A relaxed Roman shade is the soft, unstructured take on the classic Roman: no rod pockets stitched across the face, so the front of the shade stays one clean, uninterrupted plane of fabric. It comes in two versions — the classic relaxed, which raises in soft straight folds, and the European relaxed, the one with the gentle "smile" curve at the bottom. Together they're our most-ordered family, and as of October 2026 custom relaxed Roman shades start at $216 for sheer linen and $219 for linen blends at LOGANOVA, with most orders landing between $230 and $350. This guide covers how each style is built, when it beats a flat fold, what it costs, and the measuring trick that makes the European curve look right.
We sew these every day in our Toronto workroom, so the opinions below come from the cutting table, not a catalog.
What is a relaxed Roman shade?
A relaxed Roman shade is a fabric window shade sewn without rod pockets across the front. In a flat-fold shade, the rods that shape the folds sit in pockets stitched across the face — and every pocket means a horizontal seam you can see. In our relaxed construction the rods are sewn into the lining layer on the back, and the layers are held together by a few small hand stitches. No seams across the face. The front reads as one quiet plane of fabric, which is why the style suits linen so well: nothing interrupts the weave.
Raised, a classic relaxed shade stacks into soft, straight folds — straighter, actually, than the name suggests. The "relaxed" is in the construction and the feel, not a droop. Lowered, it hangs as a clean flat panel. The version with the soft curve at the bottom is the European relaxed — more on it below.
It's a softer, more decorative look. Kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, reading corners — anywhere the room should feel settled rather than engineered.
Relaxed vs flat fold: which one is yours?
Choose relaxed if you want the face of the shade clean and uninterrupted; choose flat fold if you like crisp, visibly structured folds. Same fabrics, same mechanism, same price range — the difference is where the rods live.
In a flat fold, each rod pocket is sewn across the front with two lines of stitching, so the face carries a row of horizontal seams and every fold breaks on a sharp, tailored line. Architectural — it suits offices, modern kitchens, rooms with straight-lined furniture.
In a classic relaxed, the rods sit in the lining at the back. The face has no horizontal stitching at all — just a few small hand stitches you'd have to hunt for. Both shades rise in straight lines; the relaxed just does it more quietly. If you're buying linen for the texture, this is the version that shows the cloth and nothing else.
European relaxed: the one with the curve
The European relaxed is where the famous soft sag lives. Lowered, it's a flat rectangular panel with a weight bar in a bottom pocket and piping along the top — a small detail that reads custom from across the room. Raised, the middle settles into a gentle curve: the "smile" most people picture when they search for relaxed Roman shades. For outside mounts we add side flats to cover the mechanism, so the edges stay clean. On wide windows, one long sag starts to look stretched — we sew those with more than one swag; send your measurements and we'll advise on proportions.
Two practical notes from the workroom. First, the longer the shade, the more folds you get. Second — and this is the trick most guides skip — if you want the folds to cover the bottom of the window while keeping the sag look (bathrooms kept lowered for privacy, say), order the shade 16–24 inches longer than the window, and tell us both numbers so the chain is sized to the window, not the extra length. We'll walk you through it on your approval sketch.
European relaxed starts at $249 in sheer linen (Cordoba) and $279 in 100% linen (Tuscany), as of October 2026.
The fabrics relaxed shades are made for
Relaxed linen Roman shades are the classic pairing, and there's a mechanical reason: with nothing stitched across the face, the fabric is the whole show — and on the European relaxed the curve needs cloth with enough body to drape instead of crease. Stiff cloth fights the sag; flimsy cloth collapses into it.
100% linen — Tuscany, Cordoba, Zoe, Utopia — has the weight to hold a soft, even fold, and the slubs catch light along it. It's what the style was made for.
Faux linen is the workhorse: the linen look, easier care, friendlier price. Our Pillar line comes in 22 colours. If the window gets afternoon sun every day, faux linen also holds its colour longer.
Sheer faux linen — Lucky Earth and our sheer relaxed lines — turns the shade into a light filter. Lowered, it glows; raised, the folds are still there in silhouette. Sheer relaxed Roman shades are the answer when you want softness without losing the daylight.
Patterned cotton works when the print is quiet. A busy pattern bends oddly over the European curve, and even on a classic relaxed it competes with the clean face — if you love a bold print, a flat fold will display it better. Yes, that advice costs us relaxed-shade orders. It's still true.
