Creating faux Roman shades using just fabric and inexpensive tension rods is an affordable way to dress your windows! This is a great home hack to use when renting, or if you want to frequently change out your decor!
This post originally appeared on the blog in April 2015 and is worth revisiting!
Materials Needed for Faux Roman Shades:
- Fabric (I used Braemore Momento Jade.)
- Sewing machine or hem tape, fabric glue, or even hot glue–I’m not going to judge you!
- Two small spring tension rods per window
Instructions:
Step 1: Measure the length and width of the window area that you want to cover and cut and sew your fabric according to size.
Step 2: Place your tension rods in your window as shown below. I placed mine about 8 inches apart.
Step 3: If you create a rod pocket at the top of your fabric, you can simply slip the rod through your fabric. I didn’t do this and just tucked the top of my fabric above the tension rod. If you pull on it, then it will fall but it’s not going anywhere otherwise.
Step 4: Drape your fabric over the second tension rod with most of the fabric draping over the back of the rod.
Step 5: Create the bottom fold of your roman shade and drape it over the rod. You can even do this at 7am while trying desperately to catch the morning light–while still in your bathrobe–hoping that the camera has completely missed your rolled-up sleeves. #fail #donotjudgeme
Step 6: Pull the back of the fabric forward and fold it over to create your top pleat.
Fluff until you are happy with the look.
Step 7: Enjoy! You just dressed two windows in a matter of minutes!
If I want privacy, I can let the fabric down and just fold it back up when I want light. It’s a fantastic non-permanent and non-damaging solution for window treatments. I like to change my curtains several times a year, so this provides an ideal solution for me.
Feel free to pin this idea to save for later or to share with your followers! You might also enjoy the related posts below.
So elegant designs and such an eye-catching color scheme. Are you a professional interior decorator?
Great shades and beautiful choice of colours. Pinned
Love this idea! I sew all the time but the thought of sewing Roman shades seemed too time-consuming. I plan to use this method for our dining room windows, and they’ll never need unrolled for privacy. I’m just wondering how long your fabric panels are before you start. Are they the full length of your window? Thanks so much!
xoxo
Sarah
Thanks! Yes, I made mine the full length so that if I want privacy it’s an option but you certainly don’t have to make them that long. I recommend folding the fabric in a mock-up before you cut to just see what works best for your needs.
I love this! Brilliant! I rent and have 12 windows to cover in a sunroom so this is an excellent temporary solution for me. How tall are your windows? I am worried the folds will be super long on my windows which are 60″
My windows are not as tall as yours, but you can control the length and the number of folds. We rarely unfold ours for privacy. I would probably choose a different option if you need to unfold that many every night. If you’re not unfolding, you don’t need the fabric to cover the entire length of the window and can decide how much you need based on what looks best.
That looks so good! I’m gonna try this. I found some light green and white 100% cotton tablecloths on sale for $3.49 each at Country Door.com in the exact same pattern as your rug. My walls are the same color gray as your rug as well and I have 3 throw pillows on my sofa with the exact same gray and white stiped covers like the one on yours. (You have such great taste, haha). Hopefully my faux shades will look as good your’s do! I’ve tried this once before with some microfiber sheet material but I never could get it to hang right. I think maybe cotton will work out better plus I was using 3 tension rods instead of 2. Thanks for the dummy proof tutorial…
You’re so welcome! Great minds think alike. 🙂 Let me know how it works for you.
Great Shades
But I am worry about the dirty
If they get dirty, you just launder them. Depending on your material choice you should be able to wash, dry, and iron like you would any other curtains.
Love the tutorial, that’s my kind of project! Thanks!
Glad you liked it! Thanks for visiting. 🙂
This looks amazing and so easy. This will be definitely my weekend project. Thanks for the great idea!
Great idea to dress up windows in a rental!
Brilliant! I can’t wait to try this, thanks for sharing!
Genius. This looks fabulous.