Flat Roman shades: a clean, tailored panel that stacks into crisp, even pleats. Each pleat is hand-stitched, and every shade is sewn to your exact window within 1/4″ in our Toronto workroom. Plain weaves, patterns and borders; chain, cordless or motorized lift. Ships in 10 days or less.
Prefer a softer line? Compare with relaxed Roman shades, or order free swatches to see the cloth in your own light.
What is a flat Roman shade?
A flat Roman shade is a single tailored panel: lowered, it lies flush like a stretched canvas; raised, it stacks into crisp, hand-stitched pleats. No sag, no curve — the cleanest line a fabric shade can draw, and the fold that shows a pattern edge-to-edge without breaking it.
Flat and cascade Roman shades — the difference
Both are tailored folds, but they behave differently. A flat shade lies smooth when lowered. A cascade (waterfall) shade carries stitched front pockets, so even fully lowered it keeps a ribbed, layered relief down the face — see our Chamberlain cascade shade. Flat fold Roman shades are what most people picture as "the tailored one"; cascade is the dressier cousin.
Pattern lives on a flat panel
Stripes stay straight, borders stay square, and a print reads whole. If your fabric is the point — a pattern, a stripe or border, a floral — flat is the fold that shows it off. For plain weaves where softness matters more, compare relaxed.
Flat Roman shades — questions we answer
Flat or relaxed — how do I decide?
Flat for pattern, order and a modern line; relaxed for softness and a lived-in calm. Same workroom, same 1/4″ sewing, same 10-day make time — the choice is purely about how you want the window to feel.
Are flat Roman shades good for blackout?
The best of all folds. The straight hem sits tight to the sill, so a flat shade with our soft blackout lining gives the darkest result — outside mount with overlap makes a bedroom genuinely dark. See blackout Roman shades.
What is a flat fold Roman shade?
The same shade by another name: one flat panel that folds up in even horizontal pleats. Suppliers also call it a plain fold or tailored fold. If a guide recommends a "flat fold Roman shade", everything in this collection qualifies.
How exact do my measurements need to be?
Measure to the nearest 1/8″ and we take it from there — each shade is sewn to your numbers within 1/4″, and you approve a sketch before we cut. Our measuring guide walks you through inside and outside mount.
