Natural Roman Shades vs Fabric Roller Shades

Despite some basic similarities, natural roman shades and fabric roller shades offer distinctly different benefits and features that are important to keep in mind when deciding on your preferred window treatment.

Functions and Features

Natural roman shades and fabric roller shades both lift and lower to cover and uncover your window. Roller shades can be made from a wide variety of fabric types, each offering different benefits and drawbacks in terms of privacy, light filtration, and maintaining your view outside. Natural shades are less customizable in this regard, as the different weaves of bamboo, grasses, reeds, and jute all start out as light filtering shades. However, blackout liners can be added to these shades in order to provide complete darkness and privacy where needed. Plus, these natural materials are more environmentally sustainable than most roller shade fabrics, as they are easy to grow and quick to regenerate.

Visual Appeal

The primary reason to pick natural shades over roller shades is their superior visual appeal. While roller shade fabrics can offer beautiful designs, it is difficult to compete with the refined elegance and charming authenticity of natural shades. Since natural shades are made in the style of roman shades, the decorative folds that form as they are raised provides an extra bit of visual flair as well.

Durability and Cleaning

Both natural shades and roller shades have flat vertical surfaces when lowered that make cleaning them fast and easy. However, fabric is usually easier to clean than the woven wood of natural shades, and the extra folds that appear when natural shades are raised makes cleaning them a more regular requirement. Roller shades are also more versatile than natural shades, as they are better suited to handling high levels of moisture and humidity.

Affordability

Given the visual advantages that natural shades hold over roller shades, it should come as no surprise that they are typically the more expensive product. Different fabrics and designs come at vastly different costs, which does complicate this picture somewhat, but a standard roller shade is a much more affordable option.

Summary

Roller shades and natural shades have a lot in common, which can make it difficult to decide between the two. Roller shades are more affordable, a durable, and easy to clean than natural shades. On the other hand, natural shades are the more visually appealing and environmentally friendly option.