Short answer: a roman shade is only as dark as its lining. A true blackout roman shade has a dedicated blackout layer sewn behind the face fabric — ours is a suede-feel lining that lets no light through the body of the shade, not a loose “room-darkening” weave that only dims it. Pair that lining with the right mount and a bedroom stays genuinely dark, even at 6 a.m. in June.
We’ve been sewing custom roman shades in our Toronto workroom since 2001, and bedroom blackout is the request we hear most often. This guide is what we’d tell you across the cutting table: how blackout construction actually works, where light sneaks in, which colors make sense, and how to get a shade made to your exact window.
Blackout is a lining, not a fabric
No drapery fabric blocks light on its own. Hold 100% linen up to a window and it glows — that’s half of why people love it. Darkness comes from what sits behind the fabric: a blackout lining, soft and suede-like to the touch, that stops light completely.
In our workroom the lining is cut and sewn together with the face fabric as one shade. The folds stay crisp, the blackout layer never shows from the front, and there’s nothing to clip on or velcro off. From the street you see linen. From the bed, you see none of the morning.
That construction matters more than the word “blackout” on a product page. A shade with a hooked-on liner or a thin darkening weave still lets a soft glow through the fabric. A sewn-in blackout lining does not.
How dark does a bedroom actually get?
Two things decide what your room looks like at 7 a.m.: the lining and the gaps.
The lining we’ve covered — through the body of a blackout roman shade, no light passes. What remains is edge light: the thin margins where the shade meets the wall or window frame. Those margins are controlled by the mount, which is why the same shade can leave a faint glowing outline in one bedroom and near-total darkness in another.
An outside-mounted blackout roman shade with a few inches of overlap gets a room dark enough that you’ll reach for your phone to check the time. Light sleepers, shift workers, nurseries — this is the setup we sew most.
Black, white, or natural linen?
Here’s the part that surprises people: the color of the shade has almost nothing to do with how dark the room gets. The blackout lining does the blocking, so a white blackout roman shade darkens a bedroom exactly as well as a black one. Choose the face fabric for the room, not for the darkness.
Black blackout roman shades suit moody, modern bedrooms — black linen against pale walls reads tailored rather than heavy when the fold is soft. White and cream keep a small room bright by day and all but disappear against painted trim. And natural linen — flax, oatmeal, greige — is what we sew most, because it warms a bedroom in a way neither black nor white can.
Any of the 22+ colors in our linen collection can be made with blackout lining. If two are in the running, order swatches of both and look at them in your room at night, lamps on. Fabric changes its mind by lamplight.
Inside or outside mount?
Inside mount sits within the window recess. It’s clean, architectural, and shows off your trim — the tailored look most people picture when they think of roman shades. The trade-off is a small light outline around the edges, unavoidable because the shade needs clearance to move inside the frame.
Outside mount hangs above the window and overlaps the opening. For a bedroom where darkness is the whole point, it’s the stronger choice. We recommend two to three inches of overlap on each side and about four inches above: the overlap catches exactly the edge light an inside mount lets past.
Not sure which suits your window? Send us a photo — we’ll tell you which mount we’d pick and why. Measuring takes about ten minutes with our 13-step measuring guide; you send the numbers, we take the inside-mount deductions for you and send a sketch to approve before anything is cut.
Cordless, corded, or motorized
Cordless is our default for bedrooms: nothing dangles, it’s the safe choice for kids’ rooms and nurseries, and the shade holds whatever height you leave it at.
Corded, with the cord secured at the wall, gives finer control on tall or extra-wide windows.
Motorized blackout roman shades are the sleep-lover’s upgrade — schedule the shade to drop at bedtime and rise with your alarm, no cold-floor walk to the window. On wide shades the motor also does the lifting a heavier blackout construction asks of your arm.
All three work with blackout lining. None of them changes how dark the room gets; that’s still the lining and the mount doing the work.
Blackout, dim-out, or unlined?
| Lining | Light | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Unlined linen | Soft glow through the weave; daytime privacy | Living rooms, kitchens, layered looks |
| Dim-out lining | Cuts most light, keeps a gentle dusk | Bedrooms of not-so-light sleepers, dens |
| Blackout lining | No light through the shade | Bedrooms, nurseries, shift workers, media rooms |
If you love linen’s daytime glow but need to sleep past sunrise, put unlined shades where you live and blackout where you sleep. Same fabric, same color, two different linings — the rooms still match.
Sizes, fit, and what it costs
Every shade is made to order and sewn to 1/8 inch of your measurements, in sizes up to 105 inches wide and 120 long — enough for wide bedroom windows and most sliding doors. Blackout roman shades start at $289 with the lining sewn in, not priced as an add-on surprise at checkout.
US shipping is free, with no duties at the border, and most orders ship in 10 days or less. Typical made-to-order programs quote six to eight weeks; ours is usually on your window before their first production update.
And because a custom shade can’t go back on a shelf, we double-check the sizing with you first — measurements, then an approval sketch. If a mistake on our side makes the fit wrong, we remake it. That promise is how a workroom gets to 2,000+ five-star reviews.
Blackout roman shade questions, answered
Can roman shades be blackout shades?
Yes. Any roman shade — flat, relaxed, or London — becomes a blackout shade when a blackout lining is sewn behind the face fabric. The lining blocks all light through the shade; the linen face keeps its soft, folded look. If you want dimmed rather than dark, a dim-out lining is the middle option.
Are roman shades good for bedrooms?
They’re one of the best window treatments for bedrooms: real fabric instead of hard plastic, a tailored fold that suits calm rooms, and — with blackout lining — genuine darkness. Cordless and motorized lifts make them safe for children’s rooms and nurseries.
Do blackout blinds actually work for bedrooms?
A sewn-in blackout lining stops all light through the shade itself; what’s left is a thin edge glow at the frame. Mount the shade outside the recess with a few inches of overlap and a bedroom gets close to fully dark — dark enough to sleep past a summer sunrise.
What is the best blackout option for a bedroom?
For one treatment that looks finished and performs, an outside-mounted blackout roman shade is the strongest choice. Blackout curtains work but swallow wall space and dust; blackout rollers perform well but look utilitarian in a bedroom. A lined roman shade does the same job in tailored fabric.
What is the downside of roman blinds?
Three honest ones: raised, the fabric stacks at the top and covers part of the glass; they lift more slowly than a roller; and a custom-sewn shade costs more than a boxed blind. That’s the trade for exact fit, real fabric, and a window that finally looks dressed.
Are roman shades out of style in 2026?
No — the shape has hung in bedrooms for a century, which is the safest sign it isn’t going anywhere. What changes is the styling: right now that means relaxed and European folds in natural linen rather than stiff, formal pleats. A neutral linen roman shade will outlast whatever replaces this year’s trend.
Start with the fabric in your hand
Order a few swatches, hold them against your trim by lamplight, and go from there. If you’re stuck between two colors, write to us — you’ll get an opinion, not a brochure.
Shop blackout roman shadesSewn in Toronto · 1/8″ precision · ships in 10 days or less
Every shade is sewn here in Toronto, and I check each order before it ships.
— Natalya, textile engineer & founder, LOGANOVA Shades