Check & Tartan Roman Blinds/ Plaid & Gingham Roman Shades

The decor world entered a pact of perpetual obsession with sharp-edged geometric patterns when ancient wool weavers introduced tartans and plaids. Fanned by the leaning of modern aesthetics towards simple shapes, this fixation has recently blown up, and rustic plaids have assumed modern palettes and configurations to straddle with new decor styles. So, whether you live in a countryside cottage, a suburb townhouse or a metropolis condo, there’s assuredly a plaid that will sync with your decor style and settings. The White Window’s curated collection of made-to-measure check, gingham, plaid and tartan roman blinds will prove it to you. But before you begin the exploration, spend a few moments with our in-house stylists who’ve got some practical advice to aid your venture.

Enhancing your Home’s Visual Appeal with Check Roman Blinds

Beauty curated from symmetry and simplicity is a timeless allure. Unlike floral motifs and the like, which rely on randomness and complexity, checks, tartans and plaids rest on geometry, precision and regularity. But their sharp edges gently lose their austerity to the softness of fabric, adding to the casual charm of the home.

Let’s head on to explore the potential of check/ plaid/ tartan roman blinds for your home, but here’s a key tip from our experts to bear in mind when selecting the fold style for your roman blinds.

PRO TIP: Even though checks, plaids, 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. That’s why, we recommend back-slatted flat fold blinds or European/relaxed roman shades for checks and plaids. These fold styles allow for a seamless show of pattern on the front, hiding any minor discrepancies in the pattern flow, while offering all the other benefits of a chic roman blind.

And now, let’s scout some ideas for your home and draw inspiration from tried-and-true methods of adding check/ plaid/ tartan roman blinds to a space with style. 

Add Rustic Charm to a Traditional Home

From Scottish tartans and buffalo plaids to ginghams and houndstooth, traditional country homes and farmhouses are a feast of countrified motifs of every kind. Earthy hues crisscross over upholstery, throws, pillows and sundry making a plaid/ check roman blind an obvious addition to carry forward the theme. Bearing cultural and historical significance, these checkered roman shades not only throwback to antiquity but also relate to the ruggedness and natural palettes of the rural environs. Since plaids and tartans were originally spun in dark-hued wool and flannel, the tendency to associate them with warmth and comfort is natural, making them effortless symbols of homeliness. 

So, if you are living in an English cottage or have styled your home in a typical farmhouse’s raw and rustic fashion, a check roman blind will be a great addition to add warmth, pleasance and casual elegance. Look out for plaid/ check roman blinds like our Earth Angels and Wood Vibe that feature earthy and muted tones such as brown, moss green, stone blue, grey, clay red, and the like.

Adorn a Man’s Den with Straight-Lined Elegance

While the plaid mania has waxed and waned both in fashion and home decor over the decades, two places where they have remained constants, not seasonals, are men’s wardrobes and men’s dens. It’s because most curvy patterns tend to look feminine, complex and adorned whereas checks, plaids, and tartans align with masculine preferences such as sturdiness, non-complex shapes and rigid structure. Moreover, since plaids and tartans were originally designed in dark earthy tones and have been historically associated with military attire and outdoor workwear, they immediately read masculine, sealing their permanent candidature for cavernous and moody men’s spaces.  

Further, when wrapped on a roman blind, the perfect angles of the checkered fabric get even more accentuated on the squarish silhouettes and straight edges of the roman shades, making them default accessories for men’s room decor on all counts. If you’re in the middle of a man cave designing project, where you’re personalising the room to the favoured themes, hobbies and interests of the occupant, a dark plaid/ tartan/ check roman blind like our navy blue Britannica or the deep grey Knight Fossil is assuredly the best way to round off his masculine tastes and preferences. 

