Roman blinds have adorned the windows of homes the world over for about as long as anyone can remember. Sure, the styles have a changed a little over the years, but the general design and concept remains the same.
But were the Romans actually responsible for the advent of our modern Roman blinds, or is it just a catchy name?
Let’s briefly delve into some history to discover the truth.
History of the Roman Blind
It is said that the Roman Empire fashioned the very first crude forms of the modern day Roman blinds more than 2000 years ago. They were pretty simplistic to start with; nothing more than a dampened cloth hung across opened windows to stop the dust from entering the dwelling. The dampness of the cloth not only helped keep the dust at bar, the weight of the moisture also enabled the cloth to hang better, as well as cooling the hot air as it passed in through the windows.
Over time the Romans got even more inventive and started attaching cords or drawstrings to the window coverings, in such a way that when someone pulled on the cord, the cloth would raise and fold fairly evenly upon itself. When the cord was lowered again, the cloth would unfold, blocking out the sunlight, the heat and the incessant dust which was always prevalent due to the roads being made of cobblestones and dirt. Even the building of the infamous Coliseum was a real dust producing structure, as the wind regularly picked up the dust as the stones were being carved.
Lengths of wood and different materials were experimented with over the years as the Roman’s both perfected their system of window coverings, and also started to decorate them with patterns, colours and pictures. Materials became more lightweight as designs evolved, eventually leading to a blind system very similar to our current range of modern day Roman blinds.
So yes, the Romans did actually invent Roman blinds.
Roman Blinds from Imperial In House
At Imperial In House we stock a great range of quality Roman blinds manufactured in the 21st century. They come in materials that are either translucent to allow more light into the room, or blockout fabrics which are great for keeping bedrooms nice and dark.
Having been around for thousands of years, Roman blinds never go out of style and we have a colour range to suit everyone’s decor. If you would like more information on our range of Roman blinds, give us a call and we’d be happy to discuss your options with you.
