Help with Roman Shades

13 years ago

Hello and thanks in advance for any feedback. Here is my situation. I have a window with interior mounted, 1" pleated shades. Outside of the window box itself, is a roman shade. The brackets are on the sides of the window, at the top. Beyond that, I cannot figure out how they are mounted (is there a rod up top, etc.?) Then there are curtains which are mounted on a tension rod outside of the window box itself. (The window sits in a small recessed area, itself only a little wider than the window. So there is room to place equipment outside of the frame itself, yet still have two sides to work with). The curtains only cover a portion of the outsides of the window. And there is a valence, also on a tension rod. Everything except the pleated shades is hand-made.

Here is the problem. I need to replace the window, and the newer ones are thicker than the one I have. If I put in new windows, it will push the shades out beyond the window frame. The roman shades now lay just against the walls outside of the window, and they will get pushed out into the curtains, and the curtains into the valence. My wife made all of these herself. She passed away 6 months ago, and while I am willing to play around some to move things, I do not want to screw up the beautiful job she did. Nothing can be replaced now Ã¯Â¿Â½ this is it.

My biggest issue is that the pleated shades will wind up half in, half out of the window frame. Maybe this is not so bad, but the roman shades will wind up at least a few inches away from the wall, assuming I can even find different and longer brackets to do this. I really have no idea about any of this Ã¯Â¿Â½ it is all new to me. I assume roman shades need to lie flush against the wall, not protrude out several inches. Even though the side curtains will cover it, I still think it will look funny. I donÃ¯Â¿Â½t want to start any of this until I have a plan.

I know it is hard to give suggestions without specifics and visuals, but I thought it was worth a shot to ask. Thanks.

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Comments (7)

bronwynsmom
13 years ago
Oh, my dear, I'm so sorry.

Is it possible for you to post a photo of the whole arrangement? We can help more if you could do that.

But I think I have an idea what you mean.

If you were to remove the inside layer - the 1" pleated shades - would you then be able to remount the rest of the pieces on the new windows? If the Roman shades can be raised and lowered for privacy, you may find that you don't need those inner pieces, and you will still have the layered drapery your wife made.

I can understand why you don't want to change it, but perhaps that one thing would be acceptable to you, if it made the rest work?
rak710
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks, so kind of you to respond. The idea is a good one, but I really want to keep the pleated shades for privacy while still allowing light in. Yes, it would work, but it is not an option for me. I would rather leave the old window actually. These photos are not great, but I think they give the information needed. I am not sure if I can upload multiple photos at once - if not I'll post again
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rak710
Original Author
13 years ago
More photos...
rak710
Original Author
13 years ago
Not sure if this made it up or not. Thanks again for the help.
bronwynsmom
13 years ago
I see what you mean about the blinds.

In that case, could you bring yourself to part with the Roman shade? It would allow you to put everything else back in place.

From your photos, it doesn't show very much, and I think the design of the drapery would stay intact even without that element. If it's there to cover the top trim of the window, perhaps you have a remnant of the leopard print or the curtain fabric that could be made into a simple band to accomplish the same thing without the bulk?
Annie Deighnaugh
13 years ago
I don't see this as such a problem. The valance and curtains are on a tension rod, so they can just be moved out.

Roman blinds are typically mounted on a board using L brackets to mount it to the wall. I'm sure if the new window caused an issue, you could figure out a way to mount them to the ceiling instead and the mounting would still be covered by the valance. But more than likely you can just get larger brackets or space the existing brackets out by an inch using a block of wood behind the brackets. For the shade, typically they come with either an inside or outside mount. You may just need to get new hardware, or get a little creative with how to mount it for the new window.

I'm sure it can be done with a few dollars worth of screws and brackets and a little inventiveness.

You are, at some point, going to have to take it all down and see how it went together before you can figure out a new approach.
rak710
Original Author
13 years ago
Thank you both. I do not wish to part with the Roman shade - it comes down at night and looks quite nice. Yes, extension brackets would work I guess, as you suggest. This would put the Roman shades out a few inches from the window. Is this an issue at all, either regarding operation or just plain decorating guidelines? I think this is my best option, but I cannot imagine it is ideal. I really appreciate the help - thank you.