Top Up the Simplicity of a Contemporary Pared-Back Setting

While contemporary homes designed on the values of modern minimalism generally shy away from patterns, they - nevertheless - easily warm up to a carefully picked check/ plaid/ tartan. A simplistic low-profile plaid roman shade is an ode to the pared-back beauty of a minimalist home’s flush fittings, straight-lined finishes, and restrained application of colour and adornment. 

The simplicity, symmetry and precision of a checked blind align with the squarish shapes of minimalist homes besides manifesting a refined visual appeal. Look out for checks like tattersall and windowpane plaids that employ thin stripes at larger intervals in neutralised palettes such as beige, white, grey and black to stay in line with the streamlined language of the overall decor and architecture. For example, consider a check roman blind like Snow Penguins that features low-profile checks in a sweeping neutral palette. Or, August Grass that introduces just a hint of colour for some visual interest to tie in with the accent tones of the room.

Deck Up a Holiday Home

Plaids and Christmas holidays are so inseparable that when you think of one, the other comes to mind instantly. It’s because of the long association of this pattern with warm fabrics like wool and flannel in items such as throws, blankets and jackets that are out for use throughout winter. Besides, their palettes rhyme with the colours of Christmas and carry a nostalgic element owing to their Scottish origins evoking both a festive spirit and a joyful reminiscence of times past as families gather to celebrate and dine together. 

So, if you want to renovate a holiday home or put a timeless aesthetic touch on your family room decor, a tartan/ plaid/ check roman blind is just what is needed as the final finishing touch. It will bind together all the scattered accents of the room - the greens of the Christmas pine, browns of the dried acorns and the reds of the woollen stockings. So, get the palette right - look out for colours which resonate with the traditional palette of Christmas. Like, Waveland tartan roman blinds that bring orange and blue accents on a deep red to point to the festivity of Christmas.

Pair with Curvy Motifs

Plaids and checks are in the world of patterns what neutrals like white, black and beige are in the world of colours. They are timeless, versatile, adaptable to all settings and not overbearing to the eye. You can pair them with any member of the pattern family - stripes, modern geometric prints, abstract prints, animal prints, polka dots, florals, botanicals -  in short, let’s say ‘all’.  So, if the room already has patterns or if you envision bringing in more patterns, rest assured that your plaid roman shade is going to blend in effortlessly.

But, you bring out their very best when you counter their sharp-edged beauty and mathematical precision with the organic shapes and asymmetry of floral prints and the curviness of round-edged patterns. So, bring in curvy motifs and invest some thought in their palette and scale to make sure that the patterns complement and not compete. If the plaid is large-scaled, go for small-scaled florals, and if the plaid is attractively coloured, let the florals be in neutrals.

Complete a Rustic Kitchen with Ginghams and Buffalo Plaids

Our sojourn in the world of plaids and checks cannot close without a special mention of ginghams and buffalo checks. They are the same pattern, in essence - vertical and horizontal stripes of equal width intersecting to make a checkerboard pattern. But they vary in scale - ginghams are minuscule and buffalo checks come in medium to large size dimensions.

These idyllic motifs, almost as old as the skill of weaving itself, were staples in old country kitchens, just like their porcelain plates, cast iron skillets and hand-hammered copper kettles. Therefore, those who want the same aesthetic flavour of a classic rural kitchen in their contemporary settings should be keen to deck the windows with made-to measure buffalo check/gingham roman blinds that team up with their tea towels and table skirts. Olive green-white Royal Salad buffalo check roman blinds and burnt orange-white Salenstein gingham blinds are two examples from our collection. There are many more colourways available, so look out for those that align with your kitchen’s palette.

In Closing

Checks, ginghams, tartans and plaids are truly some of the most versatile patterns that promise to add unique personality and simple elegance to any space, provided that you make a wise choice of colours, details and configurations. From modern chic black-and-white checks and masculine-style dark plaids to country-style cotton ginghams and holiday-vibe tartans - you can find your heart’s desire in The White Window’s curated collection. So go on, explore, shop and enjoy!

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