Thursday, March 24, 2011

ROMAN SHADES….for every room, mood, style…….and weather condition!

“Nothing that is can pause or stay; The moon will wax, the moon will wane, The mist and cloud will turn to rain, The rain to mist and cloud again, Tomorrow be today.”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 - 1882)
It is wonderful to watch the rain, see the lightening, hear the thunder……because it is a sure sign of spring and IT’S MELTING THE SNOW!!!  Those wonderful sunny days we had just before this downpour, however,  were so perrrrfect for curling up in the sunshine pouring through the window and it actually felt too warm at times…..like I needed to lower the shade down a touch….and roman shades are perrrrfect for doing just that!
Roman012
Colorful and Bright!

black-white roman
Sophisticated!

Roman Shade
Warm and Cozy!

Roman-Shade-41
Clean and Contemporary!

eat_roman_shade
Or Just Plain Fun!

Whatever the style….roman shades are one of my favorite window treatments.  They can add texture and personality to your window and imbue a room with added flair and color!  They can be made in a wide variety of styles and with a wide array of fabrics.  Most important to remember, however, is that you GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!   If you want quality and excellence in workmanship, then prepare to spend a few extra dollars because it will be well worth the look, the safety, and the ease of operation!
The latest word on Roman Shades has been all about the dangers and hazards associated with child strangulation due to the loose operating cords on the back of the shade.  It is something to take very seriously and ensure that the shade you purchase has safety measures to avoid this tragic possibility. 

roman shades hazard
The above information and illustrations are from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (http://www.cpsc.gov/) Publication #5115.
retro fit rings for roman shades
For all of you that have existing roman shades like the one above, please be aware that these rings (which look just like shower curtain rings to me) can be used to replace the cords in your shades.  By inserting them through each ring in place of the cord, you can raise and lower the shade….. manually……yes, by hooking and unhooking these rings each time you raise and lower the shades.  If it seems time consuming and confusing, you are right!  It is a pain…. but does avoid a potential threat to your child. 
Design Studio back
Otherwise, you can have them redone by a workroom professional to include these new cord shrouds (shown above) which prevent the cord from being pulled away from the shade and around a wee one’s neck!

vigtiered_raised_1

Of course, the best and ultimate innovations (if I must say so myself) are from Hunter Douglas and have given us the opportunity to totally eliminate a cord lift from roman shades within the Vignette line of products and the completely covered back totally encases the working cord preventing accessibility from children’s little hands!
vignette_outside
With the new Design Studio Roman Shades by Hunter Douglas, you have a superb selection of over 300 fabrics, from sheers to prints, to select from.  This collection does have to safe lift cords to choose from and can be made up to 96” in width with NO, yes, NO seams!  These fabrics can even be used of valances over the roman shades or all my themselves.  You can make your own design statement.  Pretty cool! 
dstudio_cordloop_other_2
However, as I am ending this post, the cold weather has returned, sleet is falling as well as the snow, temperature forecasts are for blustery winds and just plain turn-that-heater-up conditions!  Oh….did I mention that “lowering that roman shade a touch” is perrrrrrfect for that too?
Let me know what your opinion is about roman shades and why……Have a great day!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I love the shade with the fork and the word EAT on it. How do I get it?

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