ROMAN BLINDS: AN UPDATED CLASSIC

“Roman blinds have been around for centuries and even today, a ‘roman’ is still one of the best choices for window treatments,” says Malcolm Young, Managing Director of Toso Australia. “All you need is to choose the right fabric so you can take advantage of Roman blinds’ long, stylish life.”

“One of the biggest benefits of Roman blinds is that they really make a feature of their fabric. Where patterned curtains can overwhelm a smaller space, Roman blinds cover a more contained area beautifully. They also work well when layered with curtains for optimal insulation and privacy.”

Young notes that Romans are now more likely to be chain operated rather than the conventional cord operation, as a result of child safety concerns. Toso still offers its Creaty Cord system, which can do widths of 2400mm, but also offers its Creaty Drum Roman Blinds, which are chain operated and have many added benefits.

“With the Toso Creaty Drum Single, operating a Roman blind is as easy as ever. With its innovative Relay clutch system, Creaty offers one-handed operation, and pulling the chain 1.4m raises the blind by 1m, which is two or more times quicker than other chain operated systems in the market. To raise 1kg, pull the chain with a force of only 0.7kg. It also has a speed controller, so when you want to close the blind, you pull the chain 2cm, and the blind will come down at a constant speed regardless of the load. Maximum width and drop is 4000mm and 3000mm, with a weight of 5kg.”

The same applies with the Toso Creaty Drum Twin, which is on a compact and slim headrail that can take two blinds. “With this system you can have one chain for each blind (same side or opposite sides), or have only one chain, and this chain will operate each of the blinds individually. To raise the front blind you pull down on the front side of the chain. To pull up the rear blind, you pull down on the back side of the ball chain. To lower the front blind, pull down on the front side chain and release, and for the rear blind, you pull down on the back side of the chain and release. The speed controller prevents a rapid fall of the blind. Maximum width and drop is 4000mm and 3000mm, with a combined weight of 8kg.”

Toso Australia will be exhibiting at the BMAA Super Expo in June and will showcase the Creaty Roman on its stand.

ROLLEASE ACMEDA
Rollease Acmeda’s Readymade SS38 Roman Shade System is a relatively new offering with a number of key features. “It’s designed to ensure our customers reduce their wastage, production time, inventory and labour and entails a quick turnaround for roman shade fabrication.”

“There are 11 sizes available ranging from as little as 0.9m widths to 3.9m widths increasing in 300mm intervals. These sizes can then be easily cut by fabricators to fit the size of any application.”

“Switching from manual to motorised is as easy as swapping out the chain drive from the readymade kit and inserting our Automate CL 0.8Nm.”

In terms of overall market trends, the company notes that preassembled systems are growing in popularity.

“Although purchasing the extrusions and componentry separately is still very popular, readymade kits seem to be increasing in popularity and demand, slowly.”

“Of course, motorisation has been a consistently growing trend for all windows furnishings categories, romans included. Our Automate cord lift 0.8Nm motor is perfect for motorised SS38 Roman Shades featuring a double shaft for centre positioning.”

Slim spool configurations are another growing trend.

“Our slim spool has taken off in markets outside of Australia, and now we’re starting to see it slowly become accepted here too. The slim spool has numerous advantages over the common standard spool: 30% reduction in user effort when operating the bind; increased lift capacity for motorised solutions; increased lift capacity for chain drives.”

SUNTEX
Suntex General Manager Stephanie de Veer confirms the new Cord Lift motor from Rollease Acmeda has simplified the way the company manufactures motorised roman blind head rails.

“The new motor fits into a slim track profile and allows for the cord spools to be installed at the ends, resulting in more flexibility in manufacturing (previously the motor had to be at the end/ and we would need to make special cut outs/ punches in the headrail for the motor to fit).

The company now offers three unique bespoke roman styles, says de Veer. “Our bespoke romans let our customers specify a drapery fabric of their choice. This opens up the possibility of so many fabric designs from brands like Warwick, Unique Fabrics and so on; not just traditional blind fabrics, which tend be a ‘safe’ option. Our three styles really allow our customers to get creative, letting the window furnishing be the hero of the room. These styles have three different manufacturing techniques. We refer to them as: Structured – as the name suggests, structured and sophisticated; Stella – for a perfect pattern match; and Relaxed – no battens, for a soft and casual look).

In terms of overall trends, she notes motorisation as a key growth area. “Motorisation has so many benefits: convenience of raising and lowering the blind with the touch of a button (wall switch or remote); smart phone synchronisation – using an app to raise and lower your blind, set favourite positions, operate blinds while away from home; motorisation is more affordable than ever with some great developments in battery motors, no longer needing an electrician; child safety – motorisation removes the need for a cord or chain, which some consumers find unsightly.”

“Another key trend is light filtering fabrics. We are seeing an increase in the use of light filtering fabrics on roman blinds. I think as inner city blocks seem to be getting smaller and smaller, new builds tend to have few windows adjacent to their neighbours, so it’s important to let as much light in as possible. Consumers aren’t often aware of just how effective a light filtering fabric is for reflecting heat and maintaining a high level of privacy. As the name suggests, light filtering fabrics do just that, filter the internal light and soften the interior, rather than a blockout day/ night situation.”

“And of course bespoke romans, where customers can specify a drapery fabric, are another key growth area. I think home renovation shows are encouraging consumers to have a bit of fun with their soft furnishings. They’ll fall in love with a fabric they see on a show, in a design magazine or on pinterest and now we can let them use these fabrics on blinds rather than just on a cushion, occasional chair or curtain; a bespoke roman becomes a much more cost effective option than a curtain as it will require far less fabric.”

BLINDWARE
Recognising a gap in the Romans market for motorisation options, Blindware has released a major update to its long standing motorised Roman blind track, confirms Managing Director Grant Norton.

“Clearly targeted at premium buyers, the new motorised Roman track system has been developed from the ground up. The heavy duty extruded track comes pre-assembled in 500mm length increments, from one metre wide to 5.5 metre wide and ready for quick cut-down to finished length. Lift spools and cords are already attached, providing for a maximum four metre drop and driven by a heavy duty octagonal aluminium tube. Inside the tube, the design uses a standard 40mm tubular motor, having either electronic or mechanical limit settings. The track is compatible with most brands of 40mm motors, including Blindware’s timeproven Motolux motors.”

“Operation is whisper quiet and the unique traversing spools ensure that the lift cords are always held in constant position, without side to side wander or tangling. Installation is achieved using fully concealed top mount or face mount spring-brackets.”

“Fabric is fitted to the front face with double side tape or Velcro, then a thin cover plate is screwed into place for complete fabric security. A spline groove is also provided, if required. A fabric valance can be easily created by draping the fabric over the top of the cover plate and finishing at any length.

Norton says that, as with most of Blindware’s new releases, these products have been launched to provide enhanced performance and flexibility. “For motorised Roman tracks, one of the key challenges is lift cords. When just wrapped around the tube, they can tangle and make Roman blinds appear out of level, which is obviously an issue for end users. Our new Motorised Roman Track has been designed with threaded spools, secured in place in fixed mounting blocks. This unique spool system keeps the cords positively controlled, with the spools and cords traversing slightly along the octagonal tube with each rotation.”

Manufacturing Blindware’s Motorised Roman Track is simple, he adds. “The track can be quickly cut to length, motor inserted and the end caps fixed back into position. It doesn’t get much easier than that.”

Blindware is also offering a cut-down service to give customers complete versatility. The new motorised Roman track is fully compatible with controls used for Blindware’s range of roller blind motors and motorised curtain tracks, including the new APP controlled “UFO” hub.