Roman Shades To Make Window Look Taller

Are y’all feeling good after that extra hour of sleep?!  You know you’re old when rolling back the clock means extra sleep as opposed to an extra hour of partying. We went out to dinner to a favorite Houston restaurant with another couple, but were all yawning by 11 p.m.  Back at home, over the last couple of weeks, we put roman bamboo shades up on our downstairs windows.  I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time because I felt like it would make our windows look taller and more complete, but we just now got around to it.  

We opted for Hampton Bay ‘Caramel’ flatstick bamboo roman shades because I liked that color the best and they are very affordable.  They are easy to hang with triangle-shaped hooks at the top that we placed close to the curtain rod to create the illusion of higher windows.  As you can see below, there was about a foot of wall between the rod and where the window actually starts.
These bamboo shades aren’t lined, so they don’t block out the light, but they do diffuse it some.  I’m only using them for decorative purposes, so I don’t mind that, and I just keep them pulled to where the window begins so the light doesn’t shine through.  Also, we normally keep our blinds open, but I closed them so the picture would turn out better.  Our window is 36 inches, so that’s the size we used here. 
You might also notice the addition of our dinner bell that I’m crazy about.  I used it for the first time last night as I served up big bowls of homemade chili and cornbread (ok, so just cornbread for our son) on one of our first cold nights (yay!).  I got the large bell here, but it also comes in small. 
I let James give it a good ring too.
For the dining room, I used a 72-inch shade because that’s as long as they came without going the expensive custom route, even though our window is wider.  The curtains hide the difference pretty well though.  
You can see in this photo below how the roman shade is a little too short.  
In the living room is where I ran into some issues.  We put up three 48-inch shades (the size of the three windows) and I planned to add two more curtain rods and curtains where the wall between them is showing, but when I got two more West Elm rods, their mounting hardware was different that the original and wouldn’t fit with our wall.  (You have to slide the hardware together and there isn’t enough clearance between the crown molding and where the rod needs to go – if that makes sense.)  So, I’ve been looking for other hardware that we might be able to use instead or possibly, other rods.  
The other issue is, we’d either have to make two new curtain panels (since these are custom- Windsor Smith Pelagos Fabric in Mist) or use the curtains in the breakfast room and get new/different curtains for that space.  Or make two more panels from the panels shown below. 
But, what I originally had in mind would’ve looked something like the photo below.  
I’ll keep you posted on what we end up doing, but I welcome your suggestions.  Do you like the windows better with or without the roman shades?  

You Might Also Like

Meet Megan

Hi! I’m Megan, mom to a thoughtful teenager and spunky young girl. We call Houston home and recently moved into our dream home. I traded my lawyer hat to become a full-time blogger in 2010. I love sharing my passion for affordable fashion, home decor, organization, & fitness to help inspire you to take care of you!

31 Comments

    1. Yeah, ideally we'd have a different kind of window, the blinds were an initial decision when we first moved in. They stay open though so you don't really notice them.

  1. I love the Roman shades! They really do draw your eye up and make the room feel taller. And I see what you were going for with all the panels, but I actually like it with just the two on the outside–I feel like it accomplishes horizontally what you were going for vertically–a more spacious look!

    Visiting from lorimerliving.blogspot.com

    1. That's a good point- and another reason they are still like that. I didn't want too much fabric in the middle to take away what light we do get from those windows.

  2. I LOVE the bamboo shades in there!!! Really warms up the space and makes it feel more finished! Great job! And, impressive photoshop skills with adding those panels!! 😉

    1. Please Megan, can you do a tutorial to show how you created this image in PicMonkey. I'd love to know how to do this! I didn't know it was possible and thought I'd have to upgrade to photoshop and really don't want to do that. I have learnt so much about PicMonkey from the other tutorials your done. You have very much improved the look of my blog!! Thanks lovely.

  3. Megan,

    I love the new binds! They add a nice contrast to the rooms! If they serve a purpose and look good too it's a great purchase don't you think? I know the feeling very well as my house is done in all white.

    I have to let you know that I fell in love with your gold painted fox you found at Target. Of course they didn't have any in the stores here or online. Soooo, I went online and found one on Ebay. I had to pay $10 for him but that is ok. I think he is just adorable! I plan to paint him gold and put him on my entry table which has similar vases, etc as yours.

    1. So glad you found him! I don't think $10 is too much, that's probably how much it was in the store, maybe $15 or $20. Thanks for letting me know!

    1. I understand what you mean. I had to photograph the windows with the blinds shut to keep my pics from blowing out, but we don't normally have them closed like that. In retrospect, I'd have different windows that would look better without blinds at all.

  4. Megan, I was so happy when I saw this blog post. I have been looking for the same bamboo shades for my living room/dinning room. It's funny how things like this work out. I had looked on Home Depot's web site too for the same ones. However, I didn't think of attaching them to the wall above the window to make the window look longer. That's genius! My problem is that my middle living room window is 59", so it's an unusual size. I don't want to go with a special order, it's too expensive. I know that the shades would look great in my home because they look EXCELLENT in yours!!! Thank you for the inspiration!!! I love your home, it's so beuaitufl!! xo

  5. They look great Megan! I agree with Cassie and Courtney that they really warm the space up. You have a beautiful dining room. James is the cutest ringing your dinner bell with those glasses. We had a dinner bell growing up and loved it.

  6. Gonna be honest. Love bamboo blinds as they do add a richness and texture to a space. But, not sure I love the blinds on blinds. But, that is just me (and probably my allergies talking, LOL). Also, since the others are hung so high to me it makes your door look really small, since the blinds are there as well. You know me, I am always going to be honest. You have a beautiful home, and you know I love you 😉

  7. I really like the shades. I'm thinking of doing the same thing in my livingroom. We have blinds in the window as well but ours only open/close and I can't pull them up. Our windows open up though and I can easily remove the blinds so I think I am going to do that if the hubby won't object too much. We don't need privacy at those windows and a large covered porch protects them so direct sun is never shining in. Are your blinds removable as well? Ours just snap right in and out once you open the interior part of the window. Love the dinnerbell. I may have to get one. How fun! My mom used to have a HUGE one on a pole out in the yard and would ring it for us to come home for supper.

  8. I'm SO in love with this post! I have the exact same situation with white wood blinds, and curtains (also gray and white) hung high and wide on my windows. I just wasn't sure how to add something into the space between but this is so perfect! Thanks!

  9. Looks beautiful! Where did you get the shorter metal rods or did you cut them down? Trying to do the same look with a large grouping of windows and I don't want a rod that goes all the way across the windows. Thank you for your help.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *