Roman Shades
Soft fabric folds with the tailored structure of a shade — cut to your opening, so they hang straight, stack cleanly, and actually fit.
★★★★★ 4.9 · 314 reviews (314)
Partner
~2 weeks to install~2 wks
Three ways a roman shade can fold
The fold decides how formal the shade reads, and how much fabric stacks at the top when it's raised. Tap through the three.
Flat fold
One clean panel that pulls up into crisp horizontal pleats. The most modern of the three, and the only one that keeps a printed pattern fully readable instead of breaking it across folds.
Best for patterned fabric, contemporary rooms, narrow windows.
Relaxed fold
An unstructured shade with a gentle smile curve along the bottom edge. Softer and less formal, it suits linens and light cottons that are meant to look a little undone.
Best for kitchens, breakfast nooks, coastal and casual interiors.
Hobbled fold
Continuous cascading loops that stay full even when the shade is all the way down. It uses noticeably more fabric, which is what gives it that draped, upholstered weight.
Best for formal living and dining rooms, tall windows.
Four lines, and when we recommend each
We're an authorized Hunter Douglas dealer and we run our own workroom, so these are genuinely different products — not four names for the same shade.
Hunter DouglasVignette® Modern Roman Shades
The cleanest-looking of the four. Vignette hides its lift cords inside the fabric, so nothing tracks down the back of the shade — tidy from the street as well as from your sofa.
- No exposed rear cords — why we put this in nurseries
- Rolling or stacking, 4″ full or 6″ flat folds
- Sheer through full room-darkening fabrics
- Duolite® puts a sheer and a blackout on one headrail
Pick this if you want a contemporary look, or child safety without giving up fabric.
Alustra® Woven Textures®
Hunter Douglas's designer tier, and where clients land when the window is the focal point of the room. Fabrics are sourced globally and rotate with the collections.
- Globally sourced fabrics you won't find in standard books
- Sheer, semi-sheer and semi-opaque weaves
- An independent liner tunes light without changing the face fabric
- Two-on-One headrail spans a wide window on one bracket line
Pick this if the fabric is the point, or you're covering a wide feature window.
Provenance® Woven Wood Shades
Not fabric at all — woven from real wood, reeds, grasses and bamboo, then made up in Roman, Waterfall Roman or Recessed Roman styles.
- Roman, Waterfall and Recessed Roman constructions
- Natural material resists stretching and bowing
- Top-Down/Bottom-Up gives privacy while keeping daylight
- Optional liner adds room darkening and insulation
Pick this if you want natural texture — and it's our usual answer for kitchens, since it doesn't hold cooking odour the way fabric does. Compare it with our other shades →
Carole Fabrics Roman Shades
Our custom workroom line, and by far the widest fabric range we carry. Where we go when someone brings us a color to match, or wants shade, drapery and pillows from the same bolt.
- Every fold: flat, front, reverse, hobbled and soft roman
- Decorative trims, tapes and fringes to finish an edge
- Room-darkening and premium tailored liners
- Coordinate into drapery, pillows and cushions
Pick this if you're matching an existing scheme, or want one fabric through the whole room.
| Vignette® | Alustra® Woven Textures® | Provenance® | Carole Fabrics | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Made by | Hunter Douglas | Hunter Douglas | Hunter Douglas | Our own workroom |
| Material | Fabric | Textured woven fabric | Real wood, reeds, grasses, bamboo | Fabric — widest range we carry |
| Fold styles | Rolling or stacking, 4″ or 6″ | Flat, with top & bottom treatments | Roman, Waterfall, Recessed | All five — flat, front, reverse, hobbled, soft |
| Light range | Sheer → room darkening | Sheer → semi-opaque | Adds a liner for darkening | Standard, room-darkening & premium liners |
| Standout feature | No exposed rear cords | Two-on-One headrail for wide windows | Top-Down/Bottom-Up | Trims, tapes & fringes; match into drapery |
| We recommend for | Nurseries, contemporary rooms | Feature windows where fabric is the point | Kitchens and natural texture | Matching an existing color scheme |
Swipe the table sideways to see all four →
Drag to see what each lining does
The lining matters more than the fabric on the front. It's the difference between a shade that glows at 4pm and one that blacks out a nursery at noon.
Privacy lined
A plain backing blocks the view in while still letting light through. The most common choice for living spaces, and the safest default if you're unsure.
A visual illustration, not a photograph of each lining — real light levels depend on your fabric, window and orientation. We'll walk you through the options during your consultation.
How you'll raise and lower them
Every shade we install is cordless or motorized as standard. Which lift you want comes down to how high the window is and how often you'll touch it.
PowerView®
App, remote, voice, or a schedule that follows the sun.
