that the style is the most suitable for the pattern under consideration. 

• On a fabric that features an all-over layout, or densely packed small-sized motifs, the visual ‘breaks’ offered by the slats are symmetrical and often part of the desired aesthetic. But, on fabrics that feature large-scaled patterns and/or ‘floating’ island-style motifs, some motifs will end up with visible slats running through them, while others might remain ‘slat-free’. A slat may pass through the middle of a motif in one row, but at a different position in the next row because the gap between the motifs may not necessarily align with the gaps between the slats. 
• Similarly, checks and plaids deserve a thought when envisioned on a front-slatted blind. Even though these patterns and their stripes may ‘appear’ to be straight, they sometimes have minor asymmetries from the printing and weaving processes. But while these small flaws could go unnoticed on an uninterrupted surface (such as that offered by a back-slatted flat fold roman blind), a minor wave or tilt in stripes becomes more conspicuous when observed against the surgical straight lines made by the visible front-slats. 

Motifs are the stars in patterned shades. And the fold style you choose should ideally be oriented to show them in the best light. That’s why, our stylists recommend back-slatted flat fold blinds or European/relaxed styled shades for checks, plaids, horizontal stripes, scattered ‘island-style’ motifs and large-scale patterns. These styles allow for a seamless show of pattern on the front while offering all the other benefits of a chic roman blind.

To read more about all the fold styles on offer, head over to The White Window Blinds Style Guide and choose the style that best resonates with your taste and chosen fabric.

How to Measure Length & Width for Front-Slatted Plain Fold Roman Shades

 

While made-to-measure curtains speak through their sumptuous, floor-to-ceiling sweeping appeal, made-to-measure roman blinds offer pizzazz through their perfect fit, cut-to-perfection sleek looks. So, it can’t be stressed enough that precise measurements are the minimum requirement to flaunt the bespoke origins of any roman blind. 

While flawed measurements will cause your blind to look either sloppy or skimpy, the right measurements will result in a perfect fit.  So, be very careful about specifying the measurements correctly in your order with us. And fret not about the math for we have broken down the measurement method into easily understandable simple steps in detail.

 

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

 

But before you venture to take the measurements, please do decide on the mounting position of your roman blinds as the measurement techniques vary accordingly.  Roman blinds can be mounted either inside the window’s recess or outside on the wall. 

Refer to our blog post on Inside vs Outside Mounting Positions to select the apt mounting position, make your choice, and then follow the method of measurement accordingly.

Now while you refer to the Measurement Guide for taking the measurements, here are a few key items of note specific to front-slatted blinds:

• Our tailors carefully match slat positions/gaps across blinds of the same length in any given order. This ensures that if multiple blinds of the same length(drop) are mounted side-by-side, the horizontal slats will flow cohesively in a straight line of sight. 
• As noted above, the gaps between slats are kept equal in same-length roman blinds in a given order. These gaps - however - vary if the shades are of different lengths (drops). Therefore, if a 100 cm and 120 cm long blind are mounted side by side, their slat lines may not necessarily sync up. In case of very minor differences between drops, we do try to make the slats flow in one line of symmetry across all shades in an order, but this is not always possible. 
• If clients choose a patterned fabric, we run the extra mile to ensure pattern matches across all blinds in a given order.  So, if you order multiple blinds with the same fabric and size, our tailors take special care to make identical pattern cuts for all shades in an order. If the shades are of different sizes, we match the pattern to be identical at least at the top of all shades. 

How to Install The White Window’s Front-Slatted Plain Fold Roman Blinds 

 

Whether you’ve ordered the roman blind to mount it inside the window recess or in the outside-mount position, the hardware is the same. Your roman blinds arrive with the full package of hardware required to install them - that is brackets, channel tracks, screws, and child safety anchor for the cord. 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

 

So, that brings us to the end of this A-to-Z guide on the front-slatted plain fold roman shades. We hope you have found all the information you were seeking, but should you yet have a query, find our experts for advice only an email away. Whether it’s a plush-piled velvet, a gauzy sheer or a lazy linen that has captured your imagination, the versatile front-slatted plain fold style is there with its efficient functionality and tailored look to bring out the best of the fabric as well as the blinds. If you’ve not yet browsed The White Window collection, go forth and discover the luxury of a wide choice spectrum of over 2000 roman blind fabrics of various fabric compositions, palettes and patterns. Have a great time shopping for roman blinds online and enjoy dressing your window!