What relaxed Roman shades cost
As of October 2026, from our workroom, sewn to your window's exact measurements:
| What you're pricing | Cost (USD) |
|---|---|
| Sheer linen relaxed Roman shade | from $216 |
| Berlin linen relaxed, 11 colours | from $219 |
| Toronto lined relaxed, 7 colours | from $239 |
| European relaxed, sheer linen (Cordoba) | from $249 |
| 100% linen relaxed (Tuscany) | from $259 |
| European relaxed, 100% linen (Tuscany) | from $279 |
| Faux linen relaxed (Pillar, 22 colours) | from $289 |
| With contrast borders or designer trim | $316–849 |
| Blackout lining | + $20–70, by size |
| Cordless lift | + $50 |
| Motorization | + $410 |
| Fabric swatches (credited to your order) | $26 |
Prices from loganovashades.com, October 2026. The "from" is a real starting price for a small window, not a teaser that doubles when you enter actual measurements — price scales with size, roughly $50 per width step.
For the full breakdown of what drives these numbers, see our guide to what custom Roman shades cost.
Inside mount or outside mount?
Relaxed shades work both ways, and the choice changes how the shade reads on the wall.
Inside mount sits within the frame — the tailored option, and the one that shows off made-to-measure fit. The shade becomes part of the window. This is where sewing to a quarter of an inch matters: the gap between shade and frame is what your eye checks first. You measure the opening (we ask to the eighth of an inch and explain exactly where to put the tape), and my team cuts to it.
Outside mount hangs on the wall above the frame and overlaps the opening. Pick it when the window is too shallow for hardware, when you want the window to look taller, or when there's a crank handle in the way. On European relaxed outside mounts, the side flats keep the mechanism hidden.
Not sure? Send us a phone photo of the window with your inquiry. It takes us thirty seconds to tell you which mount will look right.
Blackout, cordless, motorized — what's worth it on a relaxed shade
Blackout on a relaxed shade is built differently than you'd guess: we sew the shade with its white polycotton lining first, then add a separate full-blackout layer behind it, so the face fabric keeps its true colour instead of going muddy. It adds $20–70 depending on size. Bedrooms and nurseries, yes. Living rooms, usually no.
Cordless adds $50 and the reason is small hands, not convenience — no chain within reach. The look is identical.
Motorized adds $410 and earns it on tall windows and anything behind a sofa.
The chain mechanism is standard and included, with child-safe tensioners.
Where to buy relaxed Roman shades
The style is having a moment, so everyone sells something called "relaxed." Three routes: a local designer workroom ($800+ per window, typically), big-box custom programs (machine-made in standard increments — the curve comes out generic because the proportions aren't cut for your window), or a direct workroom like ours.
We're LOGANOVA, a Toronto workroom led by textile engineer Natalya Leshchynska. Our seamstresses sew each relaxed shade to your exact window, to a quarter of an inch, and we ship in 10 days or less. Free shipping to the US, no duties under USMCA. Over 2,000 five-star orders so far. Nothing is cut until you approve a sketch with every measurement on it — and if a fitting error is ours, we remake the shade.
Questions we hear about relaxed shades
Are relaxed Roman shades in style?
Yes — and more to the point, they don't date. The style predates the trend cycle by about a century. Linen relaxed shades from the 1990s look current today; the same is not true of most window treatments from the 1990s.
What's the difference between relaxed and European relaxed?
The classic relaxed is the quieter one: rods hidden in the back lining, an uninterrupted front, soft straight folds when raised. The European relaxed is the one with the gentle sag in the middle — plus piping at the top, a weight bar in a bottom pocket, and side flats on outside mounts.
Can relaxed Roman shades be blackout?
Yes. We add a separate full-blackout layer behind the lined shade, which keeps the front fabric's colour true. Adds $20–70 by size.
Can they be cordless?
Yes — cordless lift adds $50 and the drape is unchanged. Chain with child-safe tensioner is standard.
Do relaxed shades work on wide windows?
Classic relaxed, yes — it raises in straight folds at any width we sew. For the European relaxed, one sag across a very wide window starts to droop; we sew those with more than one swag. Send your measurements and we'll advise.
How long do they take?
Ten days or less from approved measurements to shipped, as with everything we sew.
A note from Natalya: the relaxed style is the one I put in my own kitchen. If you're deciding between fabrics, start with swatches — a fold changes how a fabric catches light, and you can't see that on a screen. Send me your window measurements and I'll prepare your approval sketch before my team cuts anything. — Natalya
Order swatches — $26, credited to your order
Shop relaxed Roman shades · Shop European relaxed · How to measure your window