Tall or hard-to-reach windowsUltraGlide® Wand
A retractable wand that stays the same length as the shade rises.
Tall windows, no motorLiteRise® Cordless
Push up, pull down. No cord and no wand at all.
Kids' rooms, small windowsEasyRise™ Loop
A continuous tensioned loop, anchored to the wall.
Heavy or oversized shadesStandard Wand
Straightforward manual push-and-pull operation.
Everyday reachable windowsRooms roman shades suit best
Every photo is a real install from a home we measured. One honest caveat: directly above a cooktop we'd steer you to woven wood instead — fabric holds grease and odour.
Roman shades we've installed
No stock photography, no showroom staging — homes across Bergen County and the Tri-State.
What actually drives the price
Roman shades are priced per window, so a blanket number would be misleading. These are the four things that move it.
01Size of the opening
Wider and taller windows need more fabric and a heavier headrail, and oversized shades need a sturdier lift. A tall stairwell window costs meaningfully more than a standard bedroom one.
02Fabric
The single biggest variable. A house linen and a designer print can differ several times over per yard — and the hobbled fold uses the most fabric of the three, so the style you pick changes how much that fabric choice costs you.
03Lining
Unlined is the entry point. Privacy, blackout and interlining each add material and labour to every shade. Worth spending here if the room faces afternoon sun.
04Motorization
Adds a motor and a power source per shade. Usually worth it on tall or hard-to-reach windows, and rarely worth it on a small one you can comfortably touch.
Why we don't publish a price list. Two windows in the same room can differ by a third once you account for size, fabric and mount. We quote every window exactly during the free consultation — and that quote is what you pay. Book one here.
Measured to installed in about two weeks
Free consultation
We come to you, so you're judging the room in the light the shade will actually live in.
Measure & design
Every window measured to the sixteenth, with a designer's eye on fold, mount and stack height.
Made for your window
Hunter Douglas or our own workroom — cut and sewn to your opening, never trimmed from stock.
Installed & tidy
Professionally hung, tested, and the packaging leaves with us. Usually a single visit.
Roman shade questions we get asked
How much do custom roman shades cost?
They're priced per window, because cost is driven by the size of the opening, the fabric, whether it's lined or blackout lined, and whether you add motorization. We quote every window exactly during the free in-home consultation, so the number you get is the number you pay.
Can roman shades be blackout?
Yes. A blackout lining is sewn behind the face fabric and blocks nearly all light through the shade itself. For true room darkening, pair it with an outside mount or side channels so light can't spill around the edges — that gap is what most people underestimate.
Are roman shades a good choice for kitchens?
Above a sink or a breakfast window, yes — they soften a room full of hard surfaces. Directly over a cooktop we'd steer you elsewhere, since fabric holds grease and odour and can't be wiped clean.
Are your roman shades child-safe?
Every roman shade we install is cordless or motorized by default. There's no operating cord and no inner lift-cord loop, which meets the current safety standard for homes with children and pets.
Should roman shades be inside or outside mounted?
An inside mount sits within the window frame and shows off the moulding, which suits deep, square openings. An outside mount covers the frame, hides an out-of-square window and blocks more light. We measure and recommend one during the consultation.
Do roman shades work on sliding glass doors?
Usually not, and we'll say so. A roman wide enough for a slider is heavy, it stacks at the top rather than the side, and you have to raise the whole thing every time you use the door. Vertical sheers or panel tracks solve that opening far better — see blinds for sliding doors.
How long do custom roman shades take?
Usually about two weeks from the day you approve the fabric to the day they're installed. Specialty shapes and some imported fabrics run longer, and we'll tell you the timeline before you order.
Sheer & ZebraSwitch from view to privacy in one pull
CellularInsulating honeycomb, cuts heating and cooling costs
Roller & SolarClean lines, blackout to see-through4.9 across 314 Google reviews
“I'm very happy with how my shades turned out. The team was communicative, knowledgeable and professional throughout the whole process — and their price was very reasonable compared to some other places we reached out to.”
★★★★★ a year ago
“Our french doors have very limited room for blinds or curtains. We'd visited Blinds To Go and other shops and had almost given up — until we visited The Curtain. Jason walked us through the best plan with his expertise.”
★★★★★ 3 years ago
“I am very pleased with my shades and they look terrific. They were very patient explaining how to operate my new electric shades, and set up my phone so I can control them. A very pleasant experience.”
★★★★★ 3 weeks ago
Visit the showroom
Prefer to see things in person before we come to you? We're on Broad Avenue in Palisades Park, a few minutes from Fort Lee and the GWB.
- 547 Broad AvenuePalisades Park, NJ 07650
- Mon–Fri 10–7 · Sat 10–5Closed Sunday
- (201) 302-9111We usually pick up on the first